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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défeuiller

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The English translation of the French verb défeuiller is “to remove the leaves” or “to leaf through.” The infinitive form “défeuiller” is pronounced as day-fuh-yay.

Défeuiller is derived from the combination of two words: “dé” meaning “to remove” and “feuille” meaning “leaf.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of removing or flipping through leaves, whether it is related to books, trees, or any other context involving leaves.

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

  1. Je défeuillai le livre pour retrouver la page que j’avais marquée.
    (I leafed through the book to find the page I had marked.)

  2. L’automne dernier, nous défeuillâmes les arbres de notre jardin.
    (Last autumn, we removed the leaves from the trees in our garden.)

  3. Le vent défeuilla les arbustes et recouvrit le sol d’une couche de feuilles.
    (The wind blew off the leaves from the shrubs and covered the ground with a layer of leaves.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is a literary past tense used in formal writing and storytelling, and it is much less commonly used in everyday spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je défeuillai Je défeuillai l’arbre. I defoliated the tree.
Tu défeuillas Tu défeuillas les plantes. You defoliated the plants.
Il défeuilla Il défeuilla la branche. He defoliated the branch.
Elle défeuilla Elle défeuilla les fleurs. She defoliated the flowers.
On défeuilla On défeuilla les arbustes. One defoliated the shrubs.
Nous défeuillâmes Nous défeuillâmes les arbres. We defoliated the trees.
Vous défeuillâtes Vous défeuillâtes le jardin. You defoliated the garden.
Ils défeuillèrent Ils défeuillèrent le buisson. They defoliated the bush.
Elles défeuillèrent Elles défeuillèrent les plantes. They (feminine) defoliated the plants.

Other Conjugations for Défeuiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défeuiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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