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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avitailler

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The English translation of the French verb avitailler is “to supply” or “to provision”. The infinitive form, avitailler, is pronounced as “ah-vee-tah-yay”.

Avitailler comes from the Latin word “victualis”, meaning “provisions”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense when discussing past actions that occurred and were completed at a specific point in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly used in formal writing.

Three simple examples of avitailler in the Passé Simple tense, with their respective English translations, are:

  1. La ville avitailla ses habitants pendant la guerre.
    Translation: The city supplied its inhabitants during the war.

  2. La mère avitailla le campement en eau potable.
    Translation: The mother provisioned the campsite with drinking water.

  3. L’entreprise avitailla les navires avant leur départ.
    Translation: The company provisioned the ships before their departure.

These examples show different contexts in which avitailler can be used in the Passé Simple tense, highlighting the action of supplying or provisioning in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je avitaillai J’avitaillai le bateau. I provisioned the boat.
Tu avitaillas Tu avitaillas l’avion. You provisioned the plane.
Il avitailla Il avitailla le navire. He provisioned the ship.
Elle avitailla Elle avitailla le camion. She provisioned the truck.
On avitailla On avitailla le train. One provisioned the train.
Nous avitaillâmes Nous avitaillâmes le restaurant. We provisioned the restaurant.
Vous avitaillâtes Vous avitaillâtes le supermarché. You provisioned the supermarket.
Ils avitaillèrent Ils avitaillèrent le dépôt. They provisioned the depot.
Elles avitaillèrent Elles avitaillèrent le camp. They (feminine) provisioned the camp.

Other Conjugations for Avitailler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avitailler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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