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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accouer

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The English translation of the French verb “accouer” is “to dock” or “to moor.” The infinitive form of “accouer” is pronounced as “a-koo-eh.”

The verb “accouer” has its origins in the Latin word “ad costa,” which means “to the coast.” In everyday French, “accouer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred in the past. However, it’s important to note that the Passé Simple tense is less commonly used in spoken French and is typically found in written narratives or formal contexts.

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

  1. Le navire accosta au port. (The ship docked at the port.)
  2. Nous accouâmes près de la jetée. (We moored near the jetty.)
  3. Le capitaine accoua son bateau avec précaution. (The captain docked his boat carefully.)

In these examples, “accouer” is used to express the action of a ship or boat docking or mooring.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je accouai J’accouai devant le maire. I ran up to the mayor.
Tu accouas Tu accouas près du feu. You ran up to the fire.
Il accoua Il accoua vers la scène. He ran up to the stage.
Elle accoua Elle accoua vers la porte. She ran up to the door.
On accoua On accoua vers le comptoir. One ran up to the counter.
Nous accouâmes Nous accouâmes auprès du guichet. We ran up to the ticket counter.
Vous accouâtes Vous accouâtes dans la voiture. You ran up to the car.
Ils accouèrent Ils accouèrent au sommet. They ran up to the summit.
Elles accouèrent Elles accouèrent à l’arrêt de bus. They (feminine) ran up to the bus stop.

Other Conjugations for Accouer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accouer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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