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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délayer

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The English translation of the French verb “délayer” is “to dilute” or “to thin out.” The infinitive form of “délayer” is pronounced as “deh-lay-eh.”

The language origin of “délayer” comes from the Latin word “delayer,” which means “to spread out” or “to thin.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary or formal past tense.

Here are three simple examples of “délayer” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je délayai la sauce avec de l’eau. (I diluted the sauce with water.)
  2. Il délaya la peinture pour la rendre plus liquide. (He thinned out the paint to make it more liquid.)
  3. Elle délaya le sirop avec du jus de citron. (She diluted the syrup with lemon juice.)

In each of these examples, “délayer” is used to describe the action of diluting or thinning out a substance. The Passé Simple tense indicates that these actions occurred in the past in a formal or literary context.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délayai Je délayai la sauce. I diluted the sauce.
Tu délayas Tu délayas la peinture. You diluted the paint.
Il délaya Il délaya le mélange. He diluted the mixture.
Elle délaya Elle délaya la pâte. She diluted the dough.
On délaya On délaya la solution. One diluted the solution.
Nous délayâmes Nous délayâmes le liquide. We diluted the liquid.
Vous délayâtes Vous délayâtes la préparation. You diluted the preparation.
Ils délayèrent Ils délayèrent le produit. They diluted the product.
Elles délayèrent Elles délayèrent la substance. They (feminine) diluted the substance.

Other Conjugations for Délayer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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