Passé simple
LITERARY EQUIVALENT OF THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE
Passé simple tense; Passe Simple; Passe Simple Tense; Passé Simple; Passe simple; Passé Simple Tense; Passe simple tense
The passé simple (, simple past, preterite, or past historic), also called the passé défini (, definite past), is the literary equivalent of the passé composé in the French language, used predominantly in formal writing (including history and literature) and formal speech. As with other preterites, it is used when the action has a definite beginning and end and has already been completed.