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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acharner

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The English translation of the French verb “acharner” is “to insist” or “to persevere.” The infinitive form of “acharner” is pronounced as [a.shaʁ.ne].

The word “acharner” originates from the Latin word “acer,” which means “sharp” or “bitter.” In everyday French, “acharner” is often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used to describe past actions. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in written literature.

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

  1. Il s’acharna sur son travail jusqu’à tard dans la nuit.
    (He insisted on working until late at night.)

  2. Elle s’acharna à obtenir une réponse de la part du professeur.
    (She persevered in getting a response from the professor.)

  3. Ils s’acharnèrent à résoudre le problème jusqu’à ce qu’ils y parviennent.
    (They insisted on solving the problem until they succeeded.)

Please note that although the Passé Simple tense is grammatically correct, it is more common to use the passé composé or other past tenses in spoken and informal written French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je acharnai J’acharnai sur mon travail. I worked tirelessly on my task.
Tu acharnas Tu acharnas sur ton projet. You worked tirelessly on your project.
Il acharna Il acharna contre ses adversaires. He fought fiercely against his opponents.
Elle acharna Elle acharna contre l’injustice. She fought fiercely against injustice.
On acharna On acharna sur nos études. We worked tirelessly on our studies.
Nous acharnâmes Nous acharnâmes contre la maladie. We fought fiercely against the illness.
Vous acharnâtes Vous acharnâtes sur votre tâche. You worked tirelessly on your task.
Ils acharnèrent Ils s’acharnèrent contre le système. They fought fiercely against the system.
Elles acharnèrent Elles acharnèrent sur leur objectif. They (feminine) worked tirelessly on their goal.

Other Conjugations for Acharner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acharner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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