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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défalquer

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The English translation of the French verb défalquer is “to deduct” or “to subtract.” The infinitive form of défalquer is pronounced as “dey-fal-ke.”

Défalquer is derived from the Latin word “defalcare,” which means “to deduct.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the action of subtracting or deducting an amount from a total. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is predominantly used in written and formal contexts, défalquer is conjugated as follows:

  • Je défalquai (I deducted/subtracted)
  • Tu défalquas (You deducted/subtracted)
  • Il/elle/on défalqua (He/she/one deducted/subtracted)
  • Nous défalquâmes (We deducted/subtracted)
  • Vous défalquâtes (You deducted/subtracted)
  • Ils/elles défalquèrent (They deducted/subtracted)

Examples in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. J’ai défalqué 50 euros de mon salaire pour couvrir les frais de déplacement. (I deducted 50 euros from my salary to cover travel expenses.)
  2. Il défalqua la TVA des achats effectués pour son entreprise. (He deducted the VAT from the purchases made for his business.)
  3. Nous défalquâmes les intérêts du montant total du prêt. (We deducted the interest from the total loan amount.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French. The more common tense used in spoken language is the Passé Composé (Compound Past).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je défalquai Je défalquai la somme. I deducted the amount.
Tu défalquas Tu défalquas les frais. You deducted the expenses.
Il défalqua Il défalqua les taxes. He deducted the taxes.
Elle défalqua Elle défalqua la pénalité. She deducted the penalty.
On défalqua On défalqua les intérêts. One deducted the interests.
Nous défalquâmes Nous défalquâmes le montant. We deducted the amount.
Vous défalquâtes Vous défalquâtes la facture. You deducted the invoice.
Ils défalquèrent Ils défalquèrent les dépenses. They deducted the expenses.
Elles défalquèrent Elles défalquèrent les charges. They (feminine) deducted the charges.

Other Conjugations for Défalquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défalquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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