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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb harasser

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The English translation of the French verb “harasser” is “to harass.” The infinitive form “harasser” is pronounced as /a.ʁa.se/.

The word “harasser” comes from the Old French word “haracir” which derived from the Old French noun “haraz” meaning “fatigue” or “exhaustion.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of subjecting someone to repeated and unwanted aggression, pressure, or annoyance.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “harasser” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je harassai (I harassed)
  • Tu harassas (You harassed)
  • Il/elle/on harassa (He/she/one harassed)
  • Nous harassâmes (We harassed)
  • Vous harassâtes (You harassed)
  • Ils/elles harassèrent (They harassed)

Examples of the usage of “harasser” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. Les élèves harassèrent leur professeur avec des questions incessantes.
    (The students harassed their teacher with incessant questions.)

  2. Le patron harassa ses employés en leur donnant des tâches impossibles à accomplir.
    (The boss harassed his employees by assigning them impossible tasks to complete.)

  3. Les médias ont harcelé les célébrités jusqu’à obtenir une réponse.
    (The media harassed the celebrities until they obtained a response.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je harcelai Je l’ai harcelé pendant des mois. I harassed him for months.
Tu harcelas Tu harcelas ton voisin. You harassed your neighbor.
Il harcela Il harcela ses collègues. He harassed his colleagues.
Elle harcela Elle harcela son ex. She harassed her ex.
On harcela On harcela les témoins. One harassed the witnesses.
Nous harcelâmes Nous harcelâmes notre professeur. We harassed our teacher.
Vous harcelâtes Vous harcelâtes votre employeur. You harassed your employer.
Ils harcelèrent Ils harcelèrent les étudiants. They harassed the students.
Elles harcelèrent Elles harcelèrent leur patron. They (feminine) harassed their boss.

Other Conjugations for Harasser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb harasser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Harasser – 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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