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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cribler

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The English translation of the French verb “cribler” is “to sieve” or “to sift.” The infinitive form “cribler” is pronounced as “kree-blay.”

The verb “cribler” originated from the Latin word “cribrare” which means “to sift.” In everyday French, “cribler” is commonly used in the present tense and other compound tenses rather than the passé simple. However, when used in the passé simple, it is typically found in formal writing, literature, or historical contexts.

Here are three examples of “cribler” used in the passé simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les boulangers criblèrent la farine pour enlever les grumeaux.
    (The bakers sifted the flour to remove lumps.)

  2. Le chef pâtissier cribla le sucre glace sur le gâteau.
    (The pastry chef sprinkled powdered sugar on the cake.)

  3. Elle cribla les documents pour trouver des indices.
    (She sifted through the documents to find clues.)

Please note that while the passé simple is used in formal writing, in spoken French and informal writing, the passé composé is more commonly used to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je criblai Je criblai la cible. I riddled the target.
Tu criblas Tu criblas le papier. You riddled the paper.
Il cribla Il cribla le sol. He riddled the ground.
Elle cribla Elle cribla la toile. She riddled the canvas.
On cribla On cribla la voiture. One riddled the car.
Nous criblâmes Nous criblâmes le bois. We riddled the wood.
Vous criblâtes Vous criblâtes le tissu. You riddled the fabric.
Ils criblèrent Ils criblèrent la terre. They riddled the earth.
Elles criblèrent Elles criblèrent la feuille. They (feminine) riddled the leaf.

Other Conjugations for Cribler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cribler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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