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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb circuler

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The English translation of the French verb circuler is “to circulate”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “circuler” is: see-er-kuh-leh.

The verb circuler comes from the Latin word “circulare”, meaning “to travel in a circle” or “to move around”. In everyday French, circuler is most often used in the indicative tense with the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) to express the idea of movement or circulation.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, circuler is less commonly used in everyday French as it is considered a more formal literary tense. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les nouvelles circulèrent rapidement dans tout le pays.
    (The news circulated quickly throughout the country.)

  2. Les voitures circulèrent jusqu’à tard dans la nuit.
    (The cars circulated until late at night.)

  3. Les invitations circulèrent discrètement parmi les invités.
    (The invitations circulated discreetly among the guests.)

Please note that in spoken French, the Passé Composé (Compound Past) tense is more commonly used to express past actions, while the Passé Simple is typically reserved for formal writing and literature.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je circulai Je circulai dans la ville. I circulated in the city.
Tu circulas Tu circulas rapidement. You circulated quickly.
Il circula Il circula en voiture. He circulated by car.
Elle circula Elle circula à vélo. She circulated by bike.
On circula On circula à pied. One circulated on foot.
Nous circulâmes Nous circulâmes en train. We circulated by train.
Vous circulâtes Vous circulâtes en métro. You circulated by subway.
Ils circulèrent Ils circulèrent en autobus. They circulated by bus.
Elles circulèrent Elles circulèrent en taxi. They (feminine) circulated by taxi.

Other Conjugations for Circuler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb circuler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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