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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépingler

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The English translation of the French verb “dépingler” is “to unpin” or “to take off a pin”. The infinitive form “dépingler” is pronounced as “day-pahn-gleh”.

The verb “dépingler” originated from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, which indicates the removal or reversal of an action, and the noun “épingle” meaning “pin”. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of removing or taking off a pin from something.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “dépingler” is used to describe a completed action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Je dépinglai la photo du mur. (I unpinned the photo from the wall.)
  2. Il dépingla la rose de sa veste. (He unpinned the rose from his jacket.)
  3. Elle dépingla les épingles de ses cheveux. (She took the pins off her hair.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, particularly in literature and formal writing, while the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used in spoken language to express completed actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépinglai Je dépinglai le tissu. I unpinned the fabric.
Tu dépinglas Tu dépinglas la photo. You unpinned the photo.
Il dépingla Il dépingla la carte. He unpinned the map.
Elle dépingla Elle dépingla l’affiche. She unpinned the poster.
On dépingla On dépingla le document. One unpinned the document.
Nous dépinglâmes Nous dépinglâmes les notes. We unpinned the notes.
Vous dépinglâtes Vous dépinglâtes le papier. You unpinned the paper.
Ils dépinglèrent Ils dépinglèrent le badge. They unpinned the badge.
Elles dépinglèrent Elles dépinglèrent l’écharpe. They (feminine) unpinned the scarf.

Other Conjugations for Dépingler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépingler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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