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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chevretter

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The English translation of the French verb “chevretter” is “to kid around” or “to joke”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “chevretter” is [shev-reh-teh].

The verb “chevretter” comes from the noun “chevrete” meaning “kidding”. It belongs to the 1st group of French verbs which end in “-er”. In everyday French, the passé simple tense (simple past) is rarely used in oral communication but is commonly found in written literature. It is used to express completed actions in the past that are not ongoing or repeated.

Here are three examples of “chevretter” used in the passé simple tense with the respective English translations:

  1. Je chevrettai avec mes amis toute la soirée.
    (I kidded around with my friends all evening.)

  2. Tu chevrettas tellement que personne ne te prenait au sérieux.
    (You joked around so much that no one took you seriously.)

  3. Il/Elle chevretta lors de la réunion, détendant l’atmosphère.
    (He/She kidded around during the meeting, lightening the atmosphere.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je chevrettai Je chevrettai dans la prairie. I frolicked in the meadow.
Tu chevrettas Tu chevrettas près de la rivière. You frolicked near the river.
Il chevretta Il chevretta avec les autres chèvres. He frolicked with the other goats.
Elle chevretta Elle chevretta joyeusement. She frolicked happily.
On chevretta On chevretta dans le parc. One frolicked in the park.
Nous chevrettâmes Nous chevrettâmes toute la journée. We frolicked all day.
Vous chevrettâtes Vous chevrettâtes dans le champ. You frolicked in the field.
Ils chevrettèrent Ils chevrettèrent dans la montagne. They frolicked in the mountain.
Elles chevrettèrent Elles chevrettèrent dans la prairie. They (feminine) frolicked in the meadow.

Other Conjugations for Chevretter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chevretter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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