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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affliger

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of affliger. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “affliger” is “to afflict” or “to distress.” The infinitive form of “affliger” is pronounced as [a.fli.ʒe].

The verb “affliger” comes from the Latin word “affligere,” meaning “to strike down” or “to afflict.” In everyday French, “affliger” is often used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions or events in a formal or literary context.

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

  1. Il affligea sa famille en leur annonçant la mauvaise nouvelle.
    (He afflicted his family by announcing the bad news to them.)

  2. Le malheur les affligea pendant des mois.
    (Misfortune afflicted them for months.)

  3. Cette tragédie les affligea profondément.
    (This tragedy distressed them deeply.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly reserved for formal or written contexts, such as literature or historical accounts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affligeai J’affligeai ma mère. I afflicted my mother.
Tu affligeas Tu affligeas ton ami. You afflicted your friend.
Il affligea Il affligea sa famille. He afflicted his family.
Elle affligea Elle affligea son compagnon. She afflicted her partner.
On affligea On affligea la population. One afflicted the population.
Nous affligeâmes Nous affligeâmes nos voisins. We afflicted our neighbors.
Vous affligeâtes Vous affligeâtes votre ennemi. You afflicted your enemy.
Ils affligèrent Ils affligèrent leurs adversaires. They afflicted their opponents.
Elles affligèrent Elles affligèrent leurs parents. They (feminine) afflicted their parents.

Other Conjugations for Affliger.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affliger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the affliger Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply