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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégermer

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The English translation of the French verb dégermer is “to remove the germ” or “to sprout.” The infinitive form dégermer is pronounced as “day-jer-may.”

Dégermer originated from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which denotes removal) and the verb “germer” (meaning “to sprout” or “to germinate”). It is often used in everyday French to refer to the action of removing the germ or sprout from something.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, dégermer is not frequently used in everyday French as it is quite formal. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il dégerma les pommes de terre avant de les cuisiner.
    (He removed the sprouts from the potatoes before cooking them.)
  2. Elle dégerma les graines de tomates avant de les planter.
    (She removed the germs from the tomato seeds before planting them.)
  3. Nous dégermâmes les haricots verts avant de les cuire.
    (We removed the sprouts from the green beans before cooking them.)

Note: While the Passé Simple tense is used in formal writing, the more commonly used past tense for regular conversation and informal writing is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dégermai J’ai dégermai une pomme de terre. I ungerminated a potato.
Tu dégermas Tu dégermas les graines. You ungerminated the seeds.
Il dégerma Il dégerma les légumes. He ungerminated the vegetables.
Elle dégerma Elle dégerma les semences. She ungerminated the seeds.
On dégerma On dégerma les plantes. One ungerminated the plants.
Nous dégermâmes Nous dégermâmes les noix. We ungerminated the nuts.
Vous dégermâtes Vous dégermâtes les haricots. You ungerminated the beans.
Ils dégermèrent Ils dégermèrent les grains. They ungerminated the grains.
Elles dégermèrent Elles dégermèrent les féculents. They (feminine) ungerminated the starches.

Other Conjugations for Dégermer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégermer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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