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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gaufrer

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The English translation of the French verb “gaufrer” is “to emboss” or “to waffle.” The infinitive form “gaufrer” is pronounced as “goh-fray.”

The verb “gaufrer” originates from the Old French word “gaufre” meaning “waffle.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the action of creating a pattern or design, often by pressing or stamping a material, such as paper or fabric. In the passé simple tense (simple past), it is not frequently used in everyday conversation as it is mostly reserved for formal or literary French. However, it can still be found in written texts.

Here are three simple examples of “gaufrer” in the passé simple tense with their English translations:

  1. J’effleurai la feuille de papier et je la gaufrai avec le tampon.
    (I lightly touched the sheet of paper and embossed it with the stamp.)

  2. La couturière gaufr a le tissu en pressant fortement le fer chaud sur celui-ci.
    (The seamstress embossed the fabric by pressing the hot iron firmly onto it.)

  3. Il gaufr a les cartes de visite pour leur donner une touche d’élégance.
    (He embossed the business cards to give them a touch of elegance.)

Please note that the passé simple tense is mostly used in literature or formal writing, and in everyday spoken French, the passé composé tense is more commonly used to express the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je gaufrai J’ai gaufré le tissu. I embossed the fabric.
Tu gaufras Tu as gaufré le papier. You embossed the paper.
Il gaufra Il a gaufré la carte. He embossed the card.
Elle gaufra Elle a gaufré le cuir. She embossed the leather.
On gaufra On a gaufré la feuille. One embossed the sheet.
Nous gaufrâmes Nous avons gaufré les invitations. We embossed the invitations.
Vous gaufrâtes Vous avez gaufré le livre. You embossed the book.
Ils gaufrèrent Ils ont gaufré le document. They embossed the document.
Elles gaufrèrent Elles ont gaufré la carte. They (feminine) embossed the card.

Other Conjugations for Gaufrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gaufrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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