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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb camper

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The English translation of the French verb “camper” is “to camp.” The infinitive form is pronounced as [kɑ̃.pe].

The word “camper” comes from the Latin word “campare,” meaning “to make a camp.” In everyday French, “camper” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to talk about past actions or events that are completed and not ongoing. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal or written French, while the more commonly used past tense in spoken French is the passé composé.

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

  1. Nous campâmes près de la rivière. (We camped near the river.)
  2. Tu campas seul(e) dans les montagnes. (You camped alone in the mountains.)
  3. Ils campèrent dans la forêt pendant une semaine. (They camped in the forest for a week.)

Please remember that these examples are in the Passé Simple tense, which may not be commonly used in everyday spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je campai Je campai près du lac. I camped near the lake.
Tu campas Tu campas dans la forêt. You camped in the forest.
Il campa Il campa sur la plage. He camped on the beach.
Elle campa Elle campa en montagne. She camped in the mountains.
On campa On campa dans la vallée. One camped in the valley.
Nous campâmes Nous campâmes près du fleuve. We camped near the river.
Vous campâtes Vous campâtes au bord du lac. You camped by the lake.
Ils campèrent Ils campèrent dans la forêt. They camped in the forest.
Elles campèrent Elles campèrent en montagne. They (feminine) camped in the mountains.

Other Conjugations for Camper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb camper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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