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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cheviller

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The English translation of the French verb “cheviller” is “to peg” or “to dowel.” The infinitive form of “cheviller” is pronounced as “sheh-vee-yay.”

“Cheviller” comes from the word “cheville,” which means “peg” or “dowel” in English. It is most often used in every day French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense that is rarely used in spoken language but commonly found in written texts such as literature or historical accounts.

Here are three examples of the usage of “cheviller” in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Les planches se chevillèrent solidement. (The planks were securely pegged.)
  2. Il chevilla les morceaux de bois avec précision. (He pegged the pieces of wood with precision.)
  3. Les étagères furent chevillées aux murs. (The shelves were dowelled to the walls.)

In these examples, you can see that “cheviller” is used to describe the action of pegging or dowelling various objects together.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je chevillai J’ai chevillé les planches. I nailed the planks.
Tu chevillas Tu chevillas les étagères. You nailed the shelves.
Il chevilla Il chevilla la porte. He nailed the door.
Elle chevilla Elle chevilla le meuble. She nailed the furniture.
On chevilla On chevilla les poutres. One nailed the beams.
Nous chevillâmes Nous chevillâmes les supports. We nailed the supports.
Vous chevillâtes Vous chevillâtes les clous. You nailed the nails.
Ils chevillèrent Ils chevillèrent le parquet. They nailed the floor.
Elles chevillèrent Elles chevillèrent les chevrons. They (feminine) nailed the rafters.

Other Conjugations for Cheviller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cheviller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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