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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ficher

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The English translation of the French verb “ficher” is “to file” or “to put”. The infinitive form of “ficher” is pronounced as [fee-shay].

The verb “ficher” originates from the Latin word “fīgĕre” which means “to stick” or “to fix”. In everyday French, “ficher” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions or events that occurred in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in formal writing such as literature.

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

  1. Je fichai les documents dans le tiroir.
    (I filed the documents in the drawer.)

  2. Il ficha le livre sur l’étagère.
    (He put the book on the shelf.)

  3. Elle le ficha immédiatement après l’appel.
    (She filed it immediately after the call.)

In these examples, “ficher” is used to describe actions in the past that involve putting or filing something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fichai J’ai fichai le document. I filed the document.
Tu fichas Tu fichas le rapport. You filed the report.
Il ficha Il ficha son nom. He filed his name.
Elle ficha Elle ficha le dossier. She filed the file.
On ficha On ficha les papiers. One filed the papers.
Nous fichâmes Nous fichâmes les formulaires. We filed the forms.
Vous fichâtes Vous fichâtes la plainte. You filed the complaint.
Ils fichèrent Ils fichèrent les documents. They filed the documents.
Elles fichèrent Elles fichèrent les dossiers. They (feminine) filed the files.

Other Conjugations for Ficher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ficher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ficher – 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.

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