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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cohabiter

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The English translation of the French verb “cohabiter” is “to live together” or “to cohabit.” The infinitive form of “cohabiter” is pronounced as koh-a-bee-tey.

The word “cohabiter” comes from the Latin word “cohabitare,” which is a combination of “co-” meaning “together” and “habitare” meaning “to live.” In everyday French, “cohabiter” is commonly used to refer to living together as a couple without being married.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “cohabiter” is less frequently used in everyday French as it is considered a more formal tense and is often replaced by the Passé Composé (Present Perfect) tense. However, here are three examples of “cohabiter” used in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Nous cohabitâmes pendant deux ans. (We lived together for two years.)
  2. Ils cohabitèrent pendant plusieurs mois avant de se séparer. (They lived together for several months before breaking up.)
  3. Elle cohabita avec lui jusqu’à la fin de ses études. (She lived with him until the end of her studies.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing, and may not be commonly used in spoken language or everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cohabitai J’ai cohabité avec mon frère. I cohabited with my brother.
Tu cohabitais Tu cohabitais avec ton colocataire. You cohabited with your roommate.
Il cohabita Il cohabita avec sa petite amie. He cohabited with his girlfriend.
Elle cohabita Elle cohabita avec son compagnon. She cohabited with her partner.
On cohabita On cohabita dans un appartement. One cohabited in an apartment.
Nous cohabitâmes Nous cohabitâmes dans une maison. We cohabited in a house.
Vous cohabitâtes Vous cohabitâtes avec des amis. You cohabited with friends.
Ils cohabitèrent Ils cohabitèrent ensemble. They cohabited together.
Elles cohabitèrent Elles cohabitèrent dans un studio. They (feminine) cohabited in a studio.

Other Conjugations for Cohabiter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cohabiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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