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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cinématographier

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The English translation of the French verb “cinématographier” is “to film” or “to shoot.” The infinitive form of “cinématographier” is pronounced as “see-nay-mah-toh-gra-fee-yay” in French.

“Cinématographier” comes from the combination of two Greek words: “kinema” meaning “movement” and “graphein” meaning “to write” or “to record.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past tense) to describe past actions or events that are completed and have no connection to the present.

Here are three simple examples of “cinématographier” in the Passé Simple tense along with their English translations:

  1. “Il cinématographia le paysage magnifique.” (He filmed the magnificent landscape.)
  2. “Elle cinématographia le concert hier soir.” (She filmed the concert last night.)
  3. “Ils cinématographièrent le documentaire pendant des mois.” (They filmed the documentary for months.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in writing, literature, or formal situations in modern French. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cinématographiai J’ai cinématographié le paysage. I cinematographed the landscape.
Tu cinématographias Tu as cinématographié la scène. You cinematographed the scene.
Il cinématographia Il a cinématographié le match. He cinematographed the match.
Elle cinématographia Elle a cinématographié le spectacle. She cinematographed the show.
On cinématographia On a cinématographié le concert. One cinematographed the concert.
Nous cinématographiâmes Nous avons cinématographié le documentaire. We cinematographed the documentary.
Vous cinématographiâtes Vous avez cinématographié la cérémonie. You cinematographed the ceremony.
Ils cinématographièrent Ils ont cinématographié le tournage. They cinematographed the shooting.
Elles cinématographièrent Elles ont cinématographié le défilé. They (feminine) cinematographed the parade.

Other Conjugations for Cinématographier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cinématographier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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