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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déphaser

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The English translation of the French verb déphaser is “to phase shift.” The infinitive form, déphaser, is pronounced as “day-fah-zay.”

Déphaser is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “reverse”) and the verb “phaser” (meaning “to phase”). In everyday French, déphaser is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe a specific action that occurred in the past and is now completed.

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

  1. Hier, j’ai déphasé les signaux électriques. (Yesterday, I phase shifted the electrical signals.)
  2. Il déphasa la lumière à des fins expérimentales. (He phase shifted the light for experimental purposes.)
  3. L’ingénieur déphasa le son pour créer un effet spécial. (The engineer phase shifted the sound to create a special effect.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is primarily used in formal writing and literature. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déphasai J’ai déphasé l’onde sonore. I shifted the sound wave.
Tu déphasas Tu déphasas le signal. You shifted the signal.
Il déphasa Il déphasa la fréquence. He shifted the frequency.
Elle déphasa Elle déphasa la phase. She shifted the phase.
On déphasa On déphasa l’énergie. One shifted the energy.
Nous déphasâmes Nous déphasâmes la lumière. We shifted the light.
Vous déphasâtes Vous déphasâtes le courant. You shifted the current.
Ils déphasèrent Ils déphasèrent le système. They shifted the system.
Elles déphasèrent Elles déphasèrent le champ magnétique. They (feminine) shifted the magnetic field.

Other Conjugations for Déphaser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déphaser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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