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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hâter

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The English translation of the French verb hâter is “to hasten” or “to hurry”. The infinitive form of hâter is pronounced as “ah-tay”.

Hâter originates from the Latin word “hastare”, which means “to urge” or “to hurry”. In everyday French, hâter is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to refer to actions that were completed in the past. However, it’s important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in formal or literary contexts.

Here are three examples of hâter in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Il hâta sa réponse. (He hurried his response.)
  2. Elle hâta ses pas pour ne pas arriver en retard. (She hastened her steps so as not to arrive late.)
  3. Les ouvriers hâtèrent la construction du nouveau bâtiment. (The workers hastened the construction of the new building.)

Please note that these examples are given in the Passé Simple tense for illustrative purposes, but in everyday spoken French, the more common past tense used is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je hâtai J’hâtai le processus. I hastened the process.
Tu hâtas Tu hâtas les préparatifs. You hastened the preparations.
Il hâta Il hâta son départ. He hastened his departure.
Elle hâta Elle hâta l’exécution. She hastened the execution.
On hâta On hâta les négociations. One hastened the negotiations.
Nous hâtâmes Nous hâtâmes le trajet. We hastened the journey.
Vous hâtâtes Vous hâtâtes la livraison. You hastened the delivery.
Ils hâtèrent Ils hâtèrent le dénouement. They hastened the outcome.
Elles hâtèrent Elles hâtèrent les événements. They (feminine) hastened the events.

Other Conjugations for Hâter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hâter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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