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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déjouer

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of déjouer. 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 déjouer is “to foil” or “to thwart.” The infinitive form “déjouer” is pronounced as [deh-zhoo-ey].

The verb déjouer comes from the Old French word “desjouer,” which means “to defeat” or “to make someone lose.” It is derived from the combination of the prefix “des-” (which indicates negation or reversal) and the verb “jouer” (to play). In everyday French, déjouer is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, although it is more frequently heard in spoken French as an infinitive in the present tense.

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

  1. Il déjoua tous les plans de son adversaire. (He foiled all his opponent’s plans.)
  2. L’équipe déjoua les attaques de l’adversaire et remporta la victoire. (The team thwarted the opponent’s attacks and won the game.)
  3. Les mesures de sécurité ont déjoué les tentatives d’intrusion. (The security measures foiled the intrusion attempts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déjouai J’ai déjouai le plan. I foiled the plan.
Tu déjouas Tu déjouas ses attaques. You foiled his attacks.
Il déjoua Il déjoua tous les pronostics. He defied all predictions.
Elle déjoua Elle déjoua les plans de l’ennemi. She foiled the enemy’s plans.
On déjoua On déjoua tous les complots. One foiled all the plots.
Nous déjouâmes Nous déjouâmes leur piège. We foiled their trap.
Vous déjouâtes Vous déjouâtes leurs tentatives. You foiled their attempts.
Ils déjouèrent Ils déjouèrent la conspiration. They foiled the conspiracy.
Elles déjouèrent Elles déjouèrent les plans de sabotage. They (feminine) foiled the sabotage plans.

Other Conjugations for Déjouer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déjouer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 déjouer Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply