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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb illustrer

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The English translation of the French verb “illustrer” is “to illustrate.” The infinitive form “illustrer” is pronounced as “ee-luh-streh.”

The verb “illustrer” originates from the Latin word “illustrare,” which means “to illuminate” or “to make clear.” In everyday French, “illustrer” is commonly used to mean “to illustrate,” both in a literal sense (e.g., drawing or providing visual examples) and in a figurative sense (e.g., clarifying or giving examples to support an idea or argument).

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in formal writing and literature, “illustrer” conjugates as follows:

  1. J’illustrai – I illustrated
  2. Tu illustras – You illustrated (informal singular)
  3. Il/elle/on illustra – He/she/one illustrated

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

  1. Victor illustra son discours avec des graphiques convaincants.
    (Victor illustrated his speech with convincing graphs.)

  2. Elle illustra son livre avec de magnifiques peintures.
    (She illustrated her book with beautiful paintings.)

  3. Le professeur illustra le concept d’équilibre chimique à l’aide d’exemples concrets.
    (The teacher illustrated the concept of chemical equilibrium using concrete examples.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je illustrai J’illustrai le livre. I illustrated the book.
Tu illustras Tu illustras l’affiche. You illustrated the poster.
Il illustra Il illustra l’article. He illustrated the article.
Elle illustra Elle illustra la présentation. She illustrated the presentation.
On illustra On illustra l’idée. One illustrated the idea.
Nous illustrâmes Nous illustrâmes le projet. We illustrated the project.
Vous illustrâtes Vous illustrâtes le journal. You illustrated the newspaper.
Ils illustrèrent Ils illustrèrent le manuel. They illustrated the manual.
Elles illustrèrent Elles illustrèrent la carte. They (feminine) illustrated the map.

Other Conjugations for Illustrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb illustrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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