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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb claper

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of claper. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “claper” is “to clap” or “to slap.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kla-pey.”

The word “claper” has its origins in the Old French word “claper,” meaning “to clap.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense and not commonly used in spoken French.

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

  1. Il clapa des mains pour applaudir. (He clapped his hands to applaud.)
  2. Elle clapa la porte en sortant. (She slammed the door on her way out.)
  3. Les enfants se clapèrent mutuellement en jouant. (The children slapped each other while playing.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts in French. In everyday spoken French, the compound past tense (Passé composé) is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je clapai Je clapai des mains. I clapped my hands.
Tu clapas Tu clapas dans tes mains. You clapped your hands.
Il clapa Il clapa des doigts. He snapped his fingers.
Elle clapa Elle clapa des mains. She clapped her hands.
On clapa On clapa des mains. One clapped hands.
Nous clapâmes Nous clapâmes des mains. We clapped our hands.
Vous clapâtes Vous clapâtes des mains. You clapped your hands.
Ils clapèrent Ils clapèrent des mains. They clapped their hands.
Elles clapèrent Elles clapèrent des mains. They (feminine) clapped their hands.

Other Conjugations for Claper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb claper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the claper Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply