What is the past tense of French word est?

The past tense of the French word "est" (which means "is" or "it is") depends on the context.

Here are the possibilities:

* For the simple past tense (passé simple): "est" becomes "fut" (which means "was" or "it was").

* For the passé composé (past compound tense): "est" is conjugated with the auxiliary verb "avoir" (to have) and the past participle "été" (been). So, "est" becomes "a été" (which means "has been" or "it has been").

Examples:

* Simple past: Il fut heureux. (He was happy.)

* Passé composé: Il a été heureux. (He has been happy.)

Let me know if you have any other French verb conjugations you'd like to understand!