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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fulgurer

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The English translation of the French verb fulgurer is “to flash” or “to flash brightly.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “fulgurer” is [fyl.ɡy.ʁe].

Fulgurer is derived from the Latin word “fulgurare,” meaning “to flash” or “to shine brightly.” It is mainly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in written language. In spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used instead.

Here are three simple examples of fulgurer in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Le ciel fulgura de mille éclats. (The sky flashed with a thousand bursts.)
  2. Les éclairs fulgurèrent dans la nuit sombre. (The lightning flashed in the dark night.)
  3. La lumière fulgura soudainement, aveuglant tout le monde. (The light flashed suddenly, blinding everyone.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in everyday spoken French, and the more common tense for narrating past events is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je fulgurai Je fulgurai dans le ciel. I flashed in the sky.
Tu fulguras Tu fulguras dans la nuit. You flashed in the night.
Il fulgura Il fulgura de colère. He flashed with anger.
Elle fulgura Elle fulgura d’intelligence. She flashed with intelligence.
On fulgura On fulgura dans l’obscurité. One flashed in the darkness.
Nous fulgurâmes Nous fulgurâmes de joie. We flashed with joy.
Vous fulgurâtes Vous fulgurâtes de lumière. You flashed with light.
Ils fulgurèrent Ils fulgurèrent de puissance. They flashed with power.
Elles fulgurèrent Elles fulgurèrent de colère. They (feminine) flashed with anger.

Other Conjugations for Fulgurer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fulgurer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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