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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb guerroyer

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The English translation of the French verb “guerroyer” is “to wage war” or “to fight”. The infinitive form “guerroyer” is pronounced as “ge-roi-ye”.

The verb “guerroyer” comes from the Middle French word “guerroier” which originated from the Old French word “guerroier” meaning “to make war” or “to fight”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is a literary tense used mainly in written French, particularly in literature or historical contexts.

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

  1. Louis XIV guerroya pendant de nombreuses années. (Louis XIV waged war for many years.)
  2. Les troupes ennemies guerroyèrent farouchement avant de se rendre. (The enemy troops fought fiercely before surrendering.)
  3. Les deux pays guerroyèrent jusqu’à la signature d’un traité de paix. (The two countries waged war until the signing of a peace treaty.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and has been largely replaced by the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je guerroyai Je guerroyai contre l’ennemi. I warred against the enemy.
Tu guerroyas Tu guerroyas avec bravoure. You warred with bravery.
Il guerroya Il guerroya pendant des années. He warred for years.
Elle guerroya Elle guerroya pour défendre son pays. She warred to defend her country.
On guerroya On guerroya avec acharnement. One warred fiercely.
Nous guerroyâmes Nous guerroyâmes pour la liberté. We warred for freedom.
Vous guerroyâtes Vous guerroyâtes vaillamment. You warred valiantly.
Ils guerroyèrent Ils guerroyèrent contre l’armée ennemie. They warred against the enemy army.
Elles guerroyèrent Elles guerroyèrent avec détermination. They (feminine) warred with determination.

Other Conjugations for Guerroyer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb guerroyer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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