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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb crêper

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The English translation of the French verb “crêper” is “to curl” or “to crimp.” The infinitive form “crêper” is pronounced as “kreh-peh.”

The origin of the word “crêper” comes from the noun “crêpe,” which refers to a thin and delicate pancake. The verb “crêper” is derived from the action of curling or crimping the edges of a crêpe. In everyday French, the verb is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), which is a literary tense used to describe past events.

Here are three examples of how “crêper” is used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Elle crêpa les cheveux de sa sœur pour la fête.
    (She curled her sister’s hair for the party.)
  2. Il crêpa les bords de la crêpe pour la garniture.
    (He crimped the edges of the crêpe for the filling.)
  3. Elles crêpèrent leurs jupes pour leur spectacle de danse.
    (They crimped their skirts for their dance performance.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly reserved for formal writing or literature. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je crêpai Je crêpai mes cheveux. I crimped my hair.
Tu crêpas Tu crêpas la pâte. You crimped the dough.
Il crêpa Il crêpa le tissu. He crimped the fabric.
Elle crêpa Elle crêpa ses cheveux. She crimped her hair.
On crêpa On crêpa les gaufres. One crimped the waffles.
Nous crêpâmes Nous crêpâmes la pâte. We crimped the dough.
Vous crêpâtes Vous crêpâtes les cheveux. You crimped the hair.
Ils crêpèrent Ils crêpèrent les tissus. They crimped the fabrics.
Elles crêpèrent Elles crêpèrent les cheveux. They (feminine) crimped the hair.

Other Conjugations for Crêper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb crêper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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