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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défroncer

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The English translation of the French verb défroncer is “to smooth out” or “to unwrinkle.” The infinitive form “défroncer” is pronounced as “day-fron-say.”

The verb défroncer comes from the French words “dé-” (a prefix indicating reversal) and “fronce” (a noun meaning “wrinkle” or “crease”). It is commonly used in everyday French to express the action of removing wrinkles or smoothing out creases, both literally and figuratively.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, défroncer is typically seen in formal or written French rather than in everyday spoken language. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Elle défronça son front en souriant.
    (She smoothed out her forehead by smiling.)
  2. Il défronça le papier avant de le mettre dans l’enveloppe.
    (He unwrinkled the paper before putting it in the envelope.)
  3. L’artiste défronça sa robe avant de monter sur scène.
    (The artist smoothed out her dress before going on stage.)

These examples demonstrate the use of défroncer in different contexts, such as smoothing out facial expressions, unwrinkling paper, and straightening clothes.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je défronçai J’ai défronçai mon t-shirt. I smoothed out my t-shirt.
Tu défronças Tu défronças ta chemise. You smoothed out your shirt.
Il défronça Il défronça son pantalon. He smoothed out his pants.
Elle défronça Elle défronça sa jupe. She smoothed out her skirt.
On défronça On défronça le drap. One smoothed out the sheet.
Nous défronçâmes Nous défronçâmes les rideaux. We smoothed out the curtains.
Vous défronçâtes Vous défronçâtes la nappe. You smoothed out the tablecloth.
Ils défroncèrent Ils défroncèrent les serviettes. They smoothed out the napkins.
Elles défroncèrent Elles défroncèrent les chemises. They (feminine) smoothed out the shirts.

Other Conjugations for Défroncer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défroncer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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