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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arnaquer

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The English translation of the French verb “arnaquer” is “to scam” or “to cheat.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “arnaquer” is ahr-nah-kay.

The word “arnaquer” originated from the French slang “argot” in the 19th century. It comes from the word “harnaquer,” which means “to deceive” or “to swindle.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe fraudulent or deceitful actions.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “arnaquer” is less commonly used in everyday speech but can still be found in literature or formal contexts. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il arnaqua ses amis et s’enfuit avec tout l’argent.
    (He scammed his friends and ran away with all the money.)

  2. Elle l’arnaqua en lui vendant un produit contrefait.
    (She cheated him by selling him a counterfeit product.)

  3. Les escrocs qui arnaquèrent la vieille dame furent arrêtés.
    (The scammers who cheated the old lady were arrested.)

English translations:

  1. He scammed his friends and ran away with all the money.
  2. She cheated him by selling him a counterfeit product.
  3. The scammers who cheated the old lady were arrested.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je arnaquai J’arnaquai mon ami. I scammed my friend.
Tu arnaquas Tu arnaquas le client. You scammed the customer.
Il arnaqua Il arnaqua la banque. He scammed the bank.
Elle arnaqua Elle arnaqua son partenaire. She scammed her partner.
On arnaqua On arnaqua les touristes. One scammed the tourists.
Nous arnaquâmes Nous arnaquâmes les clients. We scammed the customers.
Vous arnaquâtes Vous arnaquâtes les victimes. You scammed the victims.
Ils arnaquèrent Ils arnaquèrent les gens. They scammed people.
Elles arnaquèrent Elles arnaquèrent leurs collègues. They (feminine) scammed their colleagues.

Other Conjugations for Arnaquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arnaquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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