Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Introduction to the verb dépasser
The English translation of the French verb “dépasser” is “to exceed” or “to surpass”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form “dépasser” is [day-pah-say].
The verb “dépasser” in French originated from the Old French word “despasser”, which means “to pass beyond”. It comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “de-” or “out”) and the verb “passer” (meaning “to pass”). In everyday French, the verb “dépasser” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred and ended in the past.
Here are three simple examples of the usage of “dépasser” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:
-
Elle dépassa tous ses concurrents et remporta la médaille d’or.
(She exceeded all her competitors and won the gold medal.) -
L’entreprise dépassa ses objectifs de vente l’année dernière.
(The company surpassed its sales goals last year.) -
Les dépenses du gouvernement dépassèrent largement le budget alloué.
(Government expenses greatly exceeded the allocated budget.)
Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions or events.
Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of dépasser
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Je | dépassai | J’ai dépassai la voiture. | I overtook the car. |
Tu | dépassas | Tu dépassas le camion. | You overtook the truck. |
Il | dépassa | Il dépassa le cycliste. | He overtook the cyclist. |
Elle | dépassa | Elle dépassa le bus. | She overtook the bus. |
On | dépassa | On dépassa la limite de vitesse. | One exceeded the speed limit. |
Nous | dépassâmes | Nous dépassâmes le train. | We overtook the train. |
Vous | dépassâtes | Vous dépassâtes le motard. | You overtook the motorcyclist. |
Ils | dépassèrent | Ils dépassèrent le camion. | They overtook the truck. |
Elles | dépassèrent | Elles dépassèrent la voiture. | They (feminine) overtook the car. |
Other Conjugations for Dépasser.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
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Dépasser – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense
Formation
Usage
Narration
Historical Context
Interactions with other tenses
Passé Composé
Imparfait
Conditional and Subjunctive
Summary
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