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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démarcher

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The English translation of the French verb “démarcher” is “to canvass” or “to approach”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “démarcher” is: day-mar-shay.

The language origin of “démarcher” can be traced back to the Old French word “demarchier”, which originally meant “to set out on a journey” or “to travel”. Over time, it evolved to mean “to approach” or “to canvass” in a commercial or political context. In everyday French, it is commonly used to refer to the action of going door-to-door or approaching people in order to promote or sell products, services, or ideas.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “démarcher” conjugates differently depending on the subject. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Hier, il démarcha tous les voisins pour leur présenter sa nouvelle entreprise.
    (Yesterday, he canvassed all the neighbors to introduce them to his new business.)

  2. Les étudiants démarchèrent les passants dans la rue pour collecter des fonds pour une association caritative.
    (The students canvassed passersby on the street to collect funds for a charitable association.)

  3. L’équipe de campagne démarcha les électeurs avant les élections pour tenter de gagner des votes.
    (The campaign team canvassed voters before the elections to try and win some votes.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal or literary writing in French, and in everyday spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je démarchai J’ai démarchai à la porte. I canvassed at the door.
Tu démarchas Tu démarchas les clients. You canvassed the clients.
Il démarcha Il démarcha la compagnie. He canvassed the company.
Elle démarcha Elle démarcha les fournisseurs. She canvassed the suppliers.
On démarcha On démarcha les électeurs. One canvassed the voters.
Nous démarchâmes Nous démarchâmes les commerçants. We canvassed the merchants.
Vous démarchâtes Vous démarchâtes les associations. You canvassed the associations.
Ils démarchèrent Ils démarchèrent les investisseurs. They canvassed the investors.
Elles démarchèrent Elles démarchèrent les clients. They (feminine) canvassed the clients.

Other Conjugations for Démarcher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démarcher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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