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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affiler

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The English translation of the French verb “affiler” is “to sharpen.” The infinitive form “affiler” is pronounced as ah-fee-leh.

The verb “affiler” comes from the Old French word “afilier,” which originated from the Latin word “affilare.” In everyday French, the passé simple (simple past) tense is rarely used in spoken language but is commonly found in written literature, especially in formal or narrative contexts.

Here are three simple examples of the use of “affiler” in the passé simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je lui affilai le couteau.
    (I sharpened the knife for him.)
  2. Les ouvriers affilèrent les lames de scie.
    (The workers sharpened the saw blades.)
  3. Elle affila ses crayons avant de commencer à écrire.
    (She sharpened her pencils before starting to write.)

Please note that the passé simple tense is mostly used in literature and not commonly used in everyday spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affilai J’affilai le couteau. I sharpened the knife.
Tu affilas Tu affilas la lame. You sharpened the blade.
Il affila Il affila les crayons. He sharpened the pencils.
Elle affila Elle affila le rasoir. She sharpened the razor.
On affila On affila les ciseaux. One sharpened the scissors.
Nous affilâmes Nous affilâmes les outils. We sharpened the tools.
Vous affilâtes Vous affilâtes la scie. You sharpened the saw.
Ils affilèrent Ils affilèrent les lames. They sharpened the blades.
Elles affilèrent Elles affilèrent les couteaux. They (feminine) sharpened the knives.

Other Conjugations for Affiler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affiler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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