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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaper

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The English translation of the French verb “décaper” is “to strip” or “to remove paint.” The infinitive form “décaper” is pronounced as “day-kah-pay.”

The word “décaper” originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating removal or reversal) and the verb “caper” (to remove the outer layer or covering). It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of removing paint, varnish, or other coatings from a surface.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “décaper” is used to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and mostly found in formal writing or literature.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of “décaper” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. J’appris à décaper les vieilles portes en bois. (I learned to strip old wooden doors.)
  2. Il décapa la vieille commode pour lui donner un aspect neuf. (He stripped the old chest of drawers to give it a new look.)
  3. Elle décapa les poutres du plafond et les laissa avec leur aspect naturel. (She stripped the ceiling beams and left them with their natural appearance.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décapi J’ai décapi le bois. I stripped the wood.
Tu décapas Tu décapas la peinture. You stripped the paint.
Il décapa Il décapa la surface. He stripped the surface.
Elle décapa Elle décapa les meubles. She stripped the furniture.
On décapa On décapa les murs. One stripped the walls.
Nous décapâmes Nous décapâmes le métal. We stripped the metal.
Vous décapâtes Vous décapâtes la voiture. You stripped the car.
Ils décapèrent Ils décapèrent la porte. They stripped the door.
Elles décapèrent Elles décapèrent le sol. They (feminine) stripped the floor.

Other Conjugations for Décaper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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