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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégrever

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The English translation of the French verb dégrever is “to exempt” or “to relieve.” The infinitive form “dégrever” is pronounced as “day-grev-ay.”

The verb dégrever comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” which indicates a removal or reversal of an action, and the verb “grever” meaning “to burden” or “to weigh down.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense and is mainly found in written texts.

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

  1. La loi dégrava les petites entreprises l’année dernière.
    (The law exempted small businesses last year.)

  2. Le gouvernement dégrava les impôts pour les familles à faible revenu.
    (The government relieved taxes for low-income families.)

  3. L’association dégrava les dons aux associations caritatives.
    (The association exempted donations to charitable organizations.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, and the examples provided may be more commonly expressed in the Passé Composé tense in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dégravai J’ai dégravai la peinture. I removed the paint.
Tu dégravas Tu dégravas le mur. You removed the wall.
Il dégrava Il dégrava la charge. He removed the burden.
Elle dégrava Elle dégrava la taxe. She removed the tax.
On dégrava On dégrava l’impôt. One removed the tax.
Nous dégravâmes Nous dégravâmes le fardeau. We removed the burden.
Vous dégravâtes Vous dégravâtes les dettes. You removed the debts.
Ils dégravèrent Ils dégravèrent la sanction. They removed the penalty.
Elles dégravèrent Elles dégravèrent les restrictions. They (feminine) removed the restrictions.

Other Conjugations for Dégrever.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégrever

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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