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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb croquer

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The English translation of the French verb “croquer” is “to crunch” or “to bite into.” The infinitive form of “croquer” is pronounced as “kroh-kay.”

The verb “croquer” comes from the Latin word “crispus,” meaning “curled” or “crispy.” In everyday French, “croquer” is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used in written French. It is not commonly spoken in everyday conversations.

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

  1. Il croqua la pomme d’un seul coup. (He bit into the apple in one bite.)
  2. Elle croqua le chocolat avec délice. (She savored the chocolate as she bit into it.)
  3. Les enfants croquèrent les biscuits avec appétit. (The children crunched on the cookies eagerly.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts in contemporary French. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je croquai Je croquai dans la pomme. I bit into the apple.
Tu croquas Tu croquas le chocolat. You bit into the chocolate.
Il croqua Il croqua la biscotte. He bit into the biscuit.
Elle croqua Elle croqua la carotte. She bit into the carrot.
On croqua On croqua le sandwich. One bit into the sandwich.
Nous croquâmes Nous croquâmes les fruits. We bit into the fruits.
Vous croquâtes Vous croquâtes le biscuit. You bit into the biscuit.
Ils croquèrent Ils croquèrent la pomme. They bit into the apple.
Elles croquèrent Elles croquèrent le chocolat. They (feminine) bit into the chocolate.

Other Conjugations for Croquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb croquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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