Recognising être in the historic past in French (Le Passé Simple)

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When learning French, recognising Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) is very important as it is used in literature and other French writings.

Learn to recognise ÊTRE (to be) and their derivatives in Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) in French

Look at these examples:

A ce moment, je fus si stupéfait que je partis sur le champ !At that moment, I was so stunned that I left immediately!

Quand tu quittas le poste de police, tu fus enfin soulagé.When you left the police station, you were finally relieved.

Soudain, le monstre fut sur lui.Suddenly, the monster was upon him.

Après des jours et des jours de voyage, nous fûmes heureux de voir notre village.After days and days of travel, we were happy to see our village.

Quand vous apprîtes la nouvelle, vous ne fûtes pas surpris.When you heard the news, you were not surprised.

Ils furent escortés jusqu'au roi par sa garde personnelle. They were escorted to the king by his personal guard.

 

To conjugate être in Le Passé Simple, here is what to do:

'f-' + endings: -us, -us, -ut, -ûmes, -ûtes, -urent

 

ATTENTION: It's easy to confuse je fus (être) with je fis (faire) !

 

See the matching lesson: Recognising faire in the historic past in French (Le Passé Simple)

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Examples and resources

A ce moment, je fus si stupéfait que je partis sur le champ !At that moment, I was so stunned that I left immediately!
Quand tu quittas le poste de police, tu fus enfin soulagé.When you left the police station, you were finally relieved.
Soudain, le monstre fut sur lui.Suddenly, the monster was upon him.
Après des jours et des jours de voyage, nous fûmes heureux de voir notre village.After days and days of travel, we were happy to see our village.
Quand vous apprîtes la nouvelle, vous ne fûtes pas surpris.When you heard the news, you were not surprised.
Ils furent escortés jusqu'au roi par sa garde personnelle. They were escorted to the king by his personal guard.
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