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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adopter

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The English translation of the French verb “adopter” is “to adopt.” The infinitive form “adopter” is pronounced as [a.dɔp.te].

The verb “adopter” comes from the Latin word “adoptare,” which means “to choose as one’s own.” In everyday French, “adopter” is commonly used to refer to the action of legally taking someone in as one’s child or formally choosing or embracing a particular idea, technique, or behavior.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “adopter” is less frequently used in everyday conversation and is mostly reserved for formal or written contexts. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’adoptai un chat l’année dernière.
    (I adopted a cat last year.)

  2. Elle adopta une nouvelle stratégie pour résoudre le problème.
    (She adopted a new strategy to solve the problem.)

  3. Ils adoptèrent cette façon de faire.
    (They adopted this way of doing things.)

Note that in spoken French, the Passé Composé (Present Perfect) tense is more commonly used to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je adoptai J’adoptai un chien. I adopted a dog.
Tu adoptas Tu adoptas un chat. You adopted a cat.
Il adopta Il adopta une nouvelle politique. He adopted a new policy.
Elle adopta Elle adopta une position ferme. She adopted a firm stance.
On adopta On adopta une nouvelle stratégie. One adopted a new strategy.
Nous adoptâmes Nous adoptâmes un enfant. We adopted a child.
Vous adoptâtes Vous adoptâtes une résolution. You adopted a resolution.
Ils adoptèrent Ils adoptèrent une approche différente. They adopted a different approach.
Elles adoptèrent Elles adoptèrent un nouveau régime. They (feminine) adopted a new regime.

Other Conjugations for Adopter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adopter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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