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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accompagner

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The English translation of the French verb “accompagner” is “to accompany.” The infinitive form “accompagner” is pronounced as ah-kohm-pahn-yay.

The verb “accompagner” originates from the Latin word “acompaniare,” which means “to share a meal with.” In everyday French, it is commonly used to express the action of going along with someone or being with someone in a supportive or complementary role.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in written and formal contexts, “accompagner” is conjugated as follows:

  • J’accompagnai (I accompanied)
  • Tu accompagnas (You accompanied)
  • Il/Elle accompagna (He/She accompanied)
  • Nous accompagnâmes (We accompanied)
  • Vous accompagnâtes (You accompanied)
  • Ils/Elles accompagnèrent (They accompanied)

Examples of “accompagner” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. Hier, je l’accompagnai à la gare. (Yesterday, I accompanied him/her to the train station.)
  2. Tu accompagnas tes amis au cinéma. (You accompanied your friends to the cinema.)
  3. Les artistes nous accompagnèrent lors de la représentation. (The artists accompanied us during the performance.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, and the verb “accompagner” is more commonly used in the compound tenses (such as Passé Composé) to talk about past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je accompagnai J’accompagnai mon ami. I accompanied my friend.
Tu accompagnas Tu accompagnas ta sœur. You accompanied your sister.
Il accompagna Il accompagna sa mère. He accompanied his mother.
Elle accompagna Elle accompagna son frère. She accompanied her brother.
On accompagna On accompagna l’équipe. One accompanied the team.
Nous accompagnâmes Nous accompagnâmes les invités. We accompanied the guests.
Vous accompagnâtes Vous accompagnâtes votre professeur. You accompanied your teacher.
Ils accompagnèrent Ils accompagnèrent les enfants. They accompanied the children.
Elles accompagnèrent Elles accompagnèrent les touristes. They (feminine) accompanied the tourists.

Other Conjugations for Accompagner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accompagner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Accompagner – 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 accompagner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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