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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fabuler

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The English translation of the French verb “fabuler” is “to invent” or “to spin a yarn”. The infinitive form “fabuler” is pronounced as “fa-by-lay”.

The word “fabuler” originated from the Latin word “fabula”, meaning “story” or “tale”. In everyday French, “fabuler” is most commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts.

Here are three examples of “fabuler” used in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Jérôme fabula une histoire fantastique lors de la soirée. (Jérôme invented a fantastic story during the evening.)
  2. Elle fabula un mensonge pour échapper à la punition. (She spun a lie to avoid punishment.)
  3. L’écrivain fabula une trame complexe pour son dernier roman. (The writer invented a complex plot for his latest novel.)

Please note that in spoken French, the Passé Composé is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fabulai J’ai fabulé I fabulated
Tu fabulas Tu as fabulé You fabulated
Il fabula Il a fabulé He fabulated
Elle fabula Elle a fabulé She fabulated
On fabula On a fabulé One fabulated
Nous fabulâmes Nous avons fabulé We fabulated
Vous fabulâtes Vous avez fabulé You fabulated
Ils fabulèrent Ils ont fabulé They fabulated
Elles fabulèrent Elles ont fabulé They (feminine) fabulated

Other Conjugations for Fabuler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fabuler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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