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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb griller

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The English translation of the French verb “griller” is “to grill” or “to toast.” The infinitive form “griller” is pronounced as /ɡʁi.je/.

The verb “griller” originates from the Latin word “grillare,” which means “to roast over a grill.” In everyday French, the verb is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that happened in the past, particularly in written or formal contexts.

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

  1. J’arrivai en retard et je grillai mon steak. (I arrived late and grilled my steak.)
  2. Nous grillassions les légumes pour le dîner. (We grilled the vegetables for dinner.)
  3. Ils grillèrent les saucisses pour la fête. (They grilled sausages for the party.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is more commonly used in written or literary French, while in spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is preferred to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je grillai J’ai grillai le poisson. I grilled the fish.
Tu grillas Tu grillas les légumes. You grilled the vegetables.
Il grilla Il grilla la viande. He grilled the meat.
Elle grilla Elle grilla le pain. She grilled the bread.
On grilla On grilla les saucisses. One grilled the sausages.
Nous grillâmes Nous grillâmes les hamburgers. We grilled the hamburgers.
Vous grillâtes Vous grillâtes les crevettes. You grilled the shrimp.
Ils grillèrent Ils grillèrent les brochettes. They grilled the skewers.
Elles grillèrent Elles grillèrent les légumes. They (feminine) grilled the vegetables.

Other Conjugations for Griller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb griller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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