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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avérer

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The English translation of the French verb “avérer” is “to prove” or “to turn out.” The infinitive form of “avérer” is pronounced as “ah-vehr-ay.”

The verb “avérer” originated from the Latin word “adverare,” which means “to affirm” or “to confirm.” In everyday French, “avérer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) to describe a past event or situation that has been proven or turned out to be true.

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

  1. Les soupçons se confirmèrent lorsque l’enquête révéla des preuves concrètes. (The suspicions proved themselves when the investigation revealed concrete evidence.)
  2. Son talent se vérifia lorsqu’il remporta le premier prix du concours. (His talent turned out when he won the first prize in the competition.)
  3. Les informations s’avérèrent exactes après avoir été vérifiées par plusieurs sources. (The information proved to be accurate after being verified by multiple sources.)

These examples demonstrate how “avérer” is used to express that something has been proven, confirmed, or turned out to be true in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je avérai J’avérai la vérité. I proved the truth.
Tu avéras Tu avéras ton innocence. You proved your innocence.
Il avéra Il avéra sa valeur. He proved his worth.
Elle avéra Elle avéra sa compétence. She proved her competence.
On avéra On avéra leur culpabilité. One proved their guilt.
Nous avérâmes Nous avérâmes notre loyauté. We proved our loyalty.
Vous avérâtes Vous avérâtes votre engagement. You proved your commitment.
Ils avérèrent Ils avérèrent leur innocence. They proved their innocence.
Elles avérèrent Elles avérèrent leur compétence. They (feminine) proved their competence.

Other Conjugations for Avérer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avérer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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