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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb combler

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The English translation of the French verb “combler” is “to fill” or “to satisfy”. The infinitive form “combler” is pronounced as “kɔ̃.ble”.

The verb “combler” comes from the Latin word “cumulare” meaning “to heap up” or “to fill completely”. In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions that occurred in the past, particularly in written or formal contexts.

Three simple examples of “combler” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations are:

  1. Il combla mes attentes. (He filled my expectations.)
  2. Elle combla le vide dans sa vie. (She filled the void in her life.)
  3. Ils comblèrent tous les sièges disponibles. (They filled all the available seats.)

These examples demonstrate the usage of “combler” to express filling something, whether it be expectations, a void, or seats.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je comblai Je comblai le vide. I filled the void.
Tu comblas Tu comblas les attentes. You fulfilled the expectations.
Il combla Il combla son cœur de joie. He filled his heart with joy.
Elle combla Elle combla le trou. She filled the hole.
On combla On combla les besoins. One filled the needs.
Nous comblâmes Nous comblâmes les invités. We satisfied the guests.
Vous comblâtes Vous comblâtes le silence. You filled the silence.
Ils comblèrent Ils comblèrent l’écart. They bridged the gap.
Elles comblèrent Elles comblèrent le fossé. They (feminine) filled the gap.

Other Conjugations for Combler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb combler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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