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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb graffiter

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The English translation of the French verb “graffiter” is “to graffiti.” The infinitive form of “graffiter” is pronounced as “grah-fee-tey.”

The term “graffiter” has its origin in the English language, specifically from the word “graffiti.” It was integrated into French as a verb to refer to the act of creating graffiti. This term is commonly used in everyday French, especially among young people, to indicate the action of tagging or spraying paint on public spaces.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “graffiter” is not frequently used in everyday French since this tense is mostly reserved for formal writing or literature. However, here are three simple examples of the usage of “graffiter” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il graffita son nom sur le mur. (He graffiti-ed his name on the wall.)
  2. Elle graffita une fresque colorée dans la rue. (She graffiti-ed a colorful mural in the street.)
  3. Ils graffitèrent des messages politiques sur les murs de la ville. (They graffiti-ed political messages on the city walls.)

Please note that although the above examples demonstrate the usage of “graffiter” in the Passé Simple tense, it is more common to use the passé composé (present perfect) tense or other tenses to talk about past actions in everyday French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je graffitai J’ai graffité le mur. I graffitied the wall.
Tu graffitas Tu as graffité le panneau. You graffitied the sign.
Il graffita Il a graffité la porte. He graffitied the door.
Elle graffita Elle a graffité le banc. She graffitied the bench.
On graffita On a graffité le mur. One graffitied the wall.
Nous graffitiâmes Nous avons graffité le train. We graffitied the train.
Vous graffitiâtes Vous avez graffité la voiture. You graffitied the car.
Ils graffitièrent Ils ont graffité le pont. They graffitied the bridge.
Elles graffitièrent Elles ont graffité l’arbre. They (feminine) graffitied the tree.

Other Conjugations for Graffiter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb graffiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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