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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb failler

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The English translation of the French verb “failler” is “to fail” or “to be lacking.” The infinitive form of “failler” is pronounced as “fah-yay.”

The word “failler” has Latin origins, deriving from the Old French word “faillir,” which comes from the Latin “fallere” meaning “to deceive” or “to fail.” In everyday French, “failler” is most commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is the literary past tense used in written narratives.

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

  1. Je faillis lui dire la vérité. (I failed to tell him the truth.)
  2. Les réserves d’eau faillirent rapidement dans la région. (The water reserves dwindled quickly in the region.)
  3. Ils faillirent rater leur train. (They almost missed their train.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, and the more common past tense is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je faillis Je faillis tomber. I almost fell.
Tu faillis Tu faillis te perdre. You almost got lost.
Il faillit Il faillit arriver en retard. He almost arrived late.
Elle faillit Elle faillit pleurer. She almost cried.
On faillit On faillit gagner. One almost won.
Nous faillîmes Nous faillîmes échouer. We almost failed.
Vous faillîtes Vous faillîtes réussir. You almost succeeded.
Ils faillirent Ils faillirent abandonner. They almost gave up.
Elles faillirent Elles faillirent partir. They (feminine) almost left.

Other Conjugations for Failler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb failler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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