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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gruter

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The English translation of the French verb “gruter” is “to rummage” or “to search through.” The infinitive form “gruter” is pronounced as “grew-tay.”

The verb “gruter” is derived from the Old French word “grueter,” which originated from the Frankish “grutan” meaning “to dig.” In everyday French, “gruter” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) to describe actions that occurred in the past and are now completed.

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

  1. Il gruta dans tous les tiroirs à la recherche de son portefeuille.
    (He rummaged through all the drawers in search of his wallet.)

  2. Nous grutâmes dans les archives pour trouver des informations pertinentes.
    (We searched through the archives to find relevant information.)

  3. Les enfants grutèrent dans le grenier, à la recherche de vieux jouets.
    (The children rummaged in the attic, searching for old toys.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is primarily used in formal writing and literature, whereas in spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je grutai J’ai gruté le café. I ground the coffee.
Tu grutas Tu grutas le poivre. You ground the pepper.
Il gruta Il gruta les épices. He ground the spices.
Elle gruta Elle gruta les grains de café. She ground the coffee beans.
On gruta On gruta les noix. One ground the nuts.
Nous grutâmes Nous grutâmes les céréales. We ground the cereal.
Vous grutâtes Vous grutâtes le sel. You ground the salt.
Ils grutèrent Ils grutèrent les herbes. They ground the herbs.
Elles grutèrent Elles grutèrent les épices. They (feminine) ground the spices.

Other Conjugations for Gruter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gruter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gruter – 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.

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