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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défiger

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The English translation of the French verb défiger is “to defrost.” It is pronounced as “dey-fee-zhey.”

Défiger comes from the combination of the prefix dé-, which means “un-“, and the verb figer, meaning “to freeze.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the process of removing ice or frost from something, such as a freezer or a windshield.

In the Passé Antérieur tense, défiger is used to describe an action that occurred and was completed in the past, before another action took place. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Three examples of défiger in the Passé Antérieur tense are:

  1. J’ai défigé la viande avant de la mettre au four. (I defrosted the meat before putting it in the oven.)
  2. Tu as défigé les fruits pour faire une salade. (You defrosted the fruits to make a salad.)
  3. Elle a défigé le pare-brise de sa voiture avant de partir en voyage. (She defrosted her car windshield before leaving on a trip.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus défigé J’eus défigé I had thawed
tu tu eus défigé Tu eus défigé You had thawed
il il eut défigé Il eut défigé He had thawed
elle elle eut défigé Elle eut défigé She had thawed
on on eut défigé On eut défigé One had thawed
nous nous eûmes défigé Nous eûmes défigé We had thawed
vous vous eûtes défigé Vous eûtes défigé You had thawed
ils ils eurent défigé Ils eurent défigé They had thawed
elles elles eurent défigé Elles eurent défigé They had thawed

Other Conjugations for Défiger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défiger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Défiger – 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 défiger. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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