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

Introduction to the verb découcher

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The English translation of the French verb découcher is “to spend the night away from home” or “to sleep out.” The infinitive form, découcher, is pronounced as “day-koo-shay.”

Découcher is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating a reversal or separation) and the verb “coucher” (to sleep). It literally means “to un-sleep” or “to un-lie down.”

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken language but is more common in written literature, historical texts, or formal writing. In the Passé Simple, découcher is conjugated as follows:

  • Je découchai (I spent the night away from home)
  • Tu découchas (You spent the night away from home)
  • Il/elle découcha (He/she spent the night away from home)
  • Nous découchâmes (We spent the night away from home)
  • Vous découchâtes (You spent the night away from home)
  • Ils/elles découchèrent (They spent the night away from home)

Examples of découcher in the Passé Simple tense with English translations:

  1. Je découchai chez mon ami hier soir. (I spent the night away from home at my friend’s place last night.)
  2. Elle découcha souvent lors de ses voyages d’affaires. (She often slept out during her business trips.)
  3. Nous découchâmes pendant nos vacances à la plage. (We spent the night away from home during our beach vacation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je découchai J’ai découché hier soir. I stayed out overnight last night.
Tu découchas Tu découchas pendant les vacances. You stayed out overnight during the vacation.
Il découcha Il découcha pendant le week-end. He stayed out overnight during the weekend.
Elle découcha Elle découcha la nuit dernière. She stayed out overnight last night.
On découcha On découcha toute la semaine. One stayed out overnight the whole week.
Nous découchâmes Nous découchâmes à l’hôtel. We stayed out overnight at the hotel.
Vous découchâtes Vous découchâtes chez des amis. You stayed out overnight at friends’ place.
Ils découchèrent Ils découchèrent avec leur groupe. They stayed out overnight with their band.
Elles découchèrent Elles découchèrent chez leur cousine. They (feminine) stayed out overnight at their cousin’s place.

Other Conjugations for Découcher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découcher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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