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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb centrifuger

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The English translation of the French verb centrifuger is “to centrifuge.” The infinitive form “centrifuger” is pronounced as sen-tree-fEW-zhay.

The verb “centrifuger” comes from the Latin word “centrum” meaning “center” and the French suffix “-fuger,” derived from the Latin verb “fugare” meaning “to chase away.” In everyday French, “centrifuger” is commonly used in its infinitive form to refer to the action of separating particles from a liquid mixture using a centrifuge.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in literature and formal writing, three simple examples of the usage of “centrifuger” would be:

  1. Les scientifiques centrifugèrent l’échantillon pendant dix minutes.
    (The scientists centrifuged the sample for ten minutes.)

  2. Il centrifugea le sang pour isoler les plaquettes.
    (He centrifuged the blood to isolate the platelets.)

  3. La laborantine centrifugea le mélange pour séparer les substances.
    (The lab technician centrifuged the mixture to separate the substances.)

Note: In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé (compound past) tense is more commonly used instead of the Passé Simple to describe past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je centrifugeai Je centrifugeai l’échantillon. I centrifuged the sample.
Tu centrifugeas Tu centrifugeas le mélange. You centrifuged the mixture.
Il centrifugea Il centrifugea le sang. He centrifuged the blood.
Elle centrifugea Elle centrifugea la solution. She centrifuged the solution.
On centrifugea On centrifugea les échantillons. One centrifuged the samples.
Nous centrifugeâmes Nous centrifugeâmes les tubes. We centrifuged the tubes.
Vous centrifugeâtes Vous centrifugeâtes les échantillons. You centrifuged the samples.
Ils centrifugèrent Ils centrifugèrent les liquides. They centrifuged the liquids.
Elles centrifugèrent Elles centrifugèrent les échantillons. They (feminine) centrifuged the samples.

Other Conjugations for Centrifuger.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb centrifuger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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