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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attribuer

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The English translation of the French verb “attribuer” is “to attribute.” The infinitive form “attribuer” is pronounced as “ah-tree-bweh.”

The verb “attribuer” comes from the Latin word “attribuere,” which means “to assign” or “to allocate.” In everyday French, “attribuer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to talk about actions that were completed in the past. However, it’s worth noting that the Passé Simple is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly reserved for formal or written contexts.

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

  1. J’attribuai le succès de mon projet à mon équipe.
    (I attributed the success of my project to my team.)

  2. Le jury lui attribua le premier prix.
    (The jury awarded him the first prize.)

  3. L’académie attribua une bourse d’études à cette étudiante.
    (The academy granted a scholarship to this student.)

In these examples, “attribuer” is used to express actions of attributing or assigning something to someone or something in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je attribuai J’attribuai la victoire à mon équipe. I attributed the victory to my team.
Tu attribuas Tu attribuas le mérite à ton frère. You attributed the credit to your brother.
Il attribua Il attribua le succès à sa persévérance. He attributed the success to his perseverance.
Elle attribua Elle attribua la faute à son ami. She attributed the blame to her friend.
On attribua On attribua le problème à une mauvaise communication. One attributed the problem to poor communication.
Nous attribuâmes Nous attribuâmes la décision au comité. We attributed the decision to the committee.
Vous attribuâtes Vous attribuâtes la responsabilité au chef. You attributed the responsibility to the boss.
Ils attribuèrent Ils attribuèrent le prix au gagnant. They attributed the prize to the winner.
Elles attribuèrent Elles attribuèrent le succès à leur équipe. They (feminine) attributed the success to their team.

Other Conjugations for Attribuer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attribuer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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