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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déferrer

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The English translation of the French verb “déferrer” is “to remove the shoes” or “to unshoe.” The infinitive form “déferrer” is pronounced as /de.fe.ʁe/.

The verb “déferrer” comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating negation or reversal) and the verb “ferrer” (to shoe, to put horseshoes on). It is mainly used in the context of horses, referring to the action of removing horseshoes from their hooves.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense is rarely used in spoken language and is mostly found in written texts, literature, or formal speeches. However, here are three examples of “déferrer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je déferrai le cheval hier.
    (I removed the shoes from the horse yesterday.)

  2. Il déferra ses chevaux avant de les laisser au pré.
    (He unshoed his horses before letting them out in the pasture.)

  3. Les maréchaux déferrèrent tous les chevaux du centre équestre.
    (The blacksmiths unshoed all the horses from the equestrian center.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déferai Je déferai les fers. I removed the shoes.
Tu déferas Tu déferas les fers. You removed the shoes.
Il défera Il défera les fers. He removed the shoes.
Elle défera Elle défera les fers. She removed the shoes.
On défera On défera les fers. One removed the shoes.
Nous déferâmes Nous déferâmes les fers. We removed the shoes.
Vous déferâtes Vous déferâtes les fers. You removed the shoes.
Ils défirent Ils défirent les fers. They removed the shoes.
Elles défirent Elles défirent les fers. They (feminine) removed the shoes.

Other Conjugations for Déferrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déferrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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