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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cémenter

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The English translation of the French verb cémenter is “to cement”. The infinitive form, cémenter, is pronounced as seh-mahn-teh.

Cémenter comes from the Latin word “cementare”, which means “to cement” or “to join together”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions that occurred in the past and are considered completed.

Examples of cémenter in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Elle cémenta les briques pour construire le mur.
    (She cemented the bricks to build the wall.)

  2. Nous cémentâmes les parties cassées de la statue.
    (We cemented the broken parts of the statue.)

  3. Les ouvriers cémentèrent les bordures de la route.
    (The workers cemented the edges of the road.)

English translations:

  1. She cemented the bricks to build the wall.
  2. We cemented the broken parts of the statue.
  3. The workers cemented the edges of the road.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cémentai J’ai cémenté la fondation. I cemented the foundation.
Tu cémentas Tu cémentas le mur. You cemented the wall.
Il cémenta Il cémenta la structure. He cemented the structure.
Elle cémenta Elle cémenta le sol. She cemented the floor.
On cémenta On cémenta les briques. One cemented the bricks.
Nous cémentâmes Nous cémentâmes le chemin. We cemented the path.
Vous cémentâtes Vous cémentâtes le plafond. You cemented the ceiling.
Ils cémentèrent Ils cémentèrent le trottoir. They cemented the sidewalk.
Elles cémentèrent Elles cémentèrent la dalle. They (feminine) cemented the slab.

Other Conjugations for Cémenter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cémenter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cémenter – 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.

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