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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délirer

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The English translation of the French verb délirer is “to rave” or “to delirium.” The infinitive form, délirer, is pronounced as “day-lee-ray.”

The verb délirer comes from the Latin word “delirare,” which means “to be out of one’s mind” or “to wander mentally.” In everyday French, the verb délirer is often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in written language. However, it is not as commonly used in spoken language.

Here are three simple examples of délirer in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’entendis des voix étranges et je délirai toute la nuit.
    (I heard strange voices and raved all night.)

  2. Il délira pendant plusieurs jours après avoir pris cette drogue.
    (He deliriumed for several days after taking that drug.)

  3. Elle délira de fièvre suite à son infection.
    (She raved due to her infection fever.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mostly used in literature, formal writing, historical accounts, or storytelling. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is the preferred choice for expressing the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délirai J’ai déliré toute la nuit. I delirated all night.
Tu déliras Tu déliras pendant des heures. You delirated for hours.
Il délira Il délira après avoir bu. He delirated after drinking.
Elle délira Elle délira en riant. She delirated while laughing.
On délira On délira en écoutant de la musique. One delirated while listening to music.
Nous délirâmes Nous délirâmes ensemble. We delirated together.
Vous délirâtes Vous délirâtes toute la journée. You delirated all day.
Ils délirèrent Ils délirèrent devant le film. They delirated while watching the movie.
Elles délirèrent Elles délirèrent de joie. They (feminine) delirated with joy.

Other Conjugations for Délirer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délirer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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