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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démériter

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The English translation of the French verb démériter is “to deserve blame” or “to be unworthy.” The infinitive form of démériter is pronounced as “dey-mey-ree-tey.”

Démériter is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (which often indicates a negation or an undoing) and the verb “mériter” (to deserve). It is commonly used in everyday French to express the idea of not being worthy of something or deserving blame.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), démériter is not frequently used in everyday spoken French. The Passé Simple is mainly found in formal writing, literature, or historical contexts. However, here are three examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Il démérita sa réputation en trahissant ses amis.
    (He deserved blame for betraying his friends.)
  2. Elle démérita son statut en négligeant ses responsabilités.
    (She was unworthy of her status by neglecting her responsibilities.)
  3. Ils déméritèrent de leur rôle de protecteurs en abandonnant les plus faibles.
    (They deserved blame for betraying their role as protectors by abandoning the weakest.)

Please note that these examples are in the Passé Simple tense, which is not used as frequently in spoken French. In everyday conversation, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déméritai J’ai démérité sa confiance. I lost his trust.
Tu déméritas Tu déméritas cette récompense. You did not deserve this reward.
Il démérita Il démérita son grade. He lost his rank.
Elle démérita Elle démérita son statut. She lost her status.
On démérita On démérita cette distinction. One lost this distinction.
Nous déméritâmes Nous déméritâmes leur confiance. We lost their trust.
Vous déméritâtes Vous déméritâtes cette promotion. You did not deserve this promotion.
Ils déméritèrent Ils déméritèrent leur place. They lost their place.
Elles déméritèrent Elles déméritèrent leur réputation. They (feminine) lost their reputation.

Other Conjugations for Démériter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démériter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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