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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décintrer

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The English translation of the French verb décintrer is “to unclip” or “to unfasten.” The infinitive form, décintrer, is pronounced as “day-sahn-tray.”

The language origin of décintrer comes from the combination of the prefix dé- (indicating reversal or removal) and the verb cintrer (meaning “to bend” or “to shape with a curve”). Combined, décintrer refers to the action of undoing or releasing something that has been bent or shaped.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense is a literary tense that is rarely used in spoken language. Nonetheless, here are three examples of décintrer in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je décintrai mon pantalon après le dîner. (I unfastened my pants after dinner.)
  2. Il décintra le col de sa chemise pour se sentir plus à l’aise. (He unclipped the collar of his shirt to feel more comfortable.)
  3. Elle décintra les sangles de son sac à dos pour l’ajuster correctement. (She unfastened the straps of her backpack to adjust it properly.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in written works, such as literature or formal writing. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express actions completed in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décintai J’ai décintai le pantalon. I uncinched the pants.
Tu décintas Tu décintas ta ceinture. You uncinched your belt.
Il décinta Il décinta le sac. He uncinched the bag.
Elle décinta Elle décinta la robe. She uncinched the dress.
On décinta On décinta le lacet. One uncinched the lace.
Nous décintâmes Nous décintâmes les cordes. We uncinched the ropes.
Vous décintâtes Vous décintâtes le nœud. You uncinched the knot.
Ils décintèrent Ils décintèrent la sangle. They uncinched the strap.
Elles décintèrent Elles décintèrent la ceinture. They (feminine) uncinched the belt.

Other Conjugations for Décintrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décintrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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