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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédaigner

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The English translation of the French verb dédaigner is “to disdain” or “to scorn.” The infinitive form, dédaigner, is pronounced as “dey-day-nyey.”

Dédaigner comes from the Latin word “dedignari,” which means “to disdain” or “to consider unworthy.” In everyday French, dédaigner is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express actions or events that occurred in the past. However, it’s important to note that the Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or written French, while the more common past tense in spoken French is the Passé Composé.

Here are three simple examples of dédaigner in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Elle dédaigna de lui répondre. (She disdained to answer him.)
  2. Il dédaigna les conseils de son professeur. (He scorned the advice of his teacher.)
  3. Les invités dédaignèrent la nourriture proposée. (The guests scorned the food offered.)

Please remember that the Passé Simple tense is less commonly used in spoken French, so you may encounter the Passé Composé tense more frequently in everyday conversations.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dédaignai J’ai dédaignai ton offre. I scorned your offer.
Tu dédaignas Tu dédaignas son invitation. You scorned his invitation.
Il dédaigna Il dédaigna les critiques. He scorned the critics.
Elle dédaigna Elle dédaigna sa proposition. She scorned his proposal.
On dédaigna On dédaigna toute assistance. One scorned any help.
Nous dédaignâmes Nous dédaignâmes leurs demandes. We scorned their requests.
Vous dédaignâtes Vous dédaignâtes mes conseils. You scorned my advice.
Ils dédaignèrent Ils dédaignèrent ma présence. They scorned my presence.
Elles dédaignèrent Elles dédaignèrent ses compliments. They (feminine) scorned his compliments.

Other Conjugations for Dédaigner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédaigner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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