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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déclouer

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The English translation of the French verb déclouer is “to unfasten” or “to unpin.” The infinitive form “déclouer” is pronounced as “day-kloo-ey.”

The verb déclouer comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “un-” or “dis-” and the noun “clou” meaning “nail.” Therefore, déclouer refers to the action of removing or taking out a nail or nails. It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of unfastening or unpinning something that is held in place by nails.

In the Passé Simple tense, déclouer is used to refer to actions that occurred and were completed in the past. This tense is more commonly found in written French, particularly in literature or formal texts.

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

  1. J’arrivai et déclouai la planche du mur. (I arrived and unfastened the plank from the wall.)
  2. Elle décloua les photos du tableau et les rangea dans une boîte. (She unpinned the pictures from the board and put them in a box.)
  3. Les ouvriers déclouèrent les vieux panneaux pour les remplacer par des neufs. (The workers unfastened the old panels to replace them with new ones.)

These examples illustrate the use of déclouer to describe actions of unfastening or unpinning in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déclouai J’ai déclouai le tableau. I unnailed the painting.
Tu déclouas Tu déclouas la planche. You unnailed the plank.
Il décloua Il décloua le clou. He unnailed the nail.
Elle décloua Elle décloua les affiches. She unnailed the posters.
On décloua On décloua les planches. One unnailed the planks.
Nous déclouâmes Nous déclouâmes les panneaux. We unnailed the panels.
Vous déclouâtes Vous déclouâtes les photos. You unnailed the pictures.
Ils déclouèrent Ils déclouèrent le bois. They unnailed the wood.
Elles déclouèrent Elles déclouèrent les clous. They (feminine) unnailed the nails.

Other Conjugations for Déclouer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déclouer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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