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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avancer

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The English translation of the French verb “avancer” is “to advance” or “to move forward.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-vahn-seh.”

The verb “avancer” in French has its origin in the Latin word “abanteare,” which means “to move forward.” It is a regular verb and is commonly used in everyday French.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “avancer” is used to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’avançai vers lui et lui tendis la main.
    (I advanced towards him and extended my hand.)

  2. Elle avança rapidement dans sa carrière.
    (She advanced quickly in her career.)

  3. Ils avancèrent prudemment dans le brouillard.
    (They advanced cautiously in the fog.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je avançai J’avancai vers la sortie. I advanced towards the exit.
Tu avanças Tu avanças rapidement. You advanced quickly.
Il avança Il avança d’un pas. He advanced by one step.
Elle avança Elle avança son projet. She advanced her project.
On avança On avança dans la conversation. One advanced in the conversation.
Nous avançâmes Nous avançâmes la date. We advanced the date.
Vous avançâtes Vous avançâtes dans la rue. You advanced in the street.
Ils avancèrent Ils avancèrent ensemble. They advanced together.
Elles avancèrent Elles avancèrent rapidement. They (feminine) advanced quickly.

Other Conjugations for Avancer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Avancer – 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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