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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colorier

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The English translation of the French verb “colorier” is “to color.” The infinitive form “colorier” is pronounced as koh-luh-ryey.

The verb “colorier” comes from the Latin word “colorare,” which means “to color.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the action of coloring or filling in something with colors.

In the Passé Simple tense, “colorier” is less commonly used in everyday spoken French, as it is a literary tense mostly found in written French. However, it can still be encountered in literature, historical texts, or formal writing.

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

  1. J’ coloriai le dessin avec mes crayons préférés. (I colored the drawing with my favorite crayons.)
  2. Tu colorias les fleurs en rouge vif. (You colored the flowers in bright red.)
  3. Il coloria le ciel en bleu clair. (He colored the sky in light blue.)

Please note that the Passé Simple is not frequently used in spoken French, and the more common tense to express the past is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je coloriai J’ai colorié le dessin. I colored the drawing.
Tu colorias Tu colorias la page. You colored the page.
Il coloria Il coloria le livre. He colored the book.
Elle coloria Elle coloria l’image. She colored the picture.
On coloria On coloria la carte. One colored the map.
Nous coloriâmes Nous coloriâmes les fleurs. We colored the flowers.
Vous coloriâtes Vous coloriâtes le tableau. You colored the painting.
Ils colorièrent Ils colorièrent les dessins. They colored the drawings.
Elles colorièrent Elles colorièrent les images. They (feminine) colored the pictures.

Other Conjugations for Colorier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colorier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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