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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chauler

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The English translation of the French verb “chauler” is “whitewash”. The infinitive form of “chauler” is pronounced as /ʃo.le/.

The word “chauler” comes from the Latin word “calcare” which means “to whitewash”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used in formal writing, historical narratives, or storytelling.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of “chauler” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous chaulâmes les murs de la maison.
    (We whitewashed the walls of the house.)

  2. Ils chaulèrent la clôture du jardin.
    (They whitewashed the garden fence.)

  3. Elle chaula le plafond de la chambre.
    (She whitewashed the bedroom ceiling.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and has been largely replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je chaulai J’ai chaulé les murs. I whitewashed the walls.
Tu chaulas Tu chaulas le plafond. You whitewashed the ceiling.
Il chaula Il chaula le sol. He whitewashed the floor.
Elle chaula Elle chaula la clôture. She whitewashed the fence.
On chaula On chaula la porte. One whitewashed the door.
Nous chaulâmes Nous chaulâmes les escaliers. We whitewashed the stairs.
Vous chaulâtes Vous chaulâtes le mur extérieur. You whitewashed the exterior wall.
Ils chaulèrent Ils chaulèrent le plâtre. They whitewashed the plaster.
Elles chaulèrent Elles chaulèrent le plancher. They (feminine) whitewashed the floor.

Other Conjugations for Chauler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chauler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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