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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cliver

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The English translation of the French verb “cliver” is “to split” or “to cleave.” The infinitive form “cliver” is pronounced as “klee-veh.”

The verb “cliver” has its origins in the Old French word “cliver,” which means “to split” or “to splinter.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in written language.

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

  1. Les bûcherons clivèrent le bois de chauffage. (The loggers split the firewood.)
  2. Il cliva la pierre en deux avec un marteau. (He cleaved the stone in half with a hammer.)
  3. Les paysans clivèrent les bûches pour les utiliser comme piquets. (The farmers split the logs to use them as stakes.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is relatively uncommon in everyday spoken French, and is mostly used in formal or literary contexts. In everyday spoken French, the equivalent of the Passé Simple tense is usually the Passé Composé tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je clivai J’ai clivai le bois. I split the wood.
Tu clivas Tu as clivai le rocher. You split the rock.
Il cliva Il a cliva la planche. He split the plank.
Elle cliva Elle a cliva le papier. She split the paper.
On cliva On a cliva le tronc. One split the trunk.
Nous clivâmes Nous avons clivâmes le sol. We split the ground.
Vous clivâtes Vous avez clivâtes le verre. You split the glass.
Ils clivèrent Ils ont clivèrent le métal. They split the metal.
Elles clivèrent Elles ont clivèrent la pierre. They (feminine) split the stone.

Other Conjugations for Cliver.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cliver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cliver – 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.

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