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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb flamber

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The English translation of the French verb flamber is “to flame” or “to flambé.” The infinitive form of flamber is pronounced as “flahm-bay.”

The word flamber originates from the Old French term “flambe,” meaning “flame.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “flammula,” which means “a small flame.”

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is rarely used orally but is commonly found in written literature. In this tense, flamber is conjugated as follows:

  • je flambai (I flamed)
  • tu flambas (you flamed)
  • il/elle/on flamba (he/she/one flamed)
  • nous flambâmes (we flamed)
  • vous flambâtes (you flamed)
  • ils/elles flambèrent (they flamed)

Here are three examples of flamber used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’entrai dans la cuisine et je flambai les crevettes.
    (I entered the kitchen and flamed the shrimp.)

  2. Tu flambas les crêpes devant nos invités.
    (You flamed the crepes in front of our guests.)

  3. Elle flamba le steak au cognac.
    (She flamed the steak with cognac.)

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

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je flambai J’ai flambai les crevettes. I flambéed the shrimp.
Tu flambas Tu flambas le dessert. You flambéed the dessert.
Il flamba Il flamba la viande. He flambéed the meat.
Elle flamba Elle flamba les crêpes. She flambéed the crepes.
On flamba On flamba la sauce. One flambéed the sauce.
Nous flambâmes Nous flambâmes le poulet. We flambéed the chicken.
Vous flambâtes Vous flambâtes les bananes. You flambéed the bananas.
Ils flambèrent Ils flambèrent les fruits. They flambéed the fruits.
Elles flambèrent Elles flambèrent le gâteau. They (feminine) flambéed the cake.

Other Conjugations for Flamber.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flamber

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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