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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confisquer

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The English translation of the French verb “confisquer” is “to confiscate.” The infinitive form, “confisquer,” is pronounced as kɔ̃.fi.ske.

The verb “confisquer” comes from the Latin word “confiscare,” which means “to seize” or “to appropriate.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, although this tense is less commonly used in modern spoken French.

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

  1. Les autorités confisquèrent les marchandises illégales.
    (The authorities confiscated the illegal goods.)

  2. Le professeur confisqua les téléphones portables pendant l’examen.
    (The teacher confiscated the cell phones during the exam.)

  3. Le gouvernement confisqua les terres des propriétaires absents.
    (The government confiscated the lands of absent owners.)

In these examples, “confisquer” is used to describe actions of confiscating illegal goods, confiscating cell phones during an exam, and confiscating lands from absent owners.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je confisquai J’ai confisqué son téléphone. I confiscated his phone.
Tu confisquas Tu confisquas ses jouets. You confiscated his toys.
Il confisqua Il confisqua l’argent. He confiscated the money.
Elle confisqua Elle confisqua la marchandise. She confiscated the merchandise.
On confisqua On confisqua les armes. One confiscated the weapons.
Nous confisquâmes Nous confisquâmes les drogues. We confiscated the drugs.
Vous confisquâtes Vous confisquâtes les documents. You confiscated the documents.
Ils confisquèrent Ils confisquèrent les biens. They confiscated the goods.
Elles confisquèrent Elles confisquèrent les livres. They (feminine) confiscated the books.

Other Conjugations for Confisquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confisquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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