Point: An Archaic and Literary

This tense does exactly what the Passé Composé does. It describes completed actions in the past. However, it does it with one single word. There is no helper verb like avoir or être. It is a compact, punchy way to move a story forward. In a normal conversation, you say j'ai fini. In a book, the author writes je finis. It sounds faster and more dramatic. It creates a distance between the reader and the story. It tells you that these events happened long ago. It is like looking at a museum exhibit through glass. You can see the action, but it feels finished and historical.

1. 1To build this tense, you start with the verb's root. Then, you add specific "literary" endings. Here is how you do it for the three main groups:
2. 2For -er verbs (like parler), drop the -er. Add these endings: -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
3. 3Notice that the il/elle form ends in -a. This is very common in stories.
4. 4For -ir and -re verbs (like finir or vendre), use these: -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
5. 5These look a lot like the normal present tense for -ir verbs.
6. 6Many common verbs are irregular. They often use a u sound.
7. 7For example, avoir becomes j'eus and être becomes je fus.
8. 8You will mostly see the il, elle, and ils/elles forms in books.

You will use this tense exactly zero times when speaking. Do not use it at the bakery. Do not use it with your French friends. Use it only when you are writing a novel. You will find it in fairy tales starting with "Once upon a time." You will see it in high-end newspapers like Le Monde. It appears in formal biographies of famous kings or scientists. If you are writing a formal speech for the French Academy, use it. Otherwise, just keep it in your "reading only" toolbox. It is like a specialized tool for historical renovation. It belongs in the past, literally and figuratively.

Never use this in an email to a colleague. Do not use it in a text message to your mom. Even if you are being very polite, it sounds bizarre. If you use it in a bar, people will look at you like a time traveler. They might ask if you have a horse waiting outside. It is too stiff for modern life. It is also not used for descriptions or habits. For those, we still use the Imparfait. If the action is "the background," stay with the Imparfait. If the action is a "quick event," and you are speaking, use Passé Composé. Save the Passé Simple for the next Great French Novel you write.

Many learners see il a and think it is the present tense of avoir. In a story, il mangea is actually the past. Do not confuse the -a ending with the verb "to have." Another big mistake is trying to conjugate it for "you" (tu). Those forms sound very strange even to native speakers. They are almost never used. Also, do not forget the circumflex accent on the nous and vous forms. Without the hat on the î or â, the word is naked. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes! It is a very tricky tense to master perfectly. Just focus on recognizing the il and ils forms for now.

The Passé Simple and Passé Composé are like twins that live in different worlds. Passé Composé lives in the street and on the phone. It uses two words: j'ai parlé. It is friendly and immediate. Passé Simple lives in a library. It uses one word: je parlai. It is cold and distant. Then there is the Imparfait. The Imparfait is like a movie camera that is always rolling. It describes the weather and the mood. The Passé Simple is like a camera flash. It captures one specific moment and then it is gone. In a story, the Imparfait sets the stage. The Passé Simple starts the action.