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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commérer

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The English translation of the French verb “commérer” is “to gossip.” The infinitive form “commérer” is pronounced as [kɔmeʀe].

The word “commérer” has its origins in the Old French word “comere,” which means “godmother” or “close female friend,” and later evolved to refer to women who gathered to chat and gossip. In everyday French, the verb “commérer” is commonly used to describe the act of engaging in idle talk, gossip, or spreading rumors.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “commérer” is not frequently used in everyday French speech, as it is considered a formal tense mainly used in literature, historical contexts, or formal writing. However, here are three examples of the verb “commérer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Elle comméra la nouvelle à tous ses amis.
    (She gossiped/spread the news to all her friends.)

  2. Ils commérèrent sur les voisins pendant des heures.
    (They gossiped/talked about the neighbors for hours.)

  3. Nous commérâmes sur les ragots du quartier.
    (We gossiped/discussed the neighborhood rumors.)

Please note that in everyday spoken French, the compound past tense (Passé Composé) is more commonly used to express actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je commerçai Je commerçai avec mes amis. I gossiped with my friends.
Tu commeras Tu commeras sur tes voisins. You gossiped about your neighbors.
Il comméra Il comméra avec sa sœur. He gossiped with his sister.
Elle comméra Elle comméra sur ses collègues. She gossiped about her colleagues.
On comméra On comméra sur le scandale. One gossiped about the scandal.
Nous commérâmes Nous commérâmes à la fête. We gossiped at the party.
Vous commérâtes Vous commérâtes sur les potins. You gossiped about the gossip.
Ils commérèrent Ils commérèrent sur leurs voisins. They gossiped about their neighbors.
Elles commérèrent Elles commérèrent sur leurs amies. They (feminine) gossiped about their friends.

Other Conjugations for Commérer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commérer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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