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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foncer

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The English translation of the French verb “foncer” is “to darken” or “to go fast”. The infinitive form “foncer” is pronounced as [fɔ̃se].

The verb “foncer” comes from the Latin word “fuscus” meaning “dark” or “black”. In everyday French, the verb is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred in the past. However, the Passé Simple tense is less commonly used in spoken French nowadays and is mostly found in literature or formal writing.

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

  1. Ils foncèrent dans la nuit noire. (They went fast into the dark night.)
  2. Je fonçai vers la gare pour ne pas rater mon train. (I hurried towards the train station to not miss my train.)
  3. Les nuages foncèrent soudainement, annonçant l’orage. (The clouds darkened suddenly, announcing the storm.)

Please note that while the translations provided capture the general meaning of each sentence, the specific translation may vary depending on the context.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fonçai J’ai foncé dans la pièce. I rushed into the room.
Tu fonças Tu fonças vers la sortie. You rushed towards the exit.
Il fonça Il fonça sur l’ennemi. He charged at the enemy.
Elle fonça Elle fonça vers la victoire. She raced towards victory.
On fonça On fonça sans hésitation. One charged without hesitation.
Nous fonçâmes Nous fonçâmes vers le but. We rushed towards the goal.
Vous fonçâtes Vous fonçâtes dans la rue. You rushed into the street.
Ils foncèrent Ils foncèrent vers l’océan. They rushed towards the ocean.
Elles foncèrent Elles foncèrent dans la forêt. They (feminine) rushed into the forest.

Other Conjugations for Foncer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foncer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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