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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb découler

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The English translation of the French verb “découler” is “to result” or “to stem from.” The infinitive form “découler” is pronounced as [de-koo-le].

“Découler” is derived from the Latin word “decollare,” meaning “to flow down” or “to result from.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to express actions that occurred and were completed in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple is primarily used in formal writing and literature rather than in everyday spoken French.

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

  1. Le succès de leur entreprise découla d’une stratégie bien pensée.
    (The success of their company resulted from a well-thought-out strategy.)

  2. Les problèmes financiers découlèrent de mauvaises décisions prises par la direction.
    (The financial problems stemmed from poor decisions made by the management.)

  3. La réunion se termina rapidement et des décisions importantes en découlèrent.
    (The meeting ended quickly, and important decisions resulted from it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je découlai Je découlai de cette situation. I stemmed from this situation.
Tu découlas Tu découlas de cette décision. You stemmed from this decision.
Il découla Il découla de cette discussion. He stemmed from this discussion.
Elle découla Elle découla de cette expérience. She stemmed from this experience.
On découla On découla de cette règle. One stemmed from this rule.
Nous découlâmes Nous découlâmes de cette réforme. We stemmed from this reform.
Vous découlâtes Vous découlâtes de cette proposition. You stemmed from this proposition.
Ils découlèrent Ils découlèrent de cette découverte. They stemmed from this discovery.
Elles découlèrent Elles découlèrent de cette discussion. They (feminine) stemmed from this discussion.

Other Conjugations for Découler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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