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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb formater

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of formater. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “formater” is “to format.” The infinitive form “formater” is pronounced as “for-ma-tey.”

The verb “formater” comes from the English word “format” and is used in everyday French to refer to the action of formatting something, typically related to technology or data storage devices. It is commonly used in the context of computers, hard drives, or other storage devices.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used in written French, “formater” would be conjugated as follows:

  1. J’formatai mon disque dur. (I formatted my hard drive.)
  2. Tu formatas tes fichiers avant de les transférer. (You formatted your files before transferring them.)
  3. Il/Elle formatat son ordinateur pour effacer toutes les données. (He/She formatted his/her computer to erase all the data.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, and the preferred past tense in everyday conversation is the Passé Composé (compound past).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je formaté J’ai formaté le disque dur. I formatted the hard drive.
Tu formatas Tu as formaté le fichier. You formatted the file.
Il formata Il a formaté la clé USB. He formatted the USB key.
Elle formata Elle a formaté la carte mémoire. She formatted the memory card.
On formata On a formaté le CD. One formatted the CD.
Nous formatâmes Nous avons formaté le document. We formatted the document.
Vous formatâtes Vous avez formaté le disque. You formatted the disk.
Ils formatèrent Ils ont formaté le téléphone. They formatted the phone.
Elles formatèrent Elles ont formaté la clé USB. They (feminine) formatted the USB key.

Other Conjugations for Formater.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb formater

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the formater Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply