Evolution of Le Passé Simple

William C.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Could you point me to a reference that would explain and describe the evolution of the use of le passé simple? I understand it's mostly used for literature but I can't find an article that describes it's origin. Does it stem (no pun intended) from French's latin roots, Langue d'oil, Germanic influences? Thanks!

This question relates to:French lesson "Recognising venir/tenir and derivatives in the historic past in French (Le Passé Simple)"

Asked 4 years ago

Like1Answer1

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

The passé simple is common in Romance languages, which generally are more varied in the use of tenses compared to Germanic languages. In France, the passé simple slowly wilted and by now has virtually disappeared from the spoken word. This is in contrast to, e.g., Spanish or Italian.

Like14 years ago

William C. asked:

Evolution of Le Passé Simple

Could you point me to a reference that would explain and describe the evolution of the use of le passé simple? I understand it's mostly used for literature but I can't find an article that describes it's origin. Does it stem (no pun intended) from French's latin roots, Langue d'oil, Germanic influences? Thanks!

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today