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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb crawler

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The English translation of the French verb “crawler” is “to crawl.” The infinitive form of “crawler” is pronounced as /kʁaw.le/.

The verb “crawler” comes from the Old French word “croeler,” which means “to crawl, creep.” It originated from the Vulgar Latin word ” *craulāre” derived from the Latin word “gradus,” meaning “step” or “pace.”

In everyday French, the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense is rarely used in spoken language but is still present in formal writing, literature, and historical contexts. It is used to describe completed actions in the past.

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

  1. J’entrai dans la chambre et je crawla sous le lit.
    (I entered the room and crawled under the bed.)

  2. Il se releva et crawl(a) jusqu’à la sortie de la grotte.
    (He got up and crawled to the exit of the cave.)

  3. Pendant la nuit, les insectes rampèrent et les serpents crawlèrent à travers la forêt.
    (During the night, insects crawled and snakes slithered through the forest.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je crawlai Je crawlai dans la piscine. I crawled in the pool.
Tu crawlas Tu crawlas sur le sol. You crawled on the floor.
Il crawlade Il crawlade rapidement. He crawled quickly.
Elle crawlade Elle crawlade sous l’eau. She crawled underwater.
On crawlade On crawlade dans le jardin. One crawled in the garden.
Nous crawlâmes Nous crawlâmes pendant des heures. We crawled for hours.
Vous crawlâtes Vous crawlâtes jusqu’au bout de la plage. You crawled all the way to the end of the beach.
Ils crawlèrent Ils crawlèrent en compétition. They crawled in a competition.
Elles crawlèrent Elles crawlèrent dans la boue. They (feminine) crawled in the mud.

Other Conjugations for Crawler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb crawler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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