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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défigurer

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The English translation of the French verb défigurer is “to disfigure.” The infinitive form, défigurer, is pronounced as “dey-fee-guh-ray.”

Défigurer is derived from the Old French word “desfigurer,” which came from the Latin word “disfigurare,” meaning “to disfigure.” It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of altering or damaging someone’s appearance in a negative way.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, défigurer is used to talk about past actions that were completed or occurred at a specific point in time. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il défigura son visage avec de l’acide. (He disfigured his face with acid.)
  2. L’accident défigura le paysage à jamais. (The accident disfigured the landscape forever.)
  3. Les chirurgiens plasticiens défigurèrent malheureusement le patient. (The plastic surgeons unfortunately disfigured the patient.)

These examples illustrate different situations where défigurer is used to describe actions that altered or damaged someone’s appearance or the physical aspect of something in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je défigurai Je défigurai son portrait. I disfigured his portrait.
Tu défiguras Tu défiguras la sculpture. You disfigured the sculpture.
Il défigura Il défigura son visage. He disfigured his face.
Elle défigura Elle défigura sa peinture. She disfigured her painting.
On défigura On défigura la statue. One disfigured the statue.
Nous défigurâmes Nous défigurâmes le tableau. We disfigured the painting.
Vous défigurâtes Vous défigurâtes la photo. You disfigured the photo.
Ils défigurèrent Ils défigurèrent le monument. They disfigured the monument.
Elles défigurèrent Elles défigurèrent la fresque. They (feminine) disfigured the fresco.

Other Conjugations for Défigurer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défigurer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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