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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colmater

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The English translation of the French verb “colmater” is “to seal” or “to block”. The infinitive form, “colmater”, is pronounced as “kohl-mah-teh”.

The verb “colmater” comes from the combination of two Latin words, “cum” meaning “with” and “mater” meaning “mother”. In everyday French, “colmater” is often used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred in the past and have been completely finished.

Here are three examples of “colmater” in the Passé Simple tense along with their English translations:

  1. Nous colmâmes la fuite d’eau rapidement. (We sealed the water leak quickly.)
  2. Tu colmatas les fissures dans le mur avec du plâtre. (You sealed the cracks in the wall with plaster.)
  3. Ils colmatèrent les trous sur la route avec du bitume. (They sealed the holes on the road with asphalt.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature and formal writing, and is less commonly used in spoken language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je colmati J’ai colmaté la fuite. I sealed the leak.
Tu colmatas Tu colmatas les fissures. You sealed the cracks.
Il colmata Il colmata le trou. He sealed the hole.
Elle colmata Elle colmata les brèches. She sealed the breaches.
On colmata On colmata les fissures. One sealed the cracks.
Nous colmatâmes Nous colmatâmes les fuites. We sealed the leaks.
Vous colmatâtes Vous colmatâtes les fissures. You sealed the cracks.
Ils colmatèrent Ils colmatèrent les brèches. They sealed the breaches.
Elles colmatèrent Elles colmatèrent les fissures. They (feminine) sealed the cracks.

Other Conjugations for Colmater.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colmater

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Colmater – 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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