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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arroser

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The English translation of the French verb “arroser” is “to water” or “to sprinkle.” The infinitive form “arroser” is pronounced as [a.ʁo.ze].

The word “arroser” comes from the Old French word “arroser” meaning “to drench” or “to moisten.” It is derived from the Latin word “adrosare” meaning “to sprinkle.”

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is rarely used in spoken language but is commonly found in written literature, especially in formal writing. It is used to describe actions that occurred and ended in the past.

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

  1. J’arroserai les fleurs hier. (I watered the flowers yesterday.)
  2. Tu arrosas le jardin la semaine dernière. (You watered the garden last week.)
  3. Il arrosa la pelouse pendant toute la journée. (He watered the lawn all day.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is more commonly replaced by the Passé Composé tense in spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je arrosai J’arrosai les plantes. I watered the plants.
Tu arrosas Tu arrosas les fleurs. You watered the flowers.
Il arrosa Il arrosa le jardin. He watered the garden.
Elle arrosa Elle arrosa les légumes. She watered the vegetables.
On arrosa On arrosa les arbres. One watered the trees.
Nous arrosâmes Nous arrosâmes les rosiers. We watered the rose bushes.
Vous arrosâtes Vous arrosâtes les plantes. You watered the plants.
Ils arrosèrent Ils arrosèrent le gazon. They watered the lawn.
Elles arrosèrent Elles arrosèrent les fleurs. They (feminine) watered the flowers.

Other Conjugations for Arroser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arroser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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