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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb compacter

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The English translation of the French verb “compacter” is “to compact.” The infinitive form is pronounced as kɔ̃.pa.kte.

The verb “compacter” comes from the Latin word “compactare,” which means “to make firm or solid.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used in written narratives.

Examples of “compacter” in the Passé Simple tense, with their English translations, are:

  1. Je compactai les vêtements pour gagner de la place dans ma valise.
    (I compacted the clothes to save space in my suitcase.)

  2. Elle compacta les déchets avant de les jeter.
    (She compacted the waste before throwing it away.)

  3. Ils compactèrent les documents dans une archive.
    (They compacted the documents in an archive.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, as it has been largely replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je compactai J’ai compactai les déchets. I compacted the waste.
Tu compactas Tu compactas le sol. You compacted the soil.
Il compacta Il compacta le fichier. He compacted the file.
Elle compacta Elle compacta la valise. She compacted the suitcase.
On compacta On compacta les documents. One compacted the documents.
Nous compactâmes Nous compactâmes les vêtements. We compacted the clothes.
Vous compactâtes Vous compactâtes la poubelle. You compacted the trash can.
Ils compactèrent Ils compactèrent les boîtes. They compacted the boxes.
Elles compactèrent Elles compactèrent les bouteilles. They (feminine) compacted the bottles.

Other Conjugations for Compacter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb compacter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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