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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colorer

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The English translation of the French verb “colorer” is “to color” or “to dye.” The infinitive form of “colorer” is pronounced as [kɔ.lɔ.ʁe].

The verb “colorer” comes from the Latin word “colorare,” which means “to color” or “to dye.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of adding color to something, such as painting or dyeing. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “colorer” is used to express an action that occurred and was completed in the past.

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

  1. J’achetai une robe blanche que j’ai colorée en bleu.
    (I bought a white dress that I colored blue.)

  2. Il colora le dessin avec des crayons de couleur.
    (He colored the drawing with colored pencils.)

  3. Elle colora ses cheveux en rouge vif.
    (She dyed her hair bright red.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je colorai Je colorai le dessin. I colored the drawing.
Tu coloras Tu coloras la page. You colored the page.
Il colora Il colora sa voiture. He colored his car.
Elle colora Elle colora ses cheveux. She colored her hair.
On colora On colora les murs. One colored the walls.
Nous colorâmes Nous colorâmes les vêtements. We colored the clothes.
Vous colorâtes Vous colorâtes le tableau. You colored the painting.
Ils colorèrent Ils colorèrent les fleurs. They colored the flowers.
Elles colorèrent Elles colorèrent les images. They (feminine) colored the pictures.

Other Conjugations for Colorer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colorer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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