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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb conférer

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The English translation of the French verb “conférer” is “to confer” or “to bestow.” The infinitive form “conférer” is pronounced as “koh(n)-feh-reh.”

The verb “conférer” comes from the Latin word “conferre,” which means “to bring together” or “to compare.” It is primarily used in everyday French in the present tense and in the passé simple tense. The passé simple is a literary tense used to describe completed actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of how “conférer” is used in the passé simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il conféra le titre de chevalier à son fidèle serviteur. (He bestowed the title of knight upon his loyal servant.)
  2. La reine conféra les honneurs à ces vaillants soldats. (The queen conferred honors upon these brave soldiers.)
  3. Les professeurs conférèrent les diplômes lors de la cérémonie de remise des prix. (The professors conferred the degrees during the award ceremony.)

Note: The passé simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts. In everyday spoken French, the passé composé or other compound tenses are more commonly used to express completed actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je conférai Je lui conférai le pouvoir. I conferred the power to him.
Tu conféras Tu conféras le titre. You conferred the title.
Il conféra Il conféra une bourse. He conferred a scholarship.
Elle conféra Elle conféra le diplôme. She conferred the diploma.
On conféra On conféra une récompense. One conferred a reward.
Nous conférâmes Nous conférâmes le prix. We conferred the prize.
Vous conférâtes Vous conférâtes la médaille. You conferred the medal.
Ils conférèrent Ils conférèrent l’honneur. They conferred the honor.
Elles conférèrent Elles conférèrent le statut. They (feminine) conferred the status.

Other Conjugations for Conférer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conférer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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