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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coffrer

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The English translation of the French verb “coffrer” is “to lock up” or “to imprison.” The infinitive form of “coffrer” is pronounced as [kɔ.fʁe].

The verb “coffrer” comes from the Old French word “coffre,” meaning “chest” or “box.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used to refer to completed actions in the past. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is preferred.

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

  1. Il coffra tous les voleurs. (He locked up all the thieves.)
  2. Elle coffra les preuves dans le tiroir. (She locked up the evidence in the drawer.)
  3. Ils coffrèrent le criminel dans la cellule. (They imprisoned the criminal in the cell.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mainly found in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je coffrai Je coffrai le trésor. I locked up the treasure.
Tu coffras Tu coffras la porte. You locked the door.
Il coffra Il coffra les documents. He locked up the documents.
Elle coffra Elle coffra le coffre-fort. She locked the safe.
On coffra On coffra la valise. One locked the suitcase.
Nous coffrâmes Nous coffrâmes les bijoux. We locked up the jewels.
Vous coffrâtes Vous coffrâtes le dossier. You locked up the file.
Ils coffrèrent Ils coffrèrent les armes. They locked up the weapons.
Elles coffrèrent Elles coffrèrent la porte. They (feminine) locked the door.

Other Conjugations for Coffrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coffrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coffrer – 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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