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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépêcher

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The English translation of the French verb dépêcher is “to hurry” or “to dispatch.” The infinitive form “dépêcher” is pronounced as “day-peh-shay.”

The verb dépêcher comes from the Old French word “despechier,” which means “to free” or “to rid.” It originated from the Vulgar Latin word “disimpedicāre,” which combines the prefix “dis-” (meaning “away” or “undo”) with the word “impedicāre” (meaning “to entangle” or “to obstruct”).

In everyday French, the passé simple (simple past) tense of dépêcher is less commonly used in spoken language and is mainly found in literature or formal writing. Here are three examples of its usage in the passé simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je dépêchai le courrier avant de partir. (I hurried the mail before leaving.)
  2. L’équipe se dépêcha de terminer le projet avant la date limite. (The team hurried to finish the project before the deadline.)
  3. Elle dépêcha un message urgent à son supérieur. (She dispatched an urgent message to her superior.)

Please note that the passé simple tense is not used extensively in contemporary spoken French, and it is more commonly replaced by the passé composé tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépêchai Je me dépêchai d’arriver. I hurried to arrive.
Tu dépêchas Tu dépêchas le courrier. You hurried the mail.
Il dépêcha Il dépêcha son travail. He hurried his work.
Elle dépêcha Elle dépêcha sa demande. She hurried her request.
On dépêcha On dépêcha les préparatifs. One hurried the preparations.
Nous dépêchâmes Nous nous dépêchâmes de partir. We hurried to leave.
Vous dépêchâtes Vous dépêchâtes les invitations. You hurried the invitations.
Ils dépêchèrent Ils dépêchèrent les tâches. They hurried the tasks.
Elles dépêchèrent Elles dépêchèrent les commandes. They (feminine) hurried the orders.

Other Conjugations for Dépêcher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépêcher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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