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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décanter

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The English translation of the French verb “décanter” is “to decant.” The infinitive form “décanter” is pronounced as day-kahn-tay.

The word “décanter” originated from the Latin word “decantare,” which means “to pour off” or “to pour away.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past with a definite end.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’étais pressé, alors je décan­tai rapidement le vin.
    (I was in a hurry, so I quickly decanted the wine.)

  2. Il décan­ta délicatement le jus dans le verre.
    (He decanted the juice gently into the glass.)

  3. Elle décan­ta la soupe dans une soupière en porcelaine.
    (She decanted the soup into a porcelain tureen.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal writing and literature, and in spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to talk about past actions or events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décantai Je décantai le vin. I decanted the wine.
Tu décantas Tu décantas le liquide. You decanted the liquid.
Il décanta Il décanta le jus. He decanted the juice.
Elle décanta Elle décanta la potion. She decanted the potion.
On décanta On décanta l’eau. One decanted the water.
Nous décantâmes Nous décantâmes la solution. We decanted the solution.
Vous décantâtes Vous décantâtes le mélange. You decanted the mixture.
Ils décantèrent Ils décantèrent le vin rouge. They decanted the red wine.
Elles décantèrent Elles décantèrent le champagne. They (feminine) decanted the champagne.

Other Conjugations for Décanter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décanter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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