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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déchiffrer

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The English translation of the French verb déchiffrer is “to decipher.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-shee-fray.”

Déchiffrer originated from the Middle French word “chiffrer,” meaning “to encrypt” or “to code.” The prefix “dé-” adds the sense of undoing or reversing the action, hence déchiffrer means “to decipher.” In everyday French, déchiffrer is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the simple past tense used in written language.

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

  1. Je déchiffrai le message secret. (I deciphered the secret message.)
  2. Tu déchiffras le code en quelques minutes. (You deciphered the code in a few minutes.)
  3. Ils déchiffrèrent les hiéroglyphes de l’ancienne Égypte. (They deciphered the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déchiffrai J’ai déchiffrai le message. I deciphered the message.
Tu déchiffras Tu déchiffras le code. You deciphered the code.
Il déchiffra Il déchiffra le texte. He deciphered the text.
Elle déchiffra Elle déchiffra le document. She deciphered the document.
On déchiffra On déchiffra le cryptogramme. One deciphered the cryptogram.
Nous déchiffrâmes Nous déchiffrâmes l’énigme. We deciphered the riddle.
Vous déchiffrâtes Vous déchiffrâtes le message codé. You deciphered the coded message.
Ils déchiffrèrent Ils déchiffrèrent le code secret. They deciphered the secret code.
Elles déchiffrèrent Elles déchiffrèrent le manuscrit. They (feminine) deciphered the manuscript.

Other Conjugations for Déchiffrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déchiffrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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