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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb draguer

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The English translation of the French verb “draguer” is “to flirt” or “to hit on.” The infinitive form “draguer” is pronounced as \dʁa.ɡe.

The word “draguer” originated from the nautical vocabulary in the mid-19th century. It was initially used to refer to the act of dragging a net along the bottom of a river or sea to catch something. Over time, the term “draguer” started to be used metaphorically to describe the act of trying to catch someone’s attention or affection through flirting.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense is rarely used in spoken language and is mostly reserved for formal writing, literature, or historical contexts. However, here are three simple examples of how “draguer” can be used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il dragua la jeune femme lors de la soirée. (He flirted with the young woman at the party.)
  2. Elle dragua son collègue de travail pendant plusieurs mois. (She hit on her coworker for several months.)
  3. Ils draguèrent sans succès lors de leur séjour à Paris. (They tried to flirt without success during their stay in Paris.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je draguai Je draguai dans la boîte de nuit. I flirted in the nightclub.
Tu draguas Tu draguas la fille. You flirted with the girl.
Il dragua Il dragua sa collègue. He flirted with his colleague.
Elle dragua Elle dragua son voisin. She flirted with her neighbor.
On dragua On dragua tout le monde. One flirted with everyone.
Nous draguâmes Nous draguâmes à la fête. We flirted at the party.
Vous draguâtes Vous draguâtes au bar. You flirted at the bar.
Ils draguèrent Ils draguèrent les filles. They flirted with the girls.
Elles draguèrent Elles draguèrent les garçons. They (feminine) flirted with the boys.

Other Conjugations for Draguer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb draguer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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