You will read it far more often than you will ever write it.
The passé simple in French is a past tense you meet in books long before you hear it: il fut, elle prit, ils arrivèrent. In speech and in everyday writing, French uses the passé composé instead, so most learners only need to recognise it.
This guide shows how to spot the passé simple in a text, the four sets of endings behind it, and the few cases where you may want to write it.
The passé simple tells finished actions in a story: novels, tales, history books, biographies. It is the French equivalent of the English simple past in a narrative, as in he went or she took.
Almost only in writing, and mostly in the third person: il fut, elle partit, ils comprirent. In conversation, in emails and in most articles, French uses the passé composé for the same meaning.
Look at the third person, the forms you will meet most. The singular ends in -a, -it, -ut or -int; the plural in -èrent, -irent, -urent or -inrent. The nous and vous forms carry a circumflex: nous parlâmes, vous fûtes.
| Infinitive | il, elle | ils, elles | Passé composé |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | il fut | ils furent | il a été |
| avoir | il eut | ils eurent | il a eu |
| faire | il fit | ils firent | il a fait |
| venir | il vint | ils vinrent | il est venu |
| aller | il alla | ils allèrent | il est allé |
| prendre | il prit | ils prirent | il a pris |
The circumflex on nous and vous follows the rules of our page on French accents.
Every verb uses one of four sets of endings. The vowel of the set, a, i, u or in, is the clue.
| Set | Verbs | je, tu, il | nous, vous, ils |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ai | all -er verbs: parler | je parlai, tu parlas, il parla | nous parlâmes, vous parlâtes, ils parlèrent |
| -is | -ir verbs and many -re verbs: finir, prendre | je finis, tu finis, il finit | nous finîmes, vous finîtes, ils finirent |
| -us | être, avoir, pouvoir, vouloir and others | je fus, tu fus, il fut | nous fûmes, vous fûtes, ils furent |
| -ins | venir, tenir and their compounds | je vins, tu vins, il vint | nous vînmes, vous vîntes, ils vinrent |
The rule page on passé simple endings lists the verbs of each set, with practice.
Both tenses describe a finished action in the past. The difference is the register: the passé simple belongs to written narrative, the passé composé to speech and everyday writing. A history book writes Victor Hugo naquit en 1802; you would say je suis né en 2001.
In stories, the passé simple works with the imparfait the way the passé composé does in speech: one tells the events, the other sets the scene. Our page on imparfait vs passé composé explains that split.
Some passé simple forms are spelled like the present tense, and only the context tells them apart.
In a story told in the past, read these forms as passé simple unless the sentence clearly speaks about now.
Rarely. You may want it in a story, in a creative writing task that asks for a narrative in the past, or if you write fiction in French. For everything else, the passé composé is correct and sounds natural.
Focus on recognising the third person forms: they are the ones that appear on almost every page of a French novel.
Read the passé simple, speak the passé composé. Spot the third person endings -a, -it, -ut and -int, and their plurals in -èrent, -irent, -urent and -inrent, and most literary texts will open up.
Is the passé simple still used in French?
Yes, in writing: novels, tales, history books and some news stories. It is almost never used in conversation, where the passé composé takes its place.
What is the difference between passé simple and passé composé?
They mean the same finished past action. The passé simple belongs to written narrative, the passé composé to speech and everyday writing.
How do you recognise the passé simple?
Look at the third person: -a, -it, -ut or -int in the singular, -èrent, -irent, -urent or -inrent in the plural. The nous and vous forms carry a circumflex.
Is il fut passé simple?
Yes. Il fut is the passé simple of être. In the passé composé, the same idea is il a été.
Do I need to learn the passé simple?
Learn to recognise it if you read French books. Writing it is only useful for stories and fiction; the passé composé covers everyday needs.
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