Passé simple : 3e personne dominante

This tense replaces the passé composé in formal writing. In a conversation, you say il a mangé (he ate). In a book, the author writes il mangea. Both mean the same thing. The passé simple focuses on the action itself. It makes the story move forward quickly. It is often paired with the imparfait. The imparfait sets the scene, and the passé simple provides the action. It is like a movie script. The background music is the imparfait. The sudden explosion is the passé simple. You will mostly see the 3rd person forms: il, elle, ils, and elles. This is because most stories are written about other people. It is the dominant form in literature.

1. 1Forming this tense is like a puzzle. You need the right stem and the right ending. Here is how you do it for the 3rd person:
2. 2For -er verbs, remove the ending and add -a (singular) or -èrent (plural). For example, parler becomes il parla or ils parlèrent.
3. 3For -ir and -re verbs, remove the ending and add -it (singular) or -irent (plural). For example, finir becomes il finit and vendre becomes il vendit.
4. 4For irregular verbs, the stem often changes completely. Avoir (to have) becomes il eut. Être (to be) becomes il fut.
5. 5Notice that -ir singular forms look like the present tense. Context is your best friend here! If you are reading a story about the past, it is likely passé simple.

Use this tense when you are writing a formal story. It is perfect for a short story or a novel. You will see it in news reports about historical events. It is the standard for fairy tales. If you want to sound like a professional historian, use this. It marks a clear beginning and end to an action. Use it for sudden events that interrupt a scene. For example, "He was sleeping when the phone rang." The ringing would be in the passé simple. It gives your writing a polished, literary "vibe." It separates the world of the book from the world of daily speech.

Do not use this when talking to your friends. You will sound like a time traveler from the 1700s! Avoid it in text messages or casual emails. Do not use it in a job interview unless you are reading a poem. If you are ordering food, stick to the passé composé. Using passé simple at a café might make the waiter laugh. It is simply too formal for daily life. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Red light for speaking, green light for reading books.

Many people confuse the -er endings with the present tense. Il parla (past) looks different from il parle (present). Don't forget that extra a! Another mistake is using it in speech. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes by trying to sound too fancy. For -ir verbs, il finit looks exactly like the present. This is a common trap. Always look at the verbs around it. If the whole page is in the past, this verb is too. Also, watch out for the plural -rent ending. It looks strange at first, but you will get used to it.

How does it differ from the passé composé? The passé composé uses an auxiliary verb like avoir or être. The passé simple is just one single word. Il a vu (composé) vs il vit (simple). How about the imparfait? The imparfait is for habits or descriptions. Il marchait means "he was walking." Il marcha means "he walked" (one specific time). The passé simple is the "action" tense, while the imparfait is the "atmosphere" tense. They work together like a team to tell a great story.