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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépolluer

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The English translation of the French verb “dépolluer” is “to depollute” or “to clean up.” The infinitive form of “dépolluer” is pronounced as “day-poh-lwey.”

“Dépolluer” is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “to undo” or “to reverse”) and the verb “polluer” (meaning “to pollute”). It is used to describe the action of cleaning up or removing pollution from an area or an environment.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is rarely used in spoken language but more commonly found in written literature. It is used to express completed actions in the past, particularly in formal or literary contexts.

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

  1. Les autorités dépolluèrent la rivière après la catastrophe industrielle. (The authorities depolluted the river after the industrial disaster.)

  2. L’entreprise dépollua le site contaminé avant de le réaménager. (The company depolluted the contaminated site before redeveloping it.)

  3. Les scientifiques dépolluèrent l’air en utilisant des technologies innovantes. (The scientists depolluted the air using innovative technologies.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépolluai J’ai dépollué la rivière. I depolluted the river.
Tu dépolluas Tu dépolluas l’air. You depolluted the air.
Il dépollua Il dépollua le sol. He depolluted the soil.
Elle dépollua Elle dépollua la plage. She depolluted the beach.
On dépollua On dépollua la zone industrielle. One depolluted the industrial area.
Nous dépolluâmes Nous dépolluâmes la mer. We depolluted the sea.
Vous dépolluâtes Vous dépolluâtes le lac. You depolluted the lake.
Ils dépolluèrent Ils dépolluèrent le sol. They depolluted the soil.
Elles dépolluèrent Elles dépolluèrent la rivière. They (feminine) depolluted the river.

Other Conjugations for Dépolluer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépolluer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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