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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cesser

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The English translation of the French verb cesser is “to cease” or “to stop.” The infinitive form of cesser is pronounced as “se-say.”

Cesser comes from the Latin verb “cessare,” which means “to cease” or “to stop.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used primarily in written French.

Here are three simple examples of cesser in the Passé Simple tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Il cessa de pleuvoir.
    (It stopped raining.)
  2. Le bruit cessa soudainement.
    (The noise ceased suddenly.)
  3. L’équipe ne cessa de gagner des matchs.
    (The team kept winning matches.)

In these examples, cesser is used to express the action of stopping or ceasing in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cessai J’ai cessai de fumer. I stopped smoking.
Tu cessas Tu cessas de parler. You stopped talking.
Il cessa Il cessa de pleurer. He stopped crying.
Elle cessa Elle cessa de travailler. She stopped working.
On cessa On cessa de manger. One stopped eating.
Nous cessâmes Nous cessâmes de chanter. We stopped singing.
Vous cessâtes Vous cessâtes de rire. You stopped laughing.
Ils cessèrent Ils cessèrent de jouer. They stopped playing.
Elles cessèrent Elles cessèrent de courir. They (feminine) stopped running.

Other Conjugations for Cesser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cesser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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