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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb convoquer

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The English translation of the French verb “convoker” is “to summon” or “to call together.” The infinitive form “convoker” is pronounced as /kɔ̃.vɔ.ke/.

“Convoker” comes from the Latin word “convocare” which means “to call together.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe past actions or events that are completed.

Three examples of “convoker” in the Passé Simple tense, with their respective English translations, are:

  1. Le directeur convoqua une réunion urgente. (The director summoned/called for an urgent meeting.)
  2. Ils convoquèrent tous les employés pour discuter des nouvelles mesures. (They called together all the employees to discuss the new measures.)
  3. Le gouvernement convoqua une assemblée pour débattre de la réforme. (The government summoned/called for a meeting to discuss the reform.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je convoquai Je convoquai une réunion. I summoned a meeting.
Tu convoquas Tu convoquas tous les étudiants. You summoned all the students.
Il convoqua Il convoqua le directeur. He summoned the director.
Elle convoqua Elle convoqua l’équipe. She summoned the team.
On convoqua On convoqua les témoins. One summoned the witnesses.
Nous convoquâmes Nous convoquâmes les membres. We summoned the members.
Vous convoquâtes Vous convoquâtes les participants. You summoned the participants.
Ils convoquèrent Ils convoquèrent les témoins. They summoned the witnesses.
Elles convoquèrent Elles convoquèrent les employés. They (feminine) summoned the employees.

Other Conjugations for Convoquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb convoquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Convoquer – 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.

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