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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cingler

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The English translation of the French verb “cingler” is “to lash” or “to whip”. The infinitive form “cingler” is pronounced as “san-glay”.

The word “cingler” originates from the Latin word “cingulum”, meaning “belt” or “whip”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense commonly found in written French.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Il cingla le cheval pour le faire avancer plus rapidement.
    (He whipped the horse to make it go faster.)

  2. Les vagues cinglèrent violemment contre la coque du navire.
    (The waves lashed vigorously against the hull of the ship.)

  3. L’entraîneur cingla ses joueurs pour les motiver avant le match.
    (The coach lashed his players to motivate them before the game.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts. In spoken French and contemporary writing, the Passé Composé or other compound tenses are more commonly used.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cinglai Je cinglai vers la ligne d’arrivée. I sailed towards the finish line.
Tu cinglas Tu cinglas rapidement. You sailed quickly.
Il cingla Il cingla vers le port. He sailed towards the harbor.
Elle cingla Elle cingla en solitaire. She sailed alone.
On cingla On cingla au large. One sailed offshore.
Nous cinglâmes Nous cinglâmes sous le soleil. We sailed under the sun.
Vous cinglâtes Vous cinglâtes vers la destination. You sailed towards the destination.
Ils cinglèrent Ils cinglèrent contre le vent. They sailed against the wind.
Elles cinglèrent Elles cinglèrent joyeusement. They (feminine) sailed happily.

Other Conjugations for Cingler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cingler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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