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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hercher

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The English translation of the French verb “hercher” is “to search” or “to look for.” The infinitive form “hercher” is pronounced as [ɛʁ.ʃe].

The verb “hercher” is derived from the Old French word “hercier” which means “to search.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), which is mainly found in written or formal contexts.

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

  1. Il hercha partout dans la maison. (He searched everywhere in the house.)
  2. Elle hercha ses clés pendant des heures. (She looked for her keys for hours.)
  3. Ils herchèrent la réponse dans les livres. (They searched for the answer in the books.)

Note: In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense (composed past) is more commonly used than the Passé Simple.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je herchai Je herchai le trésor. I searched for the treasure.
Tu herchas Tu herchas les clés. You searched for the keys.
Il hercha Il hercha la solution. He searched for the solution.
Elle hercha Elle hercha son portable. She searched for her phone.
On hercha On hercha la vérité. One searched for the truth.
Nous herchâmes Nous herchâmes des informations. We searched for information.
Vous herchâtes Vous herchâtes les documents. You searched for the documents.
Ils herchèrent Ils herchèrent la réponse. They searched for the answer.
Elles herchèrent Elles herchèrent les clés. They (feminine) searched for the keys.

Other Conjugations for Hercher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hercher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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