Passé composé or passé simple in modern French fiction? თემის ავტორი: Miriam fwv (X)
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Hi everyone,
I work for a small German publishing house, and we’re translating some of our novels (thrillers, feelgood, romance) into French.
When choosing a narrative style, we’d like to know which tense is more common in contemporary French fiction: passé composé or passé simple?
Especially for modern, accessible genres (not historical or classical).
I’d really appreciate your professional perspective — what do French readers expect today?
Tha... See more Hi everyone,
I work for a small German publishing house, and we’re translating some of our novels (thrillers, feelgood, romance) into French.
When choosing a narrative style, we’d like to know which tense is more common in contemporary French fiction: passé composé or passé simple?
Especially for modern, accessible genres (not historical or classical).
I’d really appreciate your professional perspective — what do French readers expect today?
Thank you!
Miriam ▲ Collapse
| | | | MarcF (X)
საფრანგეთი
ინგლისური -> ფრანგული
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| passé composé | Oct 22, 2025 |
more common in contemporary French fiction?
modern?
accessible?
not historical or classical?
> passé composé
Doesn't mean passé simple is no longer used or understood, just that passé composé ticks all your boxes (except perhaps the "romance" bit, where I suppose that passé simple could be used I).
You could try this with your readers/customers:
Complainte amoureuse
Oui, dès l’instant que je vous vis,
... See more more common in contemporary French fiction?
modern?
accessible?
not historical or classical?
> passé composé
Doesn't mean passé simple is no longer used or understood, just that passé composé ticks all your boxes (except perhaps the "romance" bit, where I suppose that passé simple could be used I).
You could try this with your readers/customers:
Complainte amoureuse
Oui, dès l’instant que je vous vis,
Beauté féroce, vous me plûtes ;
De l’amour qu’en vos yeux je pris,
Sur-le-champ vous vous aperçûtes ;
Mais de quel air froid vous reçûtes
Tous les soins que pour vous je pris !
Combien de soupirs je rendis !
De quelle cruauté vous fûtes !
Et quel profond dédain vous eûtes
Pour les voeux que je vous offris !
En vain je priai, je gémis :
Dans votre dureté vous sûtes
Mépriser tout ce que je fis.
Même un jour je vous écrivis
Un billet tendre que vous lûtes,
Et je ne sais comment vous pûtes
De sang-froid voir ce que j’y mis.
Ah! fallait-il que je vous visse,
Fallait-il que vous me plussiez,
Qu’ingénument je vous le disse,
Qu’avec orgueil vous vous tussiez !
Fallait-il que je vous aimasse,
Que vous me désespérassiez,
Et qu’en vain je m’opiniâtrasse,
Et que je vous idolâtrasse
Pour que vous m’assassinassiez !
Alphonse Allais (1854-1905)
[Edited at 2025-10-24 05:10 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Claire Bourneton-Gerlach (X) 
გერმანია
Local time: 04:32
გერმანული -> ფრანგული
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| Question étrange.... | Oct 23, 2025 |
... qu'un PROFESSIONNEL de la traduction littéraire ne poserait pas 🤔
| | | | MarcF (X)
საფრანგეთი
ინგლისური -> ფრანგული
+ ...
| Questions étranges... | Oct 23, 2025 |
Claire Bourneton-Gerlach wrote:
... qu'un PROFESSIONNEL de la traduction littéraire ne poserait pas 🤔
Il y a tellement de questions étranges que des « professionnels » de la traduction ne devraient pas poser sur ce site ("kudoz", forums), et pourtant... Quant à la plupart des réponses qu'on y lit, je n'en parle même pas.
Cela ne concerne pas la vôtre, bien sûr, mais rien n'empêche d'essayer de redresser la barre quand on le peut. Histoire d'éviter encore plus d'horreurs.
[Edited at 2025-10-23 12:40 GMT]
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Miriam fwv (X)
გერმანია
თემის ავტორი | Re: Question étrange | Oct 23, 2025 |
@Claire Bourneton-Gerlach
Thank you for your comment.
I understand that my question might seem simple, but that’s precisely because I’m not a professional literary translator myself.
I’m genuinely interested in learning how professionals approach this kind of stylistic choice, as I’d like to better understand the current use of past tenses in contemporary fiction.
| | | | Miriam fwv (X)
გერმანია
თემის ავტორი | Re: passé composé | Oct 23, 2025 |
@MarcF
Thank you, that’s very clear and helpful!
| | | | Juan Jacob
მექსიკა
Local time: 20:32
ფრანგული -> ესპანური
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en effet.
Le passé simple n'est pas du tout utilisé, voyons. C'te question !
| | | | laurgi
Local time: 04:32
გერმანული -> ფრანგული
| plus du tout utilisé ? | Apr 7 |
Plus du tout... j'irais pas jusque-là. Le passé simple survit encore dans des écrits qui cochent les cases narration+fiction. Oui, même chez des écrivains des années 2020. Tout est dans le "encore" : en net recul, mais pas mort . Parole de boomer
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Mary line
საფრანგეთი
Local time: 04:32
იტალიური -> ფრანგული
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| Use of the Simple Past in modern French novels/fictions | Apr 9 |
As a native French speaker and language teacher, I think I can advise to balance the use of the simple past with the one of the Passé Composé as many young French readers tend to be more and more unfamiliar with the Simple Past forms BUT this tense embodies something which is related to the quick pace of an action and as written narratives bring something from an imaginary world- mostly disconnected from the real one- its use could generate something which would be like "a special written tou... See more As a native French speaker and language teacher, I think I can advise to balance the use of the simple past with the one of the Passé Composé as many young French readers tend to be more and more unfamiliar with the Simple Past forms BUT this tense embodies something which is related to the quick pace of an action and as written narratives bring something from an imaginary world- mostly disconnected from the real one- its use could generate something which would be like "a special written touch".
But mind some structures, in the plural especially, which look particularly not mostly used: "Nous vînmes/vous fûtes/vous fîtes" which look quite old-school. ▲ Collapse
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