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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chicaner

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The English translation of the French verb “chicaner” is “to nag” or “to quibble.” The infinitive form “chicaner” is pronounced as “shee-kah-ney.”

The word “chicaner” originates from the Old French verb “chicaner” which meant “to chide” or “to argue.” It is derived from the Middle Dutch word “schicken” meaning “to send” or “to arrange.” In everyday French, “chicaner” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is mostly found in written literature and formal speech.

Examples of “chicaner” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Les enfants chicanèrent toute la soirée. (The children nagged all evening.)
  2. Il chicanera ses collègues jusqu’à ce qu’ils abandonnent. (He quibbled with his colleagues until they gave up.)
  3. Elle chicanera le serveur à propos de sa commande incorrecte. (She would nag the waiter about her incorrect order.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is less commonly used in spoken French, as it has been largely replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je chicanai J’ai chicané avec mon frère. I argued with my brother.
Tu chicanas Tu chicanas toujours. You always argue.
Il chicana Il chicana sa sœur. He argued with his sister.
Elle chicana Elle chicana son ami. She argued with her friend.
On chicana On chicana les voisins. One argued with the neighbors.
Nous chicanâmes Nous chicanâmes le patron. We argued with the boss.
Vous chicanâtes Vous chicanâtes le serveur. You argued with the waiter.
Ils chicanèrent Ils chicanèrent les clients. They argued with the customers.
Elles chicanèrent Elles chicanèrent leurs professeurs. They (feminine) argued with their teachers.

Other Conjugations for Chicaner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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