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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb frétiller

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The English translation of the French verb “frétiller” is “to wiggle” or “to twitch.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “freh-tee-yay.”

The verb “frétiller” is derived from the French noun “frette,” which means “fret” or “uneasiness.” It is related to the Old French verb “fretillier,” which meant “to be agitated.” In everyday French, “frétiller” is most commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense.

Examples of the usage of “frétiller” in the Passé Simple tense along with their English translations are as follows:

  1. Le poisson frétille dans l’eau.
    Translation: The fish wiggled in the water.

  2. Ses doigts frétillèrent d’impatience.
    Translation: His fingers twitched with impatience.

  3. Le chat frétille de la queue lorsqu’il est excité.
    Translation: The cat wiggles its tail when it’s excited.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je frétillai Je frétillai de joie. I wriggled with joy.
Tu frétillas Tu frétillas des doigts. You wriggled your fingers.
Il frétilla Il frétilla de la queue. He wagged his tail.
Elle frétilla Elle frétilla des yeux. She fluttered her eyes.
On frétilla On frétilla de plaisir. One wriggled with pleasure.
Nous frétillâmes Nous frétillâmes de contentement. We wriggled with contentment.
Vous frétillâtes Vous frétillâtes d’impatience. You wriggled with impatience.
Ils frétillèrent Ils frétillèrent de bonheur. They wriggled with happiness.
Elles frétillèrent Elles frétillèrent de fascination. They (feminine) wriggled with fascination.

Other Conjugations for Frétiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb frétiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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