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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débrayer

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The English translation of the French verb “débrayer” is “to disengage” or “to release the clutch.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “débrayer” is duh-breh-yey.

The verb “débrayer” comes from the combination of two elements: “dé-” which indicates a reversal or separation, and “brayer” which means “to engage.” In everyday French, “débrayer” is most commonly used to refer to the action of disengaging the clutch in a vehicle or to switch to a neutral gear.

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

  1. Je débrayai le levier pour passer les vitesses. (I disengaged the lever to shift gears.)
  2. Tu débrayas rapidement pour éviter le calage du moteur. (You quickly released the clutch to avoid stalling the engine.)
  3. Il débraya brusquement, faisant caler la voiture. (He disengaged abruptly, causing the car to stall.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is typically used in written or formal language, and in everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je débrai Je débrai le moteur. I disengaged the engine.
Tu débras Tu débras la machine. You disengaged the machine.
Il débra Il débra le levier. He disengaged the lever.
Elle débra Elle débra l’embrayage. She disengaged the clutch.
On débra On débra la chaîne. One disengaged the chain.
Nous débrâmes Nous débrâmes le frein. We disengaged the brake.
Vous débrâtes Vous débrâtes l’embrayage. You disengaged the clutch.
Ils débrèrent Ils débrèrent les rapports. They disengaged the gears.
Elles débrèrent Elles débrèrent le moteur. They (feminine) disengaged the engine.

Other Conjugations for Débrayer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débrayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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