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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affluer

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The English translation of the French verb “affluer” is “to flow” or “to pour in.” The infinitive form “affluer” is pronounced as [a.flye].

The verb “affluer” comes from the Latin word “affluĕre,” which means “to flow toward” or “to come in large numbers.” In everyday French, “affluer” is commonly used to describe the movement of a large number of people or things toward a specific location. It conveys the idea of a significant influx or arrival.

In the Passé Simple tense, “affluer” is rarely used in everyday speech as it is more commonly found in formal or literary contexts. However, here are three examples of its usage in the Simple Past, along with their English translations:

  1. Les touristes affluèrent en masse dans la ville historique. (The tourists flocked in large numbers to the historic city.)
  2. Les demandes d’inscription affluèrent suite à la publication des résultats. (Registration requests poured in after the publication of the results.)
  3. Les dons affluent généreusement en période de Noël. (Donations flow generously during the Christmas period.)

Please note that the Simple Past tense, including the Passé Simple, is not widely used in spoken French. The more common past tense is the Passé Composé, which is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the verb.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affluai J’affluai à la gare. I flocked to the train station.
Tu affluas Tu affluas vers moi. You flocked towards me.
Il afflua Il afflua vers le centre-ville. He flocked to the city center.
Elle afflua Elle afflua vers la plage. She flocked to the beach.
On afflua On afflua dans la salle. One flocked into the room.
Nous affluâmes Nous affluâmes au concert. We flocked to the concert.
Vous affluâtes Vous affluâtes au restaurant. You flocked to the restaurant.
Ils affluèrent Ils affluèrent au stade. They flocked to the stadium.
Elles affluèrent Elles affluèrent au supermarché. They (feminine) flocked to the supermarket.

Other Conjugations for Affluer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affluer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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