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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coïncider

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The English translation of the French verb coïncider is “to coincide.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kwan-si-dey.”

Coïncider originates from the Latin word “coincidere,” which means “to fall together.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions that occurred in the past with a certain degree of formality. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mainly found in written literature.

Here are three examples of coïncider in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les réponses de Pierre coïncidèrent avec les miennes. (Pierre’s answers coincided with mine.)
  2. Nos vacances coïncidèrent avec le festival de musique. (Our vacation coincided with the music festival.)
  3. Leur arrivée coïncidit avec le début de la cérémonie. (Their arrival coincided with the beginning of the ceremony.)

In these examples, coïncider in the Passé Simple tense emphasizes a specific point in the past where two or more events aligned or happened simultaneously.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je coïncidai J’ai coïncidé mon voyage avec le tien. I coincided my trip with yours.
Tu coïncidas Tu coïncidas avec moi. You coincided with me.
Il coïncida Il coïncida avec les circonstances. He coincided with the circumstances.
Elle coïncida Elle coïncida avec son emploi du temps. She coincided with her schedule.
On coïncida On coïncida avec nos plans. One coincided with our plans.
Nous coïncidâmes Nous coïncidâmes avec leur arrivée. We coincided with their arrival.
Vous coïncidâtes Vous coïncidâtes avec leurs attentes. You coincided with their expectations.
Ils coïncidèrent Ils coïncidèrent avec le début des vacances. They coincided with the start of the holidays.
Elles coïncidèrent Elles coïncidèrent avec la fin de la réunion. They (feminine) coincided with the end of the meeting.

Other Conjugations for Coïncider.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coïncider

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coïncider – 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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