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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb inaugurer

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The English translation of the French verb “inaugurer” is “to inaugurate.” The infinitive form of inaugurer is pronounced as “i-nô-gu-ré” in French.

The verb “inaugurer” comes from the Latin word “inaugurare,” which means “to take omens from birds.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when talking about events or ceremonies that have occurred in the past and are now finished.

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

  1. Le maire inaugura le nouvel hôpital.
    (The mayor inaugurated the new hospital.)

  2. Les artistes inaugurèrent leur exposition hier.
    (The artists inaugurated their exhibition yesterday.)

  3. La reine inaugura le pont pendant sa visite.
    (The queen inaugurated the bridge during her visit.)

In these examples, “inaugurer” is used to indicate the action of officially opening or beginning something significant, such as a hospital, an exhibition, or a bridge.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je inaugurai J’inaugurai le musée. I inaugurated the museum.
Tu inauguras Tu inauguras le restaurant. You inaugurated the restaurant.
Il inaugura Il inaugura la nouvelle église. He inaugurated the new church.
Elle inaugura Elle inaugura la galerie d’art. She inaugurated the art gallery.
On inaugura On inaugura le parc. One inaugurated the park.
Nous inaugurâmes Nous inaugurâmes la bibliothèque. We inaugurated the library.
Vous inaugurâtes Vous inaugurâtes la salle. You inaugurated the hall.
Ils inaugurèrent Ils inaugurèrent l’exposition. They inaugurated the exhibition.
Elles inaugurèrent Elles inaugurèrent la nouvelle usine. They (feminine) inaugurated the new factory.

Other Conjugations for Inaugurer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb inaugurer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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