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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déjeuner

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of déjeuner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “déjeuner” is “to have breakfast” or “to lunch.” The infinitive form, “déjeuner,” is pronounced as day-zheuh-nay.

The word “déjeuner” originates from the Latin word “disjejunare,” which means “to stop fasting.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple tense to refer to a past action completed in a formal or literary context.

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

  1. Je déjeunai à sept heures du matin.
    (I had breakfast at seven in the morning.)

  2. L’année dernière, nous déjeunâmes au restaurant durant nos vacances.
    (Last year, we had lunch at the restaurant during our vacation.)

  3. Elle déjeuna avec ses amis avant de partir.
    (She had breakfast with her friends before leaving.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déjeunai Je déjeunai rapidement. I had lunch quickly.
Tu déjeunas Tu déjeunas en ville. You had lunch in town.
Il déjeuna Il déjeuna tard. He had lunch late.
Elle déjeuna Elle déjeuna avec ses amis. She had lunch with her friends.
On déjeuna On déjeuna au restaurant. One had lunch at the restaurant.
Nous déjeunâmes Nous déjeunâmes ensemble. We had lunch together.
Vous déjeunâtes Vous déjeunâtes tôt. You had lunch early.
Ils déjeunèrent Ils déjeunèrent chez eux. They had lunch at their place.
Elles déjeunèrent Elles déjeunèrent en terrasse. They (feminine) had lunch on the terrace.

Other Conjugations for Déjeuner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déjeuner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the déjeuner Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply