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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démarier

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The English translation of the French verb démarier is “to divorce.” The infinitive form démarier is pronounced as “day-mah-ree-yay.”

Démarier comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which indicates an undoing or reversal) and the verb “marier” (to marry). It is mainly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense when referring to the action of getting a divorce in the past.

Examples of démarier in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Ils démarièrent après cinq ans de mariage.
    (They divorced after five years of marriage.)

  2. Elle démaria son premier mari pour épouser son meilleur ami.
    (She divorced her first husband to marry her best friend.)

  3. Nous démariâmes en raison de nos différences irréconciliables.
    (We divorced due to our irreconcilable differences.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je démariai Je démariai ma sœur. I annulled my sister’s marriage.
Tu démarias Tu démarias ton ami. You annulled your friend’s marriage.
Il démaria Il démaria sa femme. He annulled his wife’s marriage.
Elle démaria Elle démaria son mari. She annulled her husband’s marriage.
On démaria On démaria le couple. One annulled the couple’s marriage.
Nous démariâmes Nous démariâmes nos enfants. We annulled our children’s marriage.
Vous démariâtes Vous démariâtes le mariage. You annulled the marriage.
Ils démarièrent Ils démarièrent leur union. They annulled their union.
Elles démarièrent Elles démarièrent leur engagement. They (feminine) annulled their engagement.

Other Conjugations for Démarier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démarier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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