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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaver

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The English translation of the French verb “décaver” is “to lose (one’s) form” or “to let oneself go.” The infinitive form “décaver” is pronounced as [de-ka-veh].

The language origin of “décaver” can be traced back to the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating negation or reverse action) and the verb “caver” (meaning “to dig” or “to hollow out”). In everyday French, “décaver” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used to express actions in the past.

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

  1. Je décavai après avoir arrêté de faire du sport.
    (I let myself go after I stopped exercising.)
  2. Tu décavas lorsque tu étais en vacances.
    (You lost your form when you were on vacation.)
  3. Il décava après avoir perdu son emploi.
    (He let himself go after losing his job.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décavai Je décavai la bouteille de vin. I emptied the wine bottle.
Tu décavas Tu décavas les verres. You emptied the glasses.
Il décava Il décava la bouteille de champagne. He emptied the champagne bottle.
Elle décava Elle décava la boîte de conserve. She emptied the can.
On décava On décava les bouteilles. One emptied the bottles.
Nous décavâmes Nous décavâmes les tasses. We emptied the cups.
Vous décavâtes Vous décavâtes les contenants. You emptied the containers.
Ils décavèrent Ils décavèrent les bocaux. They emptied the jars.
Elles décavèrent Elles décavèrent les carafes. They (feminine) emptied the carafes.

Other Conjugations for Décaver.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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