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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fourrager

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The English translation of the French verb “fourrager” is “to rummage” or “to forage”. The infinitive form of “fourrager” is pronounced as “foo-rah-zhay”.

The word “fourrager” comes from the Old French term “foragier”, which has its roots in the Latin word “furca” meaning “pitchfork”. Originally, it referred to the action of using a pitchfork to search for food or provisions. In everyday French, “fourrager” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions that are punctual, completed, and occurred at a specific point in time.

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

  1. Je fourrageai dans ma valise et trouvai mes clés. (I rummaged in my suitcase and found my keys.)
  2. Il fourragea dans ses poches et sortit un mouchoir. (He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a handkerchief.)
  3. Les enfants fourragèrent dans les tiroirs pour chercher des bonbons. (The children rummaged in the drawers to look for candies.)

These examples show different instances in the past when someone rummaged through their belongings or searched for something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fourrageai Je fourrageai dans le placard. I rummaged in the cupboard.
Tu fourrageas Tu fourrageas dans ton sac. You rummaged in your bag.
Il fourragea Il fourragea dans les tiroirs. He rummaged in the drawers.
Elle fourragea Elle fourragea dans son sac à main. She rummaged in her handbag.
On fourragea On fourragea dans les poubelles. One rummaged in the bins.
Nous fourrageâmes Nous fourrageâmes dans les affaires. We rummaged in the belongings.
Vous fourrageâtes Vous fourrageâtes dans les cartons. You rummaged in the boxes.
Ils fourragèrent Ils fourragèrent dans les placards. They rummaged in the cupboards.
Elles fourragèrent Elles fourragèrent dans les sacs. They (feminine) rummaged in the bags.

Other Conjugations for Fourrager.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fourrager

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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