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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délimiter

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The English translation of the French verb “délimiter” is “to delimit” or “to define.” The infinitive form, “délimiter,” is pronounced as “day-lee-mee-tay.”

The verb “délimiter” is derived from the Latin word “delimitare,” which means “to set boundaries.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in formal or written French.

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

  1. Il délimita le terrain avec des piquets.
    (He delimited the field with stakes.)
  2. Nous délimitâmes notre zone de recherche.
    (We delimitated our search zone.)
  3. Les scientifiques délimitèrent la zone d’étude.
    (The scientists delimited the study area.)

In these examples, “délimiter” is used to describe the action of setting boundaries, defining an area, or marking off a specific territory.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délimitai J’ai délimitai le terrain. I delimited the land.
Tu délimitas Tu délimitas la zone. You delimited the area.
Il délimita Il délimita la frontière. He delimited the border.
Elle délimita Elle délimita la propriété. She delimited the property.
On délimita On délimita le périmètre. One delimited the perimeter.
Nous délimitâmes Nous délimitâmes la région. We delimited the region.
Vous délimitâtes Vous délimitâtes le domaine. You delimited the domain.
Ils délimitèrent Ils délimitèrent le territoire. They delimited the territory.
Elles délimitèrent Elles délimitèrent la ligne. They (feminine) delimited the line.

Other Conjugations for Délimiter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délimiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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