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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fermer

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The English translation of the French verb “fermer” is “to close”. The infinitive form of “fermer” is pronounced as “fer-may”.

The word “fermer” originates from the Latin word “firmare”, which means “to make firm” or “to secure”. In everyday French, “fermer” is used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used in formal writing or storytelling.

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

  1. Il ferma la porte et partit. (He closed the door and left.)
  2. Elle ferma les volets avant de se coucher. (She closed the shutters before going to bed.)
  3. Nous fermâmes les livres à la fin du cours. (We closed the books at the end of the class.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French. The more commonly used past tense in everyday conversations is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fermai Je fermai la porte. I closed the door.
Tu fermas Tu fermas la fenêtre. You closed the window.
Il ferma Il ferma le livre. He closed the book.
Elle ferma Elle ferma la boutique. She closed the shop.
On ferma On ferma le restaurant. One closed the restaurant.
Nous fermâmes Nous fermâmes la porte à clé. We locked the door.
Vous fermâtes Vous fermâtes les valises. You closed the suitcases.
Ils fermèrent Ils fermèrent le magasin. They closed the store.
Elles fermèrent Elles fermèrent les fenêtres. They (feminine) closed the windows.

Other Conjugations for Fermer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fermer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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