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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commuer

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The English translation of the French verb “commuer” is “to commute.” The infinitive form of “commuer” is pronounced as [ko-mwe].

The verb “commuer” comes from the Latin word “commutare,” which means “to exchange.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to talk about commuting or exchanging something.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Il commua son trajet en vélo.
    (He commuted his journey by bike.)
  2. Elle commua sa peine de prison en travaux d’intérêt général.
    (She commuted her prison sentence to community service.)
  3. Nous commuâmes nos billets d’avion pour une autre date.
    (We commuted our plane tickets to another date.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense, also known as the “Historical Past” or “Literary Past,” is rarely used in spoken French. It is mainly found in formal writing or literature to describe past actions that are completed and disconnected from the present.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je commuai Je commuai avec lui. I commuted with him.
Tu commuas Tu commuas l’accusation. You commuted the accusation.
Il commua Il commua la peine. He commuted the sentence.
Elle commua Elle commua la condamnation. She commuted the conviction.
On commua On commua la peine de mort. One commuted the death penalty.
Nous commuâmes Nous commuâmes la sanction. We commuted the sanction.
Vous commuâtes Vous commuâtes la peine. You commuted the sentence.
Ils commuèrent Ils commuèrent la peine. They commuted the sentence.
Elles commuèrent Elles commuèrent la peine. They (feminine) commuted the sentence.

Other Conjugations for Commuer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commuer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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