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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gendarmer

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The English translation of the French verb “gendarmer” is “to police” or “to garrison.” The infinitive form, “gendarmer,” is pronounced as zhahn-dar-mey.

The word “gendarmer” comes from the Old French word “gens d’armes,” meaning “men-at-arms.” It was originally used to refer to soldiers or mounted troops responsible for maintaining order and security in rural areas. Over time, “gendarmer” evolved to specifically refer to the French military police force, the Gendarmerie Nationale. However, in everyday French, the verb “gendarmer” is used more broadly to mean “to police” or “to patrol.”

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “gendarmer” is seldom used in everyday French conversation, as this tense is primarily found in formal writing or literature. Nonetheless, here are three examples of “gendarmer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les gendarmes gendarmèrent les rues pour assurer la sécurité. (The police patrolled the streets to ensure safety.)
  2. Hier, la gendarmerie gendarma les environs du village. (Yesterday, the police patrolled the surroundings of the village.)
  3. Quand ils arrivèrent, les gendarmes gendarmèrent la foule. (When they arrived, the police policed the crowd.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is generally not used in spoken French, as it has been mostly replaced by the more common Passé Composé or Imparfait tenses.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je gendarmai Je gendarmai les rues. I policed the streets.
Tu gendarmas Tu gendarmas la foule. You policed the crowd.
Il gendarma Il gendarma la ville. He policed the city.
Elle gendarma Elle gendarma la région. She policed the region.
On gendarma On gendarma le quartier. One policed the neighborhood.
Nous gendarmâmes Nous gendarmâmes les manifestations. We policed the protests.
Vous gendarmâtes Vous gendarmâtes le trafic. You policed the traffic.
Ils gendarmèrent Ils gendarmèrent les frontières. They policed the borders.
Elles gendarmèrent Elles gendarmèrent les événements. They (feminine) policed the events.

Other Conjugations for Gendarmer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gendarmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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