trouvâmes

Trouvâmes is the passé simple, the past historic form for the verb trouver in the first-person plural. It is used to narrate actions completed in the past. The passé simple is largely confined to formal writing and classic literature, and is rarely used in everyday speech.

Etymology and form: Trouver comes from Old French trouver, ultimately from Latin invenire. The ending -âmes is the standard ending for the nous form in the passé simple for -er verbs. The circumflex in â reflects historical vowel length and spelling.

Usage: In modern French, the passé simple is mainly found in literature, historical accounts, or stylized translations. In ordinary discourse, the passé composé (nous avons trouvé) is preferred. The choice of tense can convey formality, distance, or a narrative mood.

Example: Nous trouvâmes une clé dans le tiroir. This translates as "We found a key in the drawer."

Related forms: je trouvai, tu trouvas, il trouva, nous trouvâmes, vous trouvâtes, ils trouvèrent. The forms are part of the same verb paradigm and are rarely used in everyday conversation but appear in historical novels and classic texts.