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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affairer

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The English translation of the French verb “affairer” is “to keep busy” or “to be busy.” The infinitive form, “affairer,” is pronounced as [a.fɛ.ʁe].

The verb “affairer” comes from the Old French word “aferir,” which means “to define” or “to give a legal status.” In everyday French, “affairer” is used to express the action of being busy or occupied with various tasks.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “affairer” is less commonly used in everyday spoken French, as it tends to be reserved for formal or written contexts. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in the Simple Past tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Hier, ils affairèrent toute la journée à préparer la réunion.
    (Yesterday, they kept busy all day preparing for the meeting.)

  2. Durant les vacances, nous nous affairâmes à ranger la maison.
    (During the holidays, we kept ourselves busy tidying up the house.)

  3. Le directeur affaira ses employés pour terminer le projet à temps.
    (The manager kept his employees busy to finish the project on time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affairai J’affairai la maison. I busied myself with the house.
Tu affairas Tu affairas tes affaires. You busied yourself with your affairs.
Il affaira Il affaira ses dossiers. He busied himself with his files.
Elle affaira Elle affaira son travail. She busied herself with her work.
On affaira On affaira la journée. One busied oneself with the day.
Nous affairâmes Nous affairâmes la salle. We busied ourselves with the room.
Vous affairâtes Vous affairâtes vos tâches. You busied yourself with your tasks.
Ils affairèrent Ils affairèrent la semaine. They busied themselves with the week.
Elles affairèrent Elles affairèrent la journée. They (feminine) busied themselves with the day.

Other Conjugations for Affairer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affairer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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