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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb compéter

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The English translation of the French verb “compéter” is “to complete” or “to fulfill”. The infinitive form of “compéter” is pronounced as kɔ̃.pe.te.

The word “compéter” comes from the Latin verb “complēre”, which means “to fill up” or “to complete”. In everyday French, the verb “compéter” is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when referring to completing or fulfilling something in the past.

Here are three examples of “compéter” in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Elle compéta sa mission avec succès. (She completed her mission successfully.)
  2. Ils compétèrent toutes les tâches assignées. (They completed all the assigned tasks.)
  3. Le travail compéta enfin tous mes efforts. (The work finally fulfilled all my efforts.)

In these examples, “compéter” is used to convey the action of completing or fulfilling a task, mission, or effort in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je compétai Je compétai dans la course. I competed in the race.
Tu compétas Tu compétas contre lui. You competed against him.
Il compéta Il compéta dans le tournoi. He competed in the tournament.
Elle compéta Elle compéta dans la compétition. She competed in the competition.
On compéta On compéta pour le prix. One competed for the prize.
Nous compétâmes Nous compétâmes ensemble. We competed together.
Vous compétâtes Vous compétâtes avec brio. You competed brilliantly.
Ils compétèrent Ils compétèrent au niveau national. They competed at the national level.
Elles compétèrent Elles compétèrent dans différentes catégories. They (feminine) competed in different categories.

Other Conjugations for Compéter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb compéter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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