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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb folâtrer

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The English translation of the French verb “folâtrer” is “to frolic” or “to play around”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “folâtrer” is /fo.la.tʁe/.

“Folâtrer” is a regular verb of the first group (verbs ending in -er) in French and its language origin is Latin. It comes from the Latin word “volūtāre” which means “to roll about”.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense is rarely used in spoken language but is more commonly found in written literature. Here are three simple examples of “folâtrer” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Les enfants folâtrèrent dans le jardin toute l’après-midi. (The children frolicked in the garden all afternoon.)
  2. Pendant les vacances, nous folâtrâmes sur la plage et nous nous amusions beaucoup. (During the vacation, we frolicked on the beach and had a lot of fun.)
  3. Le chien folâtra dans le parc avec les autres chiens. (The dog played around in the park with the other dogs.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is not frequently used in everyday spoken French, and these examples are provided to illustrate its usage.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je folâtrai Je folâtrai dans le parc. I frolicked in the park.
Tu folâtras Tu folâtras avec les chiens. You frolicked with the dogs.
Il folâtra Il folâtra dans la mer. He frolicked in the sea.
Elle folâtra Elle folâtra avec les enfants. She frolicked with the children.
On folâtra On folâtra dans la forêt. One frolicked in the forest.
Nous folâtrâmes Nous folâtrâmes toute la nuit. We frolicked all night.
Vous folâtrâtes Vous folâtrâtes dans le jardin. You frolicked in the garden.
Ils folâtrèrent Ils folâtrèrent sur la plage. They frolicked on the beach.
Elles folâtrèrent Elles folâtrèrent dans le parc. They (feminine) frolicked in the park.

Other Conjugations for Folâtrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb folâtrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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