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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb garder

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The English translation of the French verb “garder” is “to keep” or “to retain.” The infinitive form of “garder” is pronounced as [gaʁ.de].

The verb “garder” comes from the Latin word “guardare,” which means “to watch over” or “to protect.” In everyday French, it is commonly used to express the action of keeping or holding onto something or someone. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is mostly used in written French, “garder” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je gardai: I kept
  • Tu gardas: You kept (singular)
  • Il/elle/on garda: He/she/one kept
  • Nous gardâmes: We kept
  • Vous gardâtes: You kept (plural/formal)
  • Ils/elles gardèrent: They kept

Here are three simple examples of “garder” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. J’entendis un bruit et je gardai mon calme.
    (I heard a noise, and I kept my calm.)

  2. Elle reçut une belle lettre et elle la garda précieusement.
    (She received a beautiful letter, and she kept it preciously.)

  3. Nous rentrâmes tard hier soir, mais nous gardâmes notre bonne humeur.
    (We came back late last night, but we kept our good mood.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, as it has been mostly replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je gardai J’ai gardai le chien. I kept the dog.
Tu gardas Tu gardas la clé. You kept the key.
Il garda Il garda le secret. He kept the secret.
Elle garda Elle garda son calme. She kept her composure.
On garda On garda la maison. One kept the house.
Nous gardâmes Nous gardâmes les enfants. We kept the children.
Vous gardâtes Vous gardâtes votre promesse. You kept your promise.
Ils gardèrent Ils gardèrent le silence. They kept quiet.
Elles gardèrent Elles gardèrent les fleurs. They (feminine) kept the flowers.

Other Conjugations for Garder.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb garder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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