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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coter

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The English translation of the French verb “coter” is “to cost.” The infinitive form of “coter” is pronounced as “koh-tey.”

The verb “coter” comes from the Latin word “costare,” meaning “to cost.” In everyday French, “coter” is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense in French and is rarely used in spoken language.

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

  1. Hier, le livre a coté dix euros. (Yesterday, the book cost ten euros.)
  2. Les billets de concert côtaient très cher. (The concert tickets were very expensive.)
  3. L’achat de cette voiture nous a coûté beaucoup d’argent. (The purchase of this car cost us a lot of money.)

Please note that in everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is commonly used instead of the Passé Simple tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cotai Je cotai la marchandise. I priced the merchandise.
Tu cotas Tu cotas les billets. You priced the tickets.
Il cita Il cita les articles. He priced the articles.
Elle cita Elle cita les produits. She priced the products.
On cita On cita les objets. One priced the objects.
Nous cotâmes Nous cotâmes les biens. We priced the goods.
Vous cotâtes Vous cotâtes les services. You priced the services.
Ils cotèrent Ils cotèrent les bijoux. They priced the jewelry.
Elles cotèrent Elles cotèrent les tableaux. They (feminine) priced the paintings.

Other Conjugations for Coter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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