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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alerter

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The English translation of the French verb “alerter” is “to alert.” The infinitive form of “alerter” is pronounced as “a-lehr-teh.”

The word “alerter” originates from the French noun “alerte,” meaning “alert” or “warning,” which derives from the Italian word “all’erta,” meaning “to the height.” “Alerter” is commonly used in everyday French to indicate the action of warning or notifying someone about a potential danger or urgent situation.

In the Passé Simple tense, “alerter” is used less frequently in everyday spoken French and is more commonly found in written literature or formal contexts. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les employés alertèrent immédiatement les autorités. (The employees alerted the authorities immediately.)
  2. Le capitaine alertera son équipage du danger imminent. (The captain alerted his crew of the imminent danger.)
  3. L’alarme alerta les habitants du quartier. (The alarm alerted the residents of the neighborhood.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, and in spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je alertai J’alertai la police. I alerted the police.
Tu alertas Tu alertas les voisins. You alerted the neighbors.
Il alerta Il alerta les autorités. He alerted the authorities.
Elle alerta Elle alerta les secours. She alerted the emergency services.
On alerta On alerta les résidents. One alerted the residents.
Nous alertâmes Nous alertâmes les passants. We alerted the passersby.
Vous alertâtes Vous alertâtes le directeur. You alerted the director.
Ils alertèrent Ils alertèrent les pompiers. They alerted the firefighters.
Elles alertèrent Elles alertèrent les habitants. They (feminine) alerted the residents.

Other Conjugations for Alerter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alerter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Alerter – 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.

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