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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb forer

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The English translation of the French verb “forer” is “to drill” or “to bore”. The infinitive form “forer” is pronounced as “foe-ray”.

The word “forer” comes from the Old French word “forer” which means “to predict” or “to foretell”. In everyday French, the verb “forer” is most commonly used in its noun form “le forage” which translates to “drilling” or “boring”.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense in French, “forer” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je forai (I drilled)
  • Tu foras (You drilled)
  • Il/elle/on fora (He/she/one drilled)
  • Nous forâmes (We drilled)
  • Vous forâtes (You drilled)
  • Ils/elles forèrent (They drilled)

Here are three simple examples of “forer” in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. J’ai foré un puits dans mon jardin l’année dernière. (I drilled a well in my garden last year.)
  2. L’entreprise forât un tunnel sous la montagne. (The company drilled a tunnel under the mountain.)
  3. Les scientifiques forèrent la glace pour étudier le noyau de la Terre. (Scientists drilled the ice to study the Earth’s core.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je forai Je forai un trou dans le sol. I drilled a hole in the ground.
Tu foras Tu foras la planche de bois. You drilled the wooden plank.
Il fora Il fora le mur. He drilled the wall.
Elle fora Elle fora le sol. She drilled the floor.
On fora On fora la roche. One drilled the rock.
Nous forâmes Nous forâmes le puits. We drilled the well.
Vous forâtes Vous forâtes la pierre. You drilled the stone.
Ils forèrent Ils forèrent le sol. They drilled the ground.
Elles forèrent Elles forèrent le bois. They (feminine) drilled the wood.

Other Conjugations for Forer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb forer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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