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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb collecter

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The English translation of the French verb “collecter” is “to collect.” The infinitive form “collecter” is pronounced as /kɔ.lɛk.te/.

The verb “collecter” in French is derived from the Latin word “collectare,” meaning “to collect” or “to gather.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the action of gathering or accumulating objects, information, or money.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) in French, “collecter” is not frequently used in everyday language. The Passé Simple tense is mainly found in formal writing, literature, or historical texts. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’accumulai des livres toute ma vie. (I collected books all my life.)
  2. Elle rassembla les données nécessaires. (She collected the necessary data.)
  3. Ils amassèrent beaucoup d’argent pour une bonne cause. (They collected a lot of money for a good cause.)

Please note that in spoken and informal written French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je collectai J’ai collecté les données. I collected the data.
Tu collectas Tu collectas les signatures. You collected the signatures.
Il collecta Il collecta les fonds. He collected the funds.
Elle collecta Elle collecta les informations. She collected the information.
On collecta On collecta les échantillons. One collected the samples.
Nous collectâmes Nous collectâmes les dons. We collected the donations.
Vous collectâtes Vous collectâtes les tickets. You collected the tickets.
Ils collectèrent Ils collectèrent les déchets. They collected the waste.
Elles collectèrent Elles collectèrent les documents. They (feminine) collected the documents.

Other Conjugations for Collecter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb collecter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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