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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fouiller

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The English translation of the French verb “fouiller” is “to search” or “to rummage”. The infinitive form “fouiller” is pronounced as “foo-yay.”

“Fouiller” originates from the Latin word “fullō” which means “to clean” or “to purify”. In everyday French, “fouiller” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions that occurred in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense has largely fallen out of use in spoken French and is mainly found in written literature.

Examples of “fouiller” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Je fouillai dans mes poches et trouvai mes clés.
    (I searched in my pockets and found my keys.)

  2. Ils fouillèrent la maison pour trouver des indices.
    (They searched the house to find clues.)

  3. Elle fouilla son sac à la recherche de son portefeuille.
    (She rummaged through her bag in search of her wallet.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fouillai Je fouillai dans mes poches. I searched in my pockets.
Tu fouillas Tu fouillas la boîte. You searched the box.
Il fouilla Il fouilla la maison. He searched the house.
Elle fouilla Elle fouilla son sac. She searched her bag.
On fouilla On fouilla la chambre. One searched the room.
Nous fouillâmes Nous fouillâmes les tiroirs. We searched the drawers.
Vous fouillâtes Vous fouillâtes la voiture. You searched the car.
Ils fouillèrent Ils fouillèrent le jardin. They searched the garden.
Elles fouillèrent Elles fouillèrent leurs valises. They (feminine) searched their suitcases.

Other Conjugations for Fouiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fouiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fouiller – 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.

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