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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb inciter

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The English translation of the French verb “inciter” is “to incite” or “to encourage.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ã-si-tey” in French.

The word “inciter” comes from the Latin word “incitare,” which means “to urge” or “to set in motion.” It entered the French language in the 16th century.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken language but is frequently encountered in written literature, historical texts, or formal writing. The Passé Simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Les discours du leader ont incité la foule à se révolter. (The leader’s speeches incited the crowd to revolt.)
  2. Ses actions audacieuses incitèrent les autres à prendre des risques. (His daring actions incited others to take risks.)
  3. La découverte scientifique incita une nouvelle ère de recherche. (The scientific discovery incited a new era of research.)

Please note that the use of the Passé Simple tense is less common in everyday speech, and other past tenses like the Passé Composé or the Imparfait are generally preferred.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je incitai J’incitai mes amis à étudier. I encouraged my friends to study.
Tu incitas Tu incitas ton frère à faire du sport. You encouraged your brother to do sports.
Il incita Il incita son équipe à gagner. He encouraged his team to win.
Elle incita Elle incita ses enfants à manger des légumes. She encouraged her children to eat vegetables.
On incita On incita les étudiants à participer à la manifestation. One encouraged the students to participate in the protest.
Nous incitâmes Nous incitâmes nos collègues à innover. We encouraged our colleagues to innovate.
Vous incitâtes Vous incitâtes les jeunes à voter. You encouraged the young people to vote.
Ils incitèrent Ils incitèrent leurs employés à travailler plus. They encouraged their employees to work more.
Elles incitèrent Elles incitèrent leurs amis à voyager. They (feminine) encouraged their friends to travel.

Other Conjugations for Inciter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb inciter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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