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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb découpler

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The English translation of the French verb “découpler” is “to decouple” or “to uncouple”. The infinitive form “découpler” is pronounced as [de-koo-ple].

The language origin of “découpler” comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating reversal or separation) and the verb “coupler” (to couple or connect). It is often used in everyday French to express the action of separating or disconnecting two things that were previously connected or joined together.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “découpler” is less commonly used in everyday conversation and is mostly found in written or formal contexts. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. La locomotive découpla les wagons.
    (The locomotive uncoupled the carriages.)
  2. Nous découplâmes les câbles électriques.
    (We decoupled the electrical cables.)
  3. Les deux pays découplèrent leurs politiques économiques.
    (The two countries decoupled their economic policies.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts, and in everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je découplai J’ai découplai l’ordinateur. I disconnected the computer.
Tu découplas Tu découplas les câbles. You disconnected the cables.
Il découpla Il découpla les appareils. He disconnected the devices.
Elle découpla Elle découpla le téléphone. She disconnected the phone.
On découpla On découpla les prises. One disconnected the plugs.
Nous découplâmes Nous découplâmes les machines. We disconnected the machines.
Vous découplâtes Vous découplâtes les connexions. You disconnected the connections.
Ils découplèrent Ils découplèrent les équipements. They disconnected the equipment.
Elles découplèrent Elles découplèrent le réseau. They (feminine) disconnected the network.

Other Conjugations for Découpler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découpler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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