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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accoupler

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The English translation of the French verb “accoupler” is “to mate” or “to couple.” The infinitive form of “accoupler” is pronounced as [a.ku.ple].

The verb “accoupler” comes from the Old French word “copler” which means “to join together.” It is derived from the Latin word “copulare,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, “accoupler” is most commonly used to refer to the act of mating or coupling animals, but it can also be used metaphorically to mean joining or pairing things together.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “accoupler” is conjugated as follows:

  • je couplai (I mated/I coupled)
  • tu couplas (you mated/you coupled)
  • il/elle/on coupla (he/she/it mated/he/she/it coupled)

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

  1. Les deux chiens s’accouplèrent dans le parc.
    (The two dogs mated in the park.)

  2. Les chercheurs ont accouplé les espèces de poissons pour étudier leur comportement de reproduction.
    (The researchers mated the fish species to study their breeding behavior.)

  3. Les ingénieurs ont accouplé les deux moteurs pour augmenter la puissance de la voiture.
    (The engineers coupled the two engines to increase the car’s power.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je accouplai J’accouplai les animaux. I mated the animals.
Tu accouplas Tu accouplas les chiens. You mated the dogs.
Il accoupla Il accoupla les chevaux. He mated the horses.
Elle accoupla Elle accoupla les oiseaux. She mated the birds.
On accoupla On accoupla deux pigeons. One mated two pigeons.
Nous accouplâmes Nous accouplâmes les lapins. We mated the rabbits.
Vous accouplâtes Vous accouplâtes les poissons. You mated the fish.
Ils accouplèrent Ils accouplèrent les tortues. They mated the turtles.
Elles accouplèrent Elles accouplèrent les insectes. They (feminine) mated the insects.

Other Conjugations for Accoupler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accoupler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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