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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chercher

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The English translation of the French verb “chercher” is “to search” or “to look for.” The infinitive form “chercher” is pronounced as “shehr-shay.”

The verb “chercher” originates from the Latin word “circare,” which means “to go around.” In everyday French, “chercher” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions or events that occurred and were completed in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal written French, such as literature or historical texts, rather than in everyday spoken French.

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

  1. J’entrai dans la maison et cherchai mes clés.
    (I entered the house and looked for my keys.)

  2. Elle chercha partout, mais elle ne trouva pas son livre.
    (She searched everywhere, but she couldn’t find her book.)

  3. Ils cherchèrent des informations sur Internet pour leur projet.
    (They looked for information on the internet for their project.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cherchai J’ai cherché mes clés. I looked for my keys.
Tu cherchas Tu cherchas ton livre. You looked for your book.
Il chercha Il chercha son téléphone. He looked for his phone.
Elle chercha Elle chercha ses lunettes. She looked for her glasses.
On chercha On chercha des informations. One looked for information.
Nous cherchâmes Nous cherchâmes le chemin. We looked for the way.
Vous cherchâtes Vous cherchâtes votre sac. You looked for your bag.
Ils cherchèrent Ils cherchèrent leur chien. They looked for their dog.
Elles cherchèrent Elles cherchèrent leurs clés. They (feminine) looked for their keys.

Other Conjugations for Chercher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chercher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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