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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cosser

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The English translation of the French verb “cosser” is “to chat” or “to gossip”. The infinitive form “cosser” is pronounced as /kɔse/.

The verb “cosser” originated from the Old French word “coisier” or “coiser”, which means “to converse”. It is commonly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used in formal writing, literature, and storytelling.

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

  1. Les voisins cosserent toute la soirée.
    (The neighbors chatted all evening.)
  2. Ils cosserèrent sur les derniers potins.
    (They gossiped about the latest gossip.)
  3. Nous cosserâmes joyeusement pendant des heures.
    (We chatted happily for hours.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and has been largely replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cossai Je cossai la pièce. I cossed the piece.
Tu cossas Tu cossas le dossier. You cossed the file.
Il cossa Il cossa la chemise. He cossed the shirt.
Elle cossa Elle cossa la table. She cossed the table.
On cossa On cossa le plan. One cossed the plan.
Nous cossâmes Nous cossâmes le projet. We cossed the project.
Vous cossâtes Vous cossâtes la route. You cossed the road.
Ils cossèrent Ils cossèrent le terrain. They cossed the field.
Elles cossèrent Elles cossèrent la route. They (feminine) cossed the road.

Other Conjugations for Cosser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cosser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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