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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dater

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The English translation of the French verb “dater” is “to date.” The infinitive form “dater” is pronounced as [da-te].

The verb “dater” comes from the Latin word “datare,” which means “to give.” In everyday French, “dater” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is used to express completed actions in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in written language and formal contexts, while in spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is preferred.

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

  1. J’entrai dans la pièce et je dâtai le document.
    (I entered the room and I dated the document.)

  2. Elle ouvrit son journal et dâta l’article du jour.
    (She opened her newspaper and dated the article of the day.)

  3. Nous consultâmes les archives et nous dâtâmes les documents historiques.
    (We consulted the archives and dated the historical documents.)

Please note that these examples are in the Passé Simple tense, which is less commonly used in modern everyday French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je datai Je datai le document. I dated the document.
Tu datas Tu datas le contrat. You dated the contract.
Il data Il data le chèque. He dated the check.
Elle data Elle data la lettre. She dated the letter.
On data On data le formulaire. One dated the form.
Nous datâmes Nous datâmes le rapport. We dated the report.
Vous datâtes Vous datâtes le billet. You dated the ticket.
Ils datèrent Ils datèrent la facture. They dated the invoice.
Elles datèrent Elles datèrent le dossier. They (feminine) dated the file.

Other Conjugations for Dater.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dater

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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