<P> The passé simple (French pronunciation: ​ (pase sɛ̃pl), simple past or preterite), also called the passé défini (IPA: (pase defini), 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, comparable to the Ancient Greek aorist . In writing it is most often used for narration . While literary and refined language still hangs on to the passé simple, the spoken language has simply renounced passé simple for the passé composé, which means that in spoken French, there is no longer a nuance between: </P> <P> Passé composé "Je suis arrivé ." ("I have arrived ." I have come to town . I may have just arrived .) </P>

When is the passe simple used in french