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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb congratuler

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The English translation of the French verb “congratuler” is “to congratulate.” The infinitive form, “congratuler,” is pronounced as kɔ̃.ɡʁa.ty.le.

The verb “congratuler” comes from the Latin word “congratulari,” which means “to give thanks, to rejoice together.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is mainly used in written language or formal contexts.

Here are three simple examples of “congratuler” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Ils me congratulèrent pour ma réussite.
    (They congratulated me on my success.)

  2. Elle les congratula pour leur mariage.
    (She congratulated them on their wedding.)

  3. Nous les congratulâmes pour leur nouvelle maison.
    (We congratulated them on their new house.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is not widely used in modern spoken French. It is primarily found in literature, formal writing, and historical texts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je congratulai Je le congratulai pour son succès. I congratulated him/her for his/her success.
Tu congratulas Tu le congratulas pour son anniversaire. You congratulated him/her for his/her birthday.
Il congratula Il le congratula pour sa promotion. He congratulated him/her for his/her promotion.
Elle congratula Elle le congratula pour sa victoire. She congratulated him/her for his/her victory.
On congratula On le congratula pour ses efforts. One congratulated him/her for his/her efforts.
Nous congratulâmes Nous les congratulâmes pour leur mariage. We congratulated them for their wedding.
Vous congratulâtes Vous les congratulâtes pour leur réussite. You congratulated them for their success.
Ils congratulèrent Ils les congratulèrent pour leur performance. They congratulated them for their performance.
Elles congratulèrent Elles les congratulèrent pour leur projet. They (feminine) congratulated them for their project.

Other Conjugations for Congratuler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb congratuler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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