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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décorer

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The English translation of the French verb “décorer” is “to decorate.” The infinitive form of “décorer” is pronounced as “day-koh-ray.”

The origin of the word “décorer” can be traced back to the Latin word “decorare,” meaning “to adorn” or “to embellish.” In everyday French, the verb “décorer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to refer to actions that occurred in the past. However, it’s important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in written French and less frequently in spoken language.

Here are three simple examples of “décorer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je décorai la chambre avec des fleurs.
    (I decorated the room with flowers.)

  2. Ils décorèrent la maison pour la fête.
    (They decorated the house for the party.)

  3. Elle décora son gâteau avec des motifs colorés.
    (She decorated her cake with colorful designs.)

Please note that although the Passé Simple tense is used in more formal or literary contexts, in spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is often used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décorai J’ai décorai la maison. I decorated the house.
Tu décoras Tu décoretas la table. You decorated the table.
Il décora Il décora la chambre. He decorated the room.
Elle décora Elle a décoré le gâteau. She decorated the cake.
On décora On a décoré le jardin. One decorated the garden.
Nous décorâmes Nous avons décoré le salon. We decorated the living room.
Vous décorâtes Vous avez décoré l’arbre. You decorated the tree.
Ils décorèrent Ils ont décoré la salle. They decorated the hall.
Elles décorèrent Elles ont décoré la façade. They (feminine) decorated the facade.

Other Conjugations for Décorer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décorer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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