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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délover

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The English translation of the French verb “délover” is “to unravel” or “to unwind.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “de-loh-vay.”

The verb “délover” originated from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which signifies reversal or undoing) and the verb “lover” (which means “to wind” or “to coil”). It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense that is rarely used in spoken language but frequently found in written texts such as literature or historical accounts.

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

  1. Je délova la laine avec précaution. (I unraveled the thread carefully.)
  2. Il délova le ruban pour le réutiliser. (He unwound the ribbon to reuse it.)
  3. Elle délova le câble électrique avant de le découper. (She unraveled the electrical cable before cutting it.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is not widely used in spoken French, and the verb “délover” itself may not be commonly used in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je délovai J’ai délovai la laine. I untangled the wool.
Tu délovas Tu délovas les fils. You untangled the threads.
Il délova Il délova le câble. He untangled the cable.
Elle délova Elle délova les cheveux. She untangled her hair.
On délova On délova les cordes. One untangled the ropes.
Nous délovâmes Nous délovâmes les câbles. We untangled the cables.
Vous délovâtes Vous délovâtes les fils. You untangled the threads.
Ils délovaient Ils délovaient les lacets. They untangled the shoelaces.
Elles délovaient Elles délovaient les fils électriques. They (feminine) untangled the electrical wires.

Other Conjugations for Délover.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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