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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb charmer

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The English translation of the French verb “charmer” is “to charm.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “charmer” is as follows: [shar-mey].

The verb “charmer” comes from the Old French word “charmer” meaning “to enchant” or “to sing.” It originated from the Latin word “carmen” meaning “song” or “incantation.” In everyday French, the verb “charmer” is mostly used in the present tense to express the action of charming or enchanting someone or something.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), which is mostly used in formal or literary contexts, “charmer” conjugates as follows:

  1. Il charma la foule avec sa performance exceptionnelle.
    (He charmed the crowd with his exceptional performance.)
  2. Elle charma tout le monde avec sa voix douce.
    (She charmed everyone with her sweet voice.)
  3. Ils charmèrent leurs invités par leur hospitalité chaleureuse.
    (They charmed their guests with their warm hospitality.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in written literature or formal texts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je charmai Je charmai le public. I charmed the audience.
Tu charmas Tu charmas la foule. You charmed the crowd.
Il charma Il charma toutes les femmes. He charmed all the women.
Elle charma Elle charma le prince. She charmed the prince.
On charma On charma les invités. One charmed the guests.
Nous charmâmes Nous charmâmes nos voisins. We charmed our neighbors.
Vous charmâtes Vous charmâtes les juges. You charmed the judges.
Ils charmèrent Ils charmèrent les enfants. They charmed the children.
Elles charmèrent Elles charmèrent les spectateurs. They (feminine) charmed the spectators.

Other Conjugations for Charmer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb charmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Charmer – 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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