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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décrypter

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The English translation of the French verb “décrypter” is “to decrypt” or “to decipher.” The infinitive form “décrypter” is pronounced as “day-kreep-teh.”

“Décrypter” originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “de-“) and the verb “crypter” (meaning “to encrypt” or “to encode”). It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of decoding or understanding something that is difficult to comprehend, often in the context of encrypted or encoded information.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “décrypter” is less commonly used in everyday French as it is considered a more formal or literary tense. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their respective English translations:

  1. Il décrypta le message codé et découvrit le plan secret. (He decrypted the coded message and discovered the secret plan.)
  2. Elle décrypta le langage complexe du scientifique et put le traduire en termes simples. (She deciphered the scientist’s complex language and was able to translate it into simple terms.)
  3. Les experts décryptèrent les hiéroglyphes anciens et révélèrent leur signification. (The experts decrypted the ancient hieroglyphs and revealed their meaning.)

These examples illustrate the use of “décrypter” in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions of decoding or deciphering various types of information.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je décryptai Je décryptai le message. I decrypted the message.
Tu décryptas Tu décryptas le code. You decrypted the code.
Il décrypta Il décrypta le fichier. He decrypted the file.
Elle décrypta Elle décrypta le texte. She decrypted the text.
On décrypta On décrypta le document. One decrypted the document.
Nous décryptâmes Nous décryptâmes la clé. We decrypted the key.
Vous décryptâtes Vous décryptâtes le fichier. You decrypted the file.
Ils décryptèrent Ils décryptèrent le message. They decrypted the message.
Elles décryptèrent Elles décryptèrent le code. They (feminine) decrypted the code.

Other Conjugations for Décrypter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décrypter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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