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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb apostiller

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The English translation of the French verb “apostiller” is “to annotate” or “to certify.” The infinitive form “apostiller” is pronounced as ah-poh-stee-yay.

The verb “apostiller” comes from the Latin word “postillare,” meaning “to annotate.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe the action of certifying or annotating a document officially.

Three simple examples of “apostiller” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. Hier, j’apostillai tous les documents nécessaires. (Yesterday, I certified all the necessary documents.)
  2. L’avocat apostilla le contrat de vente. (The lawyer annotated the sales contract.)
  3. La mairie apostilla les actes de naissance. (The town hall certified the birth certificates.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French and not commonly used in spoken language or informal writing.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je apostillai J’apostillai le document. I apostilled the document.
Tu apostillas Tu apostillas la lettre. You apostilled the letter.
Il apostilla Il apostilla le certificat. He apostilled the certificate.
Elle apostilla Elle apostilla la copie. She apostilled the copy.
On apostilla On apostilla le contrat. One apostilled the contract.
Nous apostillâmes Nous apostillâmes les formulaires. We apostilled the forms.
Vous apostillâtes Vous apostillâtes le dossier. You apostilled the file.
Ils apostillèrent Ils apostillèrent les papiers. They apostilled the papers.
Elles apostillèrent Elles apostillèrent les documents. They (feminine) apostilled the documents.

Other Conjugations for Apostiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb apostiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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