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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acculer

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The English translation of the French verb “acculer” is “to corner” or “to back into a corner.” The infinitive form “acculer” is pronounced as “ah-kew-lay.”

“Acculer” comes from the Latin word “colliculare,” which means “to push together” or “to bring together.” In everyday French, it is often used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that were completed in the past, particularly in a narrative or formal context.

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

  1. Le chien accula le chat dans un coin.
    (The dog cornered the cat into a corner.)

  2. Les manifestants furent acculés par la police.
    (The protesters were cornered by the police.)

  3. L’équipe adverse nous a acculés à notre propre but.
    (The opposing team backed us into our own goal.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, such as literature or formal writing, and is less common in spoken language or everyday conversations.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je acculai J’acculai l’animal contre le mur. I cornered the animal against the wall.
Tu acculas Tu acculas le voleur. You cornered the thief.
Il accula Il accula son adversaire. He cornered his opponent.
Elle accula Elle accula le chien dans la cour. She cornered the dog in the yard.
On accula On accula le suspect dans la pièce. One cornered the suspect in the room.
Nous acculâmes Nous acculâmes l’équipe adverse. We cornered the opposing team.
Vous acculâtes Vous acculâtes le coupable. You cornered the culprit.
Ils acculèrent Ils acculèrent le fuyard. They cornered the fugitive.
Elles acculèrent Elles acculèrent les vaches dans l’étable. They (feminine) cornered the cows in the stable.

Other Conjugations for Acculer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acculer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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