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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb briffer

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The English translation of the French verb “briffer” is “to brief.” The infinitive form “briffer” is pronounced as “bree-fay.”

The verb “briffer” comes from the French noun “brief” which means “briefing” or “summary.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past and are considered completed. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in formal writing and literature, and rarely used in spoken or informal French.

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

  1. Je briffai mon équipe avant la réunion. (I briefed my team before the meeting.)
  2. Il briffa les nouvelles recrues sur les procédures de sécurité. (He briefed the new recruits on the security procedures.)
  3. Elle briffa son mari sur les détails importants de l’événement. (She briefed her husband on the important details of the event.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is used in written French, in conversational or informal French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to describe past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je briffai Je briffai le soldat. I briefed the soldier.
Tu briffas Tu briffas ton équipe. You briefed your team.
Il briffa Il briffa le personnel. He briefed the staff.
Elle briffa Elle briffa les nouvelles recrues. She briefed the new recruits.
On briffa On briffa les participants. One briefed the participants.
Nous briffâmes Nous briffâmes les agents. We briefed the agents.
Vous briffâtes Vous briffâtes les cadets. You briefed the cadets.
Ils briffèrent Ils briffèrent les officiers. They briefed the officers.
Elles briffèrent Elles briffèrent les membres de l’équipe. They (feminine) briefed the team members.

Other Conjugations for Briffer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb briffer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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