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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annuler

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The English translation of the French verb “annuler” is “to cancel.” The infinitive form “annuler” is pronounced as “ah-nyu-leh.”

The word “annuler” originates from the Latin word “annullare,” which means “to invalidate” or “to nullify.” In everyday French, “annuler” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) to talk about completed actions in the past, particularly in written or formal contexts.

Here are three examples of “annuler” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. J’annulai ma réservation à l’hôtel. (I canceled my hotel reservation.)
  2. Elle annula la réunion à la dernière minute. (She canceled the meeting at the last minute.)
  3. Ils annulèrent le vol en raison de la grève des pilotes. (They canceled the flight due to the pilots’ strike.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is still used in written French, it is less commonly used in spoken language. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé or other compound tenses are generally preferred to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je annulai J’annulai la réservation. I cancelled the reservation.
Tu annulas Tu annulas ton vol. You cancelled your flight.
Il annula Il annula la réunion. He cancelled the meeting.
Elle annula Elle annula son rendez-vous. She cancelled her appointment.
On annula On annula l’événement. One cancelled the event.
Nous annulâmes Nous annulâmes la commande. We cancelled the order.
Vous annulâtes Vous annulâtes le contrat. You cancelled the contract.
Ils annulèrent Ils annulèrent leur participation. They cancelled their participation.
Elles annulèrent Elles annulèrent leur réservation. They (feminine) cancelled their reservation.

Other Conjugations for Annuler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annuler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Annuler – 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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