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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb danser

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of danser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “danser” is “to dance.” The infinitive form “danser” is pronounced as /dɑ̃.se/.

The verb “danser” originates from the Latin word “dansare,” which means the same thing. It is commonly used in everyday French language to describe the act of dancing in various contexts. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, although it is still used in written French, it is less commonly used in spoken language, as it has largely been replaced by the Passé Composé (Compound Past) tense in everyday conversation.

Here are three examples of “danser” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il dansa toute la nuit lors de la fête. (He danced all night at the party.)
  2. Les danseurs firent une superbe performance sur scène. (The dancers gave a magnificent performance on stage.)
  3. Elle dansa avec grâce et élégance devant le public. (She danced with grace and elegance in front of the audience.)

Please note that in everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense would be more commonly used to express these actions.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of danser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dansai Je dansai toute la nuit. I danced all night.
Tu dansas Tu dansas avec grâce. You danced gracefully.
Il dansa Il dansa sur la scène. He danced on the stage.
Elle dansa Elle dansa avec élégance. She danced with elegance.
On dansa On dansa toute la soirée. One danced all evening.
Nous dansâmes Nous dansâmes en couple. We danced as a couple.
Vous dansâtes Vous dansâtes en groupe. You danced as a group.
Ils dansèrent Ils dansèrent ensemble. They danced together.
Elles dansèrent Elles dansèrent en solo. They (feminine) danced solo.

Other Conjugations for Danser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb danser

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the danser Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

Danser – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply