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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décompter

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The English translation of the French verb “décompter” is “to deduct” or “to subtract.” The infinitive form “décompter” is pronounced as “day-kohmptay.”

The verb “décompter” originates from the Latin word “computare,” which means “to count” or “to calculate.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that happened and were completed in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. J’économisai en décomptant mes dépenses mensuelles.
    (I saved by deducting/subtracting my monthly expenses.)

  2. L’entreprise décompta les heures supplémentaires des employés.
    (The company deducted/subtracted the overtime hours of the employees.)

  3. Il décompta les points pour obtenir le résultat final.
    (He deducted/subtracted the points to obtain the final result.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décomptai J’ai décomptai les pièces. I counted the coins.
Tu décomptas Tu décomptas les jours. You counted the days.
Il décompta Il décompta les points. He counted the points.
Elle décompta Elle décompta les heures. She counted the hours.
On décompta On décompta les années. One counted the years.
Nous décomptâmes Nous décomptâmes les billets. We counted the bills.
Vous décomptâtes Vous décomptâtes les minutes. You counted the minutes.
Ils décomptèrent Ils décomptèrent les secondes. They counted the seconds.
Elles décomptèrent Elles décomptèrent les mois. They (feminine) counted the months.

Other Conjugations for Décompter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décompter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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