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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délabrer

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The English translation of the French verb “délabrer” is “to dilapidate” or “to run down.” The infinitive form “délabrer” is pronounced as “day-lah-bray.”

The verb “délabrer” comes from the Old French word “labrer” meaning “to beat” or “to break.” The prefix “dé-” adds the sense of undoing or reversing the action. In everyday French, the verb “délabrer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions or situations that happened in the past but have no direct connection to the present.

Here are three examples of “délabrer” in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Le temps délabra le vieux bâtiment. (The weather dilapidated the old building.)
  2. Le manque d’entretien délabra rapidement la maison. (The lack of maintenance ran down the house quickly.)
  3. La guerre délabra les infrastructures de la ville. (The war dilapidated the city’s infrastructure.)

These examples showcase different ways in which “délabrer” can be used to express the process of deterioration or decline.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délabrai Je délabrai la maison. I dilapidated the house.
Tu délabras Tu délabras le meuble. You dilapidated the furniture.
Il délabra Il délabra la porte. He dilapidated the door.
Elle délabra Elle délabra la clôture. She dilapidated the fence.
On délabra On délabra la salle. One dilapidated the room.
Nous délabrâmes Nous délabrâmes la façade. We dilapidated the facade.
Vous délabrâtes Vous délabrâtes les murs. You dilapidated the walls.
Ils délabrèrent Ils délabrèrent le toit. They dilapidated the roof.
Elles délabrèrent Elles délabrèrent le plancher. They (feminine) dilapidated the floor.

Other Conjugations for Délabrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délabrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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