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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hacher

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The English translation of the French verb “hacher” is “to chop” or “to mince.” The infinitive form “hacher” is pronounced as “ah-shay.”

The word “hacher” originates from the Old French word “hachier,” meaning “to chop into pieces.” It is derived from the Latin word “fasciare,” which means “to cut into small pieces.” In everyday French, “hacher” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, although this tense is more commonly used in written French rather than spoken French.

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

  1. Elle hacha les oignons et les carottes. (She chopped the onions and carrots.)
  2. Ils hachèrent la viande pour préparer les hamburgers. (They minced the meat to prepare the hamburgers.)
  3. Nous hachâmes finement les herbes pour la sauce. (We finely chopped the herbs for the sauce.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is not frequently used in spoken French, and the preferred tense for narrating past events in spoken language is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je hachai J’hachai l’oignon. I minced the onion.
Tu hachas Tu hachas la viande. You minced the meat.
Il hacha Il hacha les herbes. He minced the herbs.
Elle hacha Elle hacha l’ail. She minced the garlic.
On hacha On hacha les légumes. One minced the vegetables.
Nous hachâmes Nous hachâmes les carottes. We minced the carrots.
Vous hachâtes Vous hachâtes les oignons. You minced the onions.
Ils hachèrent Ils hachèrent la viande. They minced the meat.
Elles hachèrent Elles hachèrent les herbes. They (feminine) minced the herbs.

Other Conjugations for Hacher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hacher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hacher – 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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