Clarification of lesson

RansC1Kwiziq community member

Clarification of lesson

Hello! I still don’t get what this quote in the lesson  means:


“Note that for regular -IR verbs, the je/tu/il/elle/on forms of le Passé Simple are exactly the same as for le Présent. The context will help you know which tense is intended in thoses cases.”


Is the point being made that “Je dormis” both carries the meaning  “I slept” as well as “I sleep” or “I am sleeping?”

Asked 4 years ago
AlanC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Dormir is a bad example to choose, because it's not a regular -IR verb. The present tense of dormir is "je dors". If you had chosen finir instead, you would be correct. "Je finis"  is both the present and passé simple.

I think what makes this lesson a bit confusing is that "regular" seems to be used in two senses. In the title it means regular in the passé simple - i.e. all these verbs conjugate the same way in that one tense. But in the note that you quoted it means regular in all tenses - i.e. type 2 verbs that follow the pattern of finir.

RansC1Kwiziq community member

Thanks, @Alan. My confusion is fully resolved now. Warm regards!

AurélieKwiziq team member

Bonjour à tous !

Indeed, as Alan expertly explained, this note actually applies only to "2nd group" verbs - i.e. ones that follow finir conjugations. Thanks to your feedback, I've now brought this much-needed clarification to the lesson :)

And to answer Rans, in the case of "3rd group" verb dormir, there is no confusion between Le Présent (je dors) and Le Passé Simple (je dormis)

Merci encore à tous et bonne journée !

RansC1Kwiziq community member

Merci et bonne journée, @Aurélie!

Clarification of lesson

Hello! I still don’t get what this quote in the lesson  means:


“Note that for regular -IR verbs, the je/tu/il/elle/on forms of le Passé Simple are exactly the same as for le Présent. The context will help you know which tense is intended in thoses cases.”


Is the point being made that “Je dormis” both carries the meaning  “I slept” as well as “I sleep” or “I am sleeping?”

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
I'll be right with you...