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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fritter

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The English translation of the French verb “fritter” is “to waste” or “to squander.” The infinitive form of “fritter” is pronounced as [fʀite].

The word “fritter” has its origins in the Latin word “frictare,” which means “to rub.” In everyday French, the verb “fritter” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary form of the past tense that is rarely used in spoken French. It is typically found in literature, historical texts, or formal writing.

Here are three simple examples of “fritter” being used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il fritta son argent en achats inutiles. (He wasted his money on useless purchases.)
  2. Elle fritta beaucoup de temps à regarder la télévision. (She squandered a lot of time watching television.)
  3. Ils frittèrent leurs opportunités de carrière en refusant des promotions. (They wasted their career opportunities by refusing promotions.)

Please note that these examples show the usage of “fritter” in the Passé Simple tense, but in everyday spoken French, the passé composé or other tenses would be more commonly used to express the same ideas.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je frittais Je frittais les beignets. I fried the fritters.
Tu frittas Tu frittas les oignons. You fried the onions.
Il fritta Il fritta le poisson. He fried the fish.
Elle fritta Elle fritta les légumes. She fried the vegetables.
On fritta On fritta les pommes de terre. One fried the potatoes.
Nous frittâmes Nous frittâmes les crevettes. We fried the shrimps.
Vous frittâtes Vous frittâtes les beignets. You fried the fritters.
Ils frittèrent Ils frittèrent les nuggets. They fried the nuggets.
Elles frittèrent Elles frittèrent les frites. They (feminine) fried the fries.

Other Conjugations for Fritter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fritter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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