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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépiter

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The English translation of the French verb “dépiter” is “to dismay” or “to dishearten.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “dépiter” is [deh-pee-teh].

The word “dépiter” comes from the Old French word “despit” meaning “contempt” or “scorn.” It is derived from the Latin word “despectus,” which means “to look down upon” or “to despise.” In everyday French, “dépiter” is most often used in the present tense to describe a feeling of disappointment, frustration, or annoyance.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “dépiter” is less commonly used in daily conversations since it belongs to a more formal and literary register. However, here are three examples of its usage in the Simple Past tense, along with their English translations:

  1. L’échec de son projet de rêve le dépita profondément.
    (The failure of his dream project dismayed him deeply.)

  2. Les critiques négatives l’avaient beaucoup dépité.
    (The negative critiques had disheartened him a lot.)

  3. La nouvelle de sa démission les dépita tous.
    (The news of his resignation disheartened them all.)

Note: In contemporary spoken French, it is more common to use the compound past tense (Passé Composé) rather than the Simple Past tense for actions that occurred in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépîtai Je dépîtai ses commentaires. I got upset by his comments.
Tu dépitas Tu dépitas tes parents. You got upset your parents.
Il dépita Il dépita sa collègue. He got upset with his colleague.
Elle dépita Elle dépita son amie. She got upset with her friend.
On dépita On dépita le chauffeur de taxi. One got upset with the taxi driver.
Nous dépîtâmes Nous dépîtâmes leur attitude. We got upset with their attitude.
Vous dépîtâtes Vous dépîtâtes votre patron. You got upset with your boss.
Ils dépîtèrent Ils dépîtèrent leurs adversaires. They got upset with their opponents.
Elles dépîtèrent Elles dépîtèrent leurs professeurs. They (feminine) got upset with their teachers.

Other Conjugations for Dépiter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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