Passé simple : être et avoir

In spoken French, we use the passé composé for the past. We say j'ai eu for "I had." In books, that becomes j'eus. The passé simple is a "simple" tense. This means it is only one word. There is no helping verb like avoir or être in front. It looks very different from the present tense. It feels formal, elegant, and a bit old-fashioned. Imagine wearing a tuxedo to a backyard BBQ. That is what using the passé simple in conversation feels like. It creates a distance between the narrator and the action. It tells the reader: "This happened a long time ago in a story."

1. 1To master these, you have to memorize the stems. They don't look like the infinitive at all.
2. 2For être, the stem is fu-.
3. 3For avoir, the stem is eu- (pronounced like the French 'u').
4. 4Here is how you build them:
5. 5For être (to be):
6. 6Je fus (I was)
7. 7Tu fus (You were)
8. 8Il/Elle/On fut (He/She/One was)
9. 9Nous fûmes (We were)
10. 10Vous fûtes (You were)
11. 11Ils/Elles furent (They were)
12. 12For avoir (to have):
13. 13J'eus (I had)
14. 14Tu eus (You had)
15. 15Il/Elle/On eut (He/She/One had)
16. 16Nous eûmes (We had)
17. 17Vous eûtes (You had)
18. 18Ils/Elles eurent (They were)
19. 19Notice the little "hat" (circumflex accent) on the nous and vous forms. It makes them look even fancier!

You use the passé simple when writing a formal story. It is perfect for historical accounts. Use it for sudden, completed actions in a narrative.

• Writing a fairy tale? Use it.
• Writing a biography of Napoleon? Use it.
• Writing a formal speech for a ceremony? Maybe use it.

It keeps the story moving forward. It marks the main events. If the imparfait is the background scenery, the passé simple is the action movie. It tells us exactly what happened and that it is finished. Even if you never write a book, knowing these helps you understand the news or history books.

Do not use this when talking to your friends. If you say je fus fatigué at a bar, your friends might laugh. They will think you are a time traveler from 1789.

• Ordering food? Use passé composé.
• Asking directions? Use passé composé.
• Job interviews? Stick to passé composé.
• Texting? Definitely stick to passé composé.

Basically, if you are opening your mouth to speak, leave the passé simple at home. It lives on the printed page, not in the air. Think of it like a grammar traffic light: red for speaking, green for reading.

The biggest mistake is trying to use it in conversation. It sounds incredibly stiff. Another mistake is confusing the nous and vous forms. Those circumflex accents are easy to forget. Many people also confuse eut (from avoir) and fut (from être). They look similar! Remember: f is for "fût" (was), like "finished being." Also, watch the pronunciation of eus. It sounds like the French letter u, not like "oo" or "oh." Even native speakers sometimes trip over these forms in writing. If you struggle, you are in good company!

Let’s compare it with the passé composé.

• Passé composé: J'ai été (I have been). This is for daily life. It connects to the present.
• Passé simple: Je fus (I was). This is for stories. It feels distant.

Now, let's look at the imparfait.

• Imparfait: J'étais (I was/used to be). This is for descriptions or habits.
• Passé simple: Je fus (I was - once). This is for a specific event.

Think of the imparfait as a long video and the passé simple as a quick snapshot. One sets the mood; the other takes the action.