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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décolorer

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The English translation of the French verb décolorer is “to bleach” or “to decolorize.” The infinitive form, décolorer, is pronounced as “day-ko-lo-ray.”

Décolorer is derived from the French word “couleur,” meaning “color.” It is a regular -er verb that is used to describe the action of removing color or making something fade. In everyday French, décolorer is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to talk about past events, especially in formal or written contexts.

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

  1. Elle décolora ses cheveux pour obtenir une teinte plus claire.
    (She bleached her hair to achieve a lighter shade.)

  2. Il décolora son jean préféré en le lavant à l’eau de javel.
    (He bleached his favorite jeans by washing them with bleach.)

  3. L’artiste décolora le tissu pour créer des motifs uniques.
    (The artist decolorized the fabric to create unique patterns.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is primarily used in formal writing or literature in contemporary French. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to talk about past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décolorai J’ai décoloré mes cheveux. I bleached my hair.
Tu décoloras Tu décoloras le tissu. You bleached the fabric.
Il décolora Il décolora la peinture. He bleached the paint.
Elle décolora Elle décolora les vêtements. She bleached the clothes.
On décolora On décolora les rideaux. One bleached the curtains.
Nous décolorâmes Nous décolorâmes les draps. We bleached the sheets.
Vous décolorâtes Vous décolorâtes les serviettes. You bleached the towels.
Ils décolorèrent Ils décolorèrent les chaussures. They bleached the shoes.
Elles décolorèrent Elles décolorèrent les coussins. They (feminine) bleached the cushions.

Other Conjugations for Décolorer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décolorer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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