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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attenter

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The English translation of the French verb “attenter” is “to attempt” or “to try.” The infinitive form of “attenter” is pronounced as [a.tɑ̃.te].

The word “attenter” comes from the Latin verb “attentare,” which means “to attempt” or “to try.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense in formal or written contexts to express an action that occurred in the past.

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

  1. Il attenta à ma vie. (He attempted on my life.)
  2. Elle attenta de s’échapper, mais elle échoua. (She attempted to escape, but she failed.)
  3. Le groupe d’activistes attenta contre le gouvernement. (The group of activists attempted against the government.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly reserved for formal writing or literature. In everyday spoken French, the compound past tense (Passé Composé) is more commonly used to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je attentai J’attentai un attentat. I attempted an attack.
Tu attenta Tu attenta à ma vie. You attempted on my life.
Il attenta Il attenta contre lui-même. He attempted against himself.
Elle attenta Elle attenta à sa réputation. She attempted on her reputation.
On attenta On attenta à la sécurité. One attempted on the security.
Nous attentâmes Nous attentâmes la révolution. We attempted the revolution.
Vous attentâtes Vous attentâtes le coup. You attempted the blow.
Ils attentèrent Ils attentèrent au président. They attempted on the president.
Elles attentèrent Elles attentèrent au secret. They (feminine) attempted on the secret.

Other Conjugations for Attenter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attenter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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