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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fédérer

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The English translation of the French verb “fédérer” is “to federate” or “to unite.” The infinitive form “fédérer” is pronounced as “fey-dey-rey.”

The verb “fédérer” has its origin in the Latin word “foederare,” meaning “to form a league or alliance.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions that occurred in the past and are now completed. However, it’s worth mentioning that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken language and is mainly reserved for formal or written contexts.

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

  1. Les partis politiques se fédérèrent pour soutenir le candidat commun. (The political parties federated to support the common candidate.)
  2. Les associations sportives fédérèrent leurs efforts pour organiser ce tournoi. (The sports associations united their efforts to organize this tournament.)
  3. Sous sa direction, l’organisation fédéra ses membres et atteignit ses objectifs. (Under his leadership, the organization federated its members and achieved its goals.)

Note: In everyday spoken French, it is more common to use the compound past tense (Passé Composé) instead of the Passé Simple to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fédérai J’ai fédéré l’équipe. I federated the team.
Tu fédéras Tu fédéras les membres. You federated the members.
Il fédéra Il fédéra les organisations. He federated the organizations.
Elle fédéra Elle fédéra les associations. She federated the associations.
On fédéra On fédéra les clubs. One federated the clubs.
Nous fédérâmes Nous fédérâmes les départements. We federated the departments.
Vous fédérâtes Vous fédérâtes les régions. You federated the regions.
Ils fédérèrent Ils fédérèrent les pays. They federated the countries.
Elles fédérèrent Elles fédérèrent les provinces. They (feminine) federated the provinces.

Other Conjugations for Fédérer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fédérer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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