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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cocoter

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The English translation of the French verb “cocoter” is “to cluck.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “koh-koh-teh.”

The verb “cocoter” derives from the onomatopoeic word “cocot,” which imitates the sound of a chicken clucking. In everyday French, the verb “cocoter” is rarely used in the Passé Simple tense, as this tense is mostly reserved for formal or literary contexts. However, here are three examples of how it could be used in the Simple Past tense, along with their translations:

  1. Les poules cocotèrent toute la journée dans la ferme.
    (The chickens clucked all day on the farm.)

  2. Quand nous sommes passés près de la basse-cour, les coqs cocotèrent bruyamment.
    (When we passed by the henhouse, the roosters clucked loudly.)

  3. Hier soir, les voisins ont été dérangés car nos poules ont cocoté très tôt le matin.
    (Last night, the neighbors were disturbed because our chickens clucked very early in the morning.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cocotai Je cocotai dans la cuisine. I cooked in the kitchen.
Tu cocotas Tu cocotas un délicieux repas. You cooked a delicious meal.
Il cocota Il cocota le poulet. He cooked the chicken.
Elle cocota Elle cocota une soupe. She cooked a soup.
On cocota On cocota des légumes. One cooked vegetables.
Nous cocotâmes Nous cocotâmes ensemble. We cooked together.
Vous cocotâtes Vous cocotâtes pour la fête. You cooked for the party.
Ils cocotèrent Ils cocotèrent un gâteau. They cooked a cake.
Elles cocotèrent Elles cocotèrent un repas sain. They (feminine) cooked a healthy meal.

Other Conjugations for Cocoter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cocoter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cocoter – 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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