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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déformer

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The English translation of the French verb “déformer” is “to deform” or “to distort”. The infinitive form “déformer” is pronounced as “day-for-may”.

The word “déformer” comes from the Latin word “deformare” which means “to disfigure” or “to alter the shape”. In everyday French, “déformer” is commonly used to describe the act of altering or distorting the shape or appearance of something.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used in formal or written French, “déformer” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je déformai (I deformed)
  • Tu déformas (You deformed)
  • Il/Elle déforma (He/She deformed)

Here are three simple examples of “déformer” in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Jérôme déformai le métal avec un marteau.
    (Jérôme deformed the metal with a hammer.)

  2. Les années de guerre déformèrent son visage.
    (The war years distorted his face.)

  3. Le temps déforma le vieux livre.
    (Time distorted the old book.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déformai Je déformai la sculpture. I deformed the sculpture.
Tu déformas Tu déformas le métal. You deformed the metal.
Il déforma Il déforma le tissu. He deformed the fabric.
Elle déforma Elle déforma la peinture. She deformed the painting.
On déforma On déforma le visage. One deformed the face.
Nous déformâmes Nous déformâmes le plastique. We deformed the plastic.
Vous déformâtes Vous déformâtes le bois. You deformed the wood.
Ils déformèrent Ils déformèrent le papier. They deformed the paper.
Elles déformèrent Elles déformèrent la céramique. They (feminine) deformed the ceramic.

Other Conjugations for Déformer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déformer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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