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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affûter

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The English translation of the French verb “affûter” is “to sharpen.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “affûter” is [a.fy.te].

The word “affûter” comes from the Old French term “afuter,” which was derived from the Latin word “futare,” meaning “to shape or polish.” In everyday French, “affûter” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) to describe past actions that are completed and no longer ongoing.

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

  1. J’affûtai mes couteaux hier. (I sharpened my knives yesterday.)
  2. Il/Elle affûta la lame du couteau avec soin. (He/She sharpened the blade of the knife carefully.)
  3. Nous affûtâmes nos compétences pour l’examen. (We sharpened our skills for the exam.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affûtai J’affûtai le couteau. I sharpened the knife.
Tu affûtas Tu affûtas les ciseaux. You sharpened the scissors.
Il affûta Il affûta la lame. He sharpened the blade.
Elle affûta Elle affûta sa plume. She sharpened her pen.
On affûta On affûta le crayon. One sharpened the pencil.
Nous affûtâmes Nous affûtâmes les outils. We sharpened the tools.
Vous affûtâtes Vous affûtâtes la scie. You sharpened the saw.
Ils affûtèrent Ils affûtèrent le rasoir. They sharpened the razor.
Elles affûtèrent Elles affûtèrent la hache. They (feminine) sharpened the axe.

Other Conjugations for Affûter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affûter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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