Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accélérer

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The English translation of the French verb “accélérer” is “to accelerate.” The infinitive form “accélérer” is pronounced as ah-sey-leh-rey.

The word “accélérer” comes from the Latin verb “celerāre,” meaning “to hasten.” In everyday French, “accélérer” is used to describe the action of speeding up, increasing the pace, or making something go faster. In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in written French, “accélérer” takes the following forms:

  • J’accélérai: I accelerated
  • Tu accéléras: You accelerated (singular)
  • Il/Elle/On accéléra: He/She/One accelerated

Here are three examples of “accélérer” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. J’accélérai pour rattraper le bus.
    (I accelerated to catch the bus.)

  2. L’athlète accéléra dans les derniers mètres de la course.
    (The athlete accelerated in the last meters of the race.)

  3. Nous accélérâmes afin d’éviter le trafic.
    (We accelerated to avoid the traffic.)

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of accélérer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je accélérai J’accélérai la voiture. I accelerated the car.
Tu accéléras Tu accéléras le moteur. You accelerated the engine.
Il accéléra Il accéléra la vitesse. He accelerated the speed.
Elle accéléra Elle accéléra la production. She accelerated the production.
On accéléra On accéléra la croissance. One accelerated the growth.
Nous accélérâmes Nous accélérâmes le processus. We accelerated the process.
Vous accélérâtes Vous accélérâtes le rythme. You accelerated the pace.
Ils accélérèrent Ils accélérèrent le développement. They accelerated the development.
Elles accélérèrent Elles accélérèrent la cadence. They (feminine) accelerated the rhythm.

Other Conjugations for Accélérer.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer (You’re reading it right now!)

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accélérer

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Accélérer – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb accélérer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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