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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déménager

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The English translation of the French verb déménager is “to move” (as in changing houses or residences). The infinitive form of déménager is pronounced as “day-may-nah-zhay”.

Déménager originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “going away” or “out”) and the verb “ménager” (meaning “to arrange” or “to manage”). In everyday French, déménager is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to talk about past events or actions that occurred and ended in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal writing or literature, while the Passé Composé is more commonly used in spoken French to express past actions.

Here are three examples of déménager in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous déménageâmes l’année dernière.
    (We moved last year.)

  2. Tu déménageas en septembre.
    (You moved in September.)

  3. Ils déménagèrent leurs affaires rapidement.
    (They moved their belongings quickly.)

Please note that while these examples are in the Passé Simple tense, it is more usual to use the Passé Composé in everyday spoken French to express past actions or events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déménageai Je déménageai hier. I moved yesterday.
Tu déménageas Tu déménageas en juin. You moved in June.
Il déménagea Il déménagea rapidement. He moved quickly.
Elle déménagea Elle déménagea ses affaires. She moved her belongings.
On déménagea On déménagea dans une nouvelle maison. One moved to a new house.
Nous déménageâmes Nous déménageâmes tous ensemble. We all moved together.
Vous déménageâtes Vous déménageâtes en voiture. You moved by car.
Ils déménagèrent Ils déménagèrent en ville. They moved to the city.
Elles déménagèrent Elles déménagèrent dans un autre pays. They (feminine) moved to another country.

Other Conjugations for Déménager.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déménager

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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