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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annihiler

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of annihiler. 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 “annihiler” is “to annihilate.” The infinitive form, “annihiler,” is pronounced as “ah-nee-ee-lay.”

The word “annihiler” comes from the Latin word “annihilare,” which means “to reduce to nothing.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the equivalent of the Simple Past tense in English. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in written texts.

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

  1. Le puissant tsunami annihila la petite ville côtière.
    (The powerful tsunami annihilated the small coastal town.)

  2. Les forces ennemies furent annihilées lors de la bataille.
    (The enemy forces were annihilated during the battle.)

  3. La nouvelle technologie annihila les obstacles qui existaient auparavant.
    (The new technology annihilated the obstacles that existed before.)

In these examples, “annihiler” is used to describe the destruction or complete elimination of something or someone.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je annihilai J’annihilai mes ennemis. I annihilated my enemies.
Tu annihilas Tu annhilas toutes les chances. You annihilated all the chances.
Il annihila Il annihila son adversaire. He annihilated his opponent.
Elle annihila Elle annihila la résistance. She annihilated the resistance.
On annihila On annihila les idées opposées. One annihilated the opposing ideas.
Nous annihilâmes Nous annihilâmes l’armée ennemie. We annihilated the enemy army.
Vous annihilâtes Vous annihilâtes la menace. You annihilated the threat.
Ils annihilèrent Ils annihilèrent la cité. They annihilated the city.
Elles annihilèrent Elles annihilèrent les monstres. They (feminine) annihilated the monsters.

Other Conjugations for Annihiler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annihiler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 annihiler Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply