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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arracher

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The English translation of the French verb “arracher” is “to pull out” or “to snatch.”

The infinitive form of arracher is pronounced as ah-rah-shey.

The verb “arracher” originated from the Old French word “arachier,” which came from the Latin “exradicare,” meaning “to uproot.” In everyday French, arracher is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary or formal equivalent of the Passé Composé.

Examples of “arracher” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Je lui arrachai le livre des mains. (I snatched the book from his/her hands.)
  2. Tu arrachas une page du cahier. (You tore a page out of the notebook.)
  3. Ils arrachèrent les fleurs du jardin. (They pulled out the flowers from the garden.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je arrachai J’arrachai une feuille. I tore off a leaf.
Tu arrachas Tu arrachas les mauvaises herbes. You pulled out the weeds.
Il arracha Il arracha la page. He tore out the page.
Elle arracha Elle arracha une fleur. She plucked a flower.
On arracha On arracha les posters. One took down the posters.
Nous arrachâmes Nous arrachâmes les mauvaises herbes. We pulled out the weeds.
Vous arrachâtes Vous arrachâtes les étiquettes. You tore off the labels.
Ils arrachèrent Ils arrachèrent les branches. They tore off the branches.
Elles arrachèrent Elles arrachèrent les pages. They (feminine) tore out the pages.

Other Conjugations for Arracher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arracher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Arracher – 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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