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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délourder

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The English translation of the French verb délourder is “to untangle” or “to unravel.” The infinitive form of délourder is pronounced as “day-loord.”

The word délourder comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which indicates a reversal) and the word “lourd” (meaning heavy). It originates from the Old French term “deslordier,” which had the same meaning. In everyday French, délourder is commonly used to describe the action of untangling or unraveling something, both in a literal and figurative sense.

Here are three examples of délourder used in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Je délourdis les fils électriques.
    (I untangled the electrical wires.)
  2. Elle délourdit ses pensées et prit une décision.
    (She unraveled her thoughts and made a decision.)
  3. Les experts ont délourdi l’enquête pour trouver la vérité.
    (The experts unraveled the investigation to find the truth.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts. In spoken French, it is more common to use the Passé Composé tense to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délourdai Je délourdai le fardeau. I lightened the burden.
Tu délourdas Tu délourdas la valise. You lightened the suitcase.
Il délourda Il délourda le sac. He lightened the bag.
Elle délourda Elle délourda la charge. She lightened the load.
On délourda On délourda le poids. One lightened the weight.
Nous délourdâmes Nous délourdâmes les valises. We lightened the suitcases.
Vous délourdâtes Vous délourdâtes la charge. You lightened the load.
Ils délourdèrent Ils délourdèrent les bagages. They lightened the luggage.
Elles délourdèrent Elles délourdèrent les valises. They (feminine) lightened the suitcases.

Other Conjugations for Délourder.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délourder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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