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French passé simple worksheet with answers for French 4 (free PDF download)

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Reading Stories Told in the Passé Simple – French 4 worksheet with Zoé, the Français PDF coach

Quick answer: The passé simple is a literary past tense that narrates finished actions in novels, fairy tales and history books. For French 4 students practising passé simple, this worksheet gives 20 problems from easy to hard: find the infinitive, form the il/elle form and read a book page. The answer key is on a separate page, and the worksheet is a free printable PDF.

These twenty problems train you to spot the passé simple, find its infinitive and understand short narrative passages. They move from recognizing endings to forming irregular verbs and reading a mini fairy tale.

Level: French 4 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Mid) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Mid, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational, WL 4.1 Language Comparisons

Problem 1 Find the infinitive ★★★

Write the infinitive of each verb.

  1. il parla
  2. ils finirent
  3. elle voulut
  4. il fut

Problem 2 Form the il/elle form ★★★

Conjugate each verb in the passé simple (il/elle).

  1. regarder
  2. choisir
  3. entendre
  4. boire

Problem 3 Read a book page ★★★

A book page with the sentence: Le roi sortit du château et appela son filsLe roi sortit du châteauet appela son fils.page 42
A page from a fairy tale.

Copy the two passé simple verbs from the page and give the infinitive of each.

Problem 4 Choose the passé simple ★★★

Choose the form that is in the passé simple.

  1. a. il tombe · b. il tomba · c. il tombait
  2. a. ils arrivent · b. ils arrivaient · c. ils arrivèrent
  3. a. elle voulait · b. elle veut · c. elle voulut

Problem 5 Complete with -er and -ir verbs ★★★

Complete each sentence with the passé simple of the verb in parentheses.

  1. Le chevalier ______ (monter) sur son cheval et ______ (traverser) la forêt.
  2. Les paysans ______ (applaudir) et ______ (crier) de joie.

Problem 6 Spelling changes ★★★

Write the il/elle passé simple of each verb. Watch the spelling.

  1. manger
  2. commencer
  3. placer
  4. voyager

Problem 7 Translate into English ★★★

Translate into English.

  1. Elle ouvrit la porte.
  2. Ils partirent à l’aube.

Problem 8 Irregular verbs ★★★

Give the il/elle passé simple of each irregular verb.

  1. être
  2. avoir
  3. faire
  4. venir
  5. voir
  6. dire

Problem 9 Singular to plural ★★★

Rewrite each sentence with a plural subject.

  1. Il fit un vœu.
  2. Elle vint seule.
  3. Il eut peur.
  4. Il prit son sac.

Problem 10 Background and plot ★★★

Timeline: a long bar for the imparfait background and a dot for the passé simple eventimparfait : situation en courspassé simple : événement
A long background and a sudden event.

Complete each sentence with the imparfait for the background and the passé simple for the event.

  1. Il ______ (pleuvoir) quand Awa ______ (arriver) à la gare.
  2. Le roi ______ (dormir) quand le bruit le ______ (réveiller).

Problem 11 From story to speech ★★★

Rewrite each sentence in the passé composé, as if you told it aloud.

  1. Il ouvrit la fenêtre.
  2. Elle fut surprise.
  3. Ils virent un loup.
  4. Il vint hier.

Problem 12 Correct the mistake ★★★

Each sentence has one wrong passé simple form. Correct it.

  1. Elle parlat doucement.
  2. Ils finissèrent leur repas.
  3. Il voulit partir.
  4. Elle eu très peur.

Problem 13 Translate into French ★★★

Translate into French using the passé simple.

  1. He said nothing.
  2. She became a queen.
  3. They took the train.

Problem 14 Infinitives in a story ★★★

Read, then write the infinitive of each bold verb.

La princesse regarda le lac. Soudain, un dragon sortit de l’eau et poussa un cri terrible. Elle prit son épée, fit un pas et attaqua.

Problem 15 U-stem verbs ★★★

Complete with the passé simple of the verb in parentheses.

  1. Il ______ (devoir) partir avant midi.
  2. Nous ______ (vouloir) rester.
  3. Elles ______ (pouvoir) enfin entrer.
  4. Tu ______ (lire) la lettre.

Problem 16 Full conjugation ★★★

Conjugate venir in the passé simple in all six persons.

Problem 17 Translate a paragraph ★★★

Translate into English.

Ce matin-là, Nadia ouvrit les volets et vit la neige. Elle sourit, mit son manteau et sortit.

Problem 18 Passé composé to passé simple ★★★

Rewrite the passage as a literary narration in the passé simple.

Clément est arrivé à Liège. Il a pris un taxi. Il a eu un peu peur.

Problem 19 Write a fairy-tale scene ★★★

Write three or four sentences narrating a scene in the passé simple. Use arriver, voir, prendre and partir, and add one imparfait for the background.

Problem 20 Read the fisherman’s story ★★★

Read the text, then answer in English.

Le vieux pêcheur de Tahiti attendait depuis l’aube. Soudain, sa ligne trembla. Il tira de toutes ses forces, mais le poisson fut plus fort que lui. Le bateau tourna deux fois, puis le fil cassa. Le pêcheur ne dit rien ; il sourit et rentra au port.

  1. Which verb gives the background, and in which tense?
  2. Give the infinitives of fut, cassa and dit.
  3. How does the fisherman react at the end?

See the French Passé Simple worksheet answer key

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