The literary past tense for regular verbs (il parla)

Once Upon a Time: The Passé Simple

If you read a French novel, a history book, or a classic fairy tale, you will encounter a past tense that is almost never spoken aloud: the passé simple (simple past).

In everyday spoken French, you use the passé composé for completed past actions (like il a attaqué). In formal writing, the passé simple takes its place. You do not need to memorize how to conjugate this tense to speak French, but recognizing it is essential for reading.

The Third-Person Singular

Because stories are usually told in the third person, you will most frequently see the forms for il (he), elle (she), or on (one).

For regular -er verbs, the third-person singular simply ends in -a.

For regular -ir and -re verbs, the third-person singular ends in -it.

Once you can spot these endings, reading the action sequences in classic stories becomes much easier!

The Third-Person Plural

When multiple characters take action (ils or elles), the passé simple endings change.

• Regular -er verbs end in -èrent.
• Regular -ir and -re verbs end in -irent.