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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénigrer

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The English translation of the French verb dénigrer is “to denigrate” or “to disparage.” The infinitive form of dénigrer is pronounced as “day-neeg-ray.”

Dénigrer comes from the Latin word “denigrare,” which means “to blacken.” In everyday French, dénigrer is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions or events that are completely finished and have no connection to the present. However, it is worth noting that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal writing and literature, rather than in everyday spoken French.

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

  1. Il dénigra ses compétences lors de la réunion. (He denigrated his skills during the meeting.)
  2. Les critiques dénigrèrent son travail sans raison valable. (The critics denigrated his work without any valid reason.)
  3. Elle dénigra constamment son ex-petit ami devant ses amis. (She constantly denigrated her ex-boyfriend in front of her friends.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is used in written French, in spoken French, the Passé Composé (present perfect) tense is more commonly used to express actions or events that have occurred in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dénigrai J’ai dénigré son travail. I denigrated his work.
Tu dénigras Tu dénigras sa réputation. You denigrated his reputation.
Il dénigra Il dénigra ses compétences. He denigrated his skills.
Elle dénigra Elle dénigra ses idées. She denigrated his ideas.
On dénigra On dénigra son succès. One denigrated his success.
Nous dénigrâmes Nous dénigrâmes leur performance. We denigrated their performance.
Vous dénigrâtes Vous dénigrâtes leur travail. You denigrated their work.
Ils dénigrèrent Ils dénigrèrent leur projet. They denigrated their project.
Elles dénigrèrent Elles dénigrèrent leur proposition. They (feminine) denigrated their proposal.

Other Conjugations for Dénigrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénigrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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