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

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2023-01-04
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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 AVOIR (to have) and their derivatives in Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) in French

Look at these examples:

Quand j'eus enfin l'opportunité de le rencontrer, je tombai malade.When I finally had the chance to meet him, I fell ill.

Tu eus beaucoup de problèmes cette année-là.You had a lot of problems that year.

Il eut vite froid sans son manteau.He got cold quickly without his coat.

Nous eûmes juste le temps de prendre notre train.We had just enough time to catch our train.

Vous eûtes une migraine tout le long du voyage.You had a migraine the whole trip.

Soudain, ils eurent l'impression d'être suivis.Suddenly, they felt like they were being followed.

 

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

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

 

ATTENTION: It's easy to confuse j'eus (Le Passé Simple) with j'ai eu (Le Passé Composé)!

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Examples and resources

Quand j'eus enfin l'opportunité de le rencontrer, je tombai malade.When I finally had the chance to meet him, I fell ill.
Tu eus beaucoup de problèmes cette année-là.You had a lot of problems that year.
Vous eûtes une migraine tout le long du voyage.You had a migraine the whole trip.
Soudain, ils eurent l'impression d'être suivis.Suddenly, they felt like they were being followed.
Il eut vite froid sans son manteau.He got cold quickly without his coat.
Nous eûmes juste le temps de prendre notre train.We had just enough time to catch our train.
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