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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décortiquer

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The English translation of the French verb “décortiquer” is “to dissect” or “to analyze.” The infinitive form of “décortiquer” is pronounced as “day-kor-tee-kay.”

The word “décortiquer” originated from the Latin word “decorticare,” which means “to strip off the bark.” In everyday French, “décortiquer” is commonly used in its infinitive form or in the present participle form “décortiquant” to describe the action of carefully examining, analyzing, or breaking down something into its components.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “décortiquer” is less commonly used in everyday spoken French and is mostly found in formal or written contexts. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’ai décortiqué le discours politique. (I dissected the political speech.)
  2. Elle décortiqua minutieusement le poème. (She meticulously analyzed the poem.)
  3. Nous décortiquâmes les données statistiques. (We dissected the statistical data.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé or other past tenses are typically used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décortiquai J’ai décortiqué le fruit. I shelled the fruit.
Tu décortiquas Tu décortiquas les crevettes. You shelled the shrimp.
Il décortiqua Il décortiqua les noix. He shelled the nuts.
Elle décortiqua Elle décortiqua la langouste. She shelled the lobster.
On décortiqua On décortiqua les pois. One shelled the peas.
Nous décortiquâmes Nous avons décortiqué les noix de cajou. We shelled the cashews.
Vous décortiquâtes Vous décortiquâtes les crustacés. You shelled the shellfish.
Ils décortiquèrent Ils décortiquèrent les noisettes. They shelled the hazelnuts.
Elles décortiquèrent Elles décortiquèrent les pistaches. They (feminine) shelled the pistachios.

Other Conjugations for Décortiquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décortiquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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