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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégrader

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The English translation of the French verb dégrader is “to degrade” or “to deteriorate.” The infinitive form “dégrader” is pronounced as “day-gra-day.”

The word “dégrader” originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating a reversal or negation) and the verb “grader” (meaning to grade or rank). It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe a process of deterioration or degradation. In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in written French, dégrader is used to convey actions that occurred in the past.

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

  1. La situation se dégrada rapidement. (The situation deteriorated quickly.)
  2. Les relations entre les deux pays se dégradèrent après l’incident. (The relations between the two countries deteriorated after the incident.)
  3. La qualité de l’air se dégrada considérablement dans les années suivantes. (The air quality deteriorated considerably in the following years.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dégradai Je dégradai la qualité du produit. I degraded the quality of the product.
Tu dégradas Tu dégradas le sol. You degraded the ground.
Il dégrada Il dégrada la réputation de l’entreprise. He degraded the reputation of the company.
Elle dégrada Elle dégrada son image. She degraded her image.
On dégrada On dégrada l’environnement. One degraded the environment.
Nous dégradâmes Nous dégradâmes les relations. We degraded the relationships.
Vous dégradâtes Vous dégradâtes la situation. You degraded the situation.
Ils dégradèrent Ils dégradèrent le bâtiment. They degraded the building.
Elles dégradèrent Elles dégradèrent la peinture. They (feminine) degraded the painting.

Other Conjugations for Dégrader.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégrader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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