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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attarder

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The English translation of the French verb “attarder” is “to linger” or “to delay”. The infinitive form of “attarder” is pronounced as ah-tahr-deh.

The verb “attarder” comes from the Latin word “tardare” (to delay). In everyday French, “attarder” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions that occurred in a specific moment or period. This tense is mostly used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing.

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

  1. Il attarda au café pendant deux heures. (He lingered at the café for two hours.)
  2. Elle s’attarda dans les magasins avant de rentrer à la maison. (She lingered in the shops before going home.)
  3. Nous nous attardâmes sur la plage jusqu’au coucher du soleil. (We lingered on the beach until sunset.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, so it is more common to use the Passé Composé (compound past) tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je attardai J’attardai devant la vitrine. I lingered in front of the shop window.
Tu attardas Tu attardas dans le parc. You lingered in the park.
Il attarda Il attarda son départ. He delayed his departure.
Elle attarda Elle attarda sa réponse. She delayed her response.
On attarda On attarda la livraison. One delayed the delivery.
Nous attardâmes Nous attardâmes au restaurant. We lingered at the restaurant.
Vous attardâtes Vous attardâtes dans la salle d’attente. You lingered in the waiting room.
Ils attardèrent Ils attardèrent leur programme. They delayed their schedule.
Elles attardèrent Elles attardèrent leur départ. They (feminine) delayed their departure.

Other Conjugations for Attarder.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attarder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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