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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gagner

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The English translation of the French verb “gagner” is “to win” or “to earn.” The infinitive form “gagner” is pronounced as [ga-nyey].

The verb “gagner” in French originated from the Latin word “guadagnare,” which means “to gain.” In everyday French, “gagner” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is mostly found in written or formal contexts to describe completed past actions. However, in spoken French, the Passé Composé is more frequently used to express the past tense.

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

  1. J’arrivai et je gagnai la compétition.
    (I arrived and I won the competition.)

  2. Il travailla dur et gagna beaucoup d’argent.
    (He worked hard and earned a lot of money.)

  3. Elle joua bien et gagna le match.
    (She played well and won the game.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal writing, literature, or historical texts, and in everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is more commonly employed to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je gagnai J’ai gagnai le match. I won the game.
Tu gagnas Tu gagnas de l’argent. You won some money.
Il gagna Il gagna la course. He won the race.
Elle gagna Elle gagna le concours. She won the competition.
On gagna On gagna le prix. One won the prize.
Nous gagnâmes Nous gagnâmes le tournoi. We won the tournament.
Vous gagnâtes Vous gagnâtes le jackpot. You won the jackpot.
Ils gagnèrent Ils gagnèrent le trophée. They won the trophy.
Elles gagnèrent Elles gagnèrent la médaille. They (feminine) won the medal.

Other Conjugations for Gagner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gagner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gagner – 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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