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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clicher

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The English translation of the French verb “clicher” is “to stereotype” or “to typecast.” The infinitive form “clicher” is pronounced as “klee-SHAY.”

The verb “clicher” originated from the noun “cliché,” which means a stereotype or a hackneyed expression. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense, rarely used in spoken language.

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

  1. Il clicha les étrangers et refusa de leur parler.
    (He stereotyped foreigners and refused to talk to them.)

  2. Elle clicha les jeunes et les considéra tous comme irresponsables.
    (She typecast the youth and considered them all as irresponsible.)

  3. Les médias clichèrent le quartier et le présentèrent comme dangereux.
    (The media stereotyped the neighborhood and portrayed it as dangerous.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in modern spoken French and is primarily found in literature or formal writing.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je clichai J’ai cliché la photo. I clicked the photo.
Tu clichas Tu clichas le bouton. You clicked the button.
Il clicha Il clicha le lien. He clicked the link.
Elle clicha Elle clicha sur le lien. She clicked on the link.
On clicha On clicha sur le site. One clicked on the website.
Nous clichâmes Nous clichâmes la souris. We clicked the mouse.
Vous clichâtes Vous clichâtes le lien. You clicked the link.
Ils clichèrent Ils clichèrent les photos. They clicked the photos.
Elles clichèrent Elles clichèrent sur le bouton. They (fem.) clicked the button.

Other Conjugations for Clicher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clicher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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