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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hurler

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The English translation of the French verb “hurler” is “to howl” or “to yell”. The infinitive form of “hurler” is pronounced as “er-lay”.

The verb “hurler” originates from the Old French word “hurler” which meant “to howl” or “to shout”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when referring to a specific event or action that happened and ended in the past.

Examples of “hurler” in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Il hurla de douleur lorsque le chien lui mordit la jambe.
    (He howled/yelled in pain when the dog bit his leg.)

  2. Les supporters hurlèrent de joie lorsque leur équipe marqua un but.
    (The supporters howled/yelled with joy when their team scored a goal.)

  3. Les enfants hurlèrent de peur après avoir vu une souris dans la maison.
    (The children howled/yelled in fear after seeing a mouse in the house.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly found in formal writing or literature.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je hurlai J’hurlai de douleur. I screamed in pain.
Tu hurlas Tu hurlas de peur. You screamed in fear.
Il hurla Il hurla de colère. He screamed in anger.
Elle hurla Elle hurla de joie. She screamed in joy.
On hurla On hurla de surprise. One screamed in surprise.
Nous hurlâmes Nous hurlâmes de bonheur. We screamed in happiness.
Vous hurlâtes Vous hurlâtes de déception. You screamed in disappointment.
Ils hurlèrent Ils hurlèrent de douleur. They screamed in pain.
Elles hurlèrent Elles hurlèrent de peur. They (feminine) screamed in fear.

Other Conjugations for Hurler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hurler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hurler – 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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