Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débiter

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The English translation of the French verb débiter is “to debit” or “to cut” in the sense of slicing or cutting something into pieces.

The infinitive form of débiter is pronounced “deh-bee-tay”.

Débiter is derived from the Latin word “debitare” which means “to owe” or “to charge”. In French, it is most often used in the context of financial transactions, such as debiting a bank account or charging a customer for a purchase.

In everyday French, débiter is also commonly used in the Passé Antérieur tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that took place and was completed before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of débiter in the Passé Antérieur tense:

  1. J’ai débité mon compte pour payer le loyer. (I debited my account to pay the rent.)
  2. Elle avait débité la viande en tranches avant de la faire cuire. (She had sliced the meat before cooking it.)
  3. Nous avons débité le bois en bûches pour le feu de camp. (We cut the wood into logs for the campfire.)

In each of these examples, the action of débiter was completed before another action in the past. The first example shows the action of debiting the bank account was completed before the rent was paid, the second example shows the meat was sliced before being cooked, and the third example shows the wood was cut before being used for the campfire.

Overall, débiter is a versatile verb that is commonly used in everyday French, particularly in financial and culinary contexts. Its usage in the Passé Antérieur tense allows for a more precise description of completed actions in the past.

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of débiter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus débité J’eus débité la carte I had debited the card
tu tu eusses débité Tu eusses débité la carte You had debited the card
il il eût débité Il eût débité la carte He had debited the card
elle elle eût débité Elle eût débité la carte She had debited the card
on on eût débité On eût débité la carte One had debited the card
nous nous eûmes débité Nous eûmes débité la carte We had debited the card
vous vous eûtes débité Vous eûtes débité la carte You had debited the card
ils ils eurent débité Ils eurent débité la carte They had debited the card
elles elles eurent débité Elles eurent débité la carte They had debited the card

Other Conjugations for Débiter.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter (this article)

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Débiter – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb débiter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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