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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chômer

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The English translation of the French verb “chômer” is “to be unemployed” or “to be on strike.” The infinitive form “chômer” is pronounced as “shoh-may.”

The word “chômer” has its origins in the Latin word “caumare,” meaning “to rest” or “to be idle.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions or events that are completed.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Je chômai pendant six mois l’année dernière.
    (I was unemployed for six months last year.)

  2. Les ouvriers chômèrent pendant trois semaines pour protester.
    (The workers went on strike for three weeks to protest.)

  3. L’usine chôma pendant les vacances d’été.
    (The factory was closed during the summer holidays.)

English translations:

  1. I was unemployed for six months last year.
  2. The workers went on strike for three weeks to protest.
  3. The factory was closed during the summer holidays.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je chômâi Je chômâi hier. I didn’t work yesterday.
Tu chômas Tu chômas toute la journée. You didn’t work all day.
Il chôma Il chôma pendant deux semaines. He didn’t work for two weeks.
Elle chôma Elle chôma le mois dernier. She didn’t work last month.
On chôma On chôma pendant les vacances. One didn’t work during the holidays.
Nous chômâmes Nous chômâmes le jour férié. We didn’t work on the public holiday.
Vous chômâtes Vous chômâtes pendant les grèves. You didn’t work during the strikes.
Ils chômèrent Ils chômèrent lundi. They didn’t work on Monday.
Elles chômèrent Elles chômèrent toute la semaine. They (feminine) didn’t work all week.

Other Conjugations for Chômer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chômer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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