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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb capitaliser

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The English translation of the French verb capitaliser is “to capitalize.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “capitaliser” is kah-pee-tah-lee-zay.

The verb capitaliser comes from the French word “capital” which means “capital” or “principal sum.” It is often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is used to express completed actions in the past, particularly in written or formal contexts.

Here are three examples of capitaliser in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’ai capitalisé mes économies et j’ai acheté une maison.
    (I capitalized my savings and bought a house.)

  2. L’entreprise capitalisa sur cette opportunité et réalisa d’énormes profits.
    (The company capitalized on this opportunity and made huge profits.)

  3. Nous capitalisâmes nos compétences pour créer notre propre entreprise.
    (We capitalized on our skills to create our own business.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je capitalisai J’capitalisai mes gains. I capitalized my winnings.
Tu capitalisas Tu capitalisas tes compétences. You capitalized your skills.
Il capitalisa Il capitalisa son investissement. He capitalized his investment.
Elle capitalisa Elle capitalisa ses connaissances. She capitalized her knowledge.
On capitalisa On capitalisa cette opportunité. One capitalized this opportunity.
Nous capitalisâmes Nous capitalisâmes sur notre avantage. We capitalized on our advantage.
Vous capitalisâtes Vous capitalisâtes sur le marché. You capitalized on the market.
Ils capitalisèrent Ils capitalisèrent leurs efforts. They capitalized their efforts.
Elles capitalisèrent Elles capitalisèrent leurs expériences. They (feminine) capitalized their experiences.

Other Conjugations for Capitaliser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb capitaliser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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