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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépontiller

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of dépontiller. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb dépontiller is “to take off one’s heels.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “dépontiller” is “day-pohn-tee-yay.”

The word “dépontiller” is derived from the combination of two French words: “de” (meaning “off”) and “pontiller” (meaning “to put or wear high-heeled shoes”). It is commonly used to describe the action of removing or taking off high-heeled shoes.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mostly used in written or formal contexts, dépontiller can be conjugated as follows:

  1. Elle dépontilla ses chaussures à la fin de la soirée.
    (She took off her shoes at the end of the evening.)

  2. Les danseuses dépontillèrent leurs bottines en quittant la scène.
    (The dancers took off their ankle boots when leaving the stage.)

  3. Lorsqu’il entra chez lui, il dépontilla ses souliers fatigués.
    (When he entered his home, he took off his tired shoes.)

Please note that the usage of the Passé Simple tense in everyday spoken French is quite rare, as it is mostly reserved for formal writing, literature, or historical contexts. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépontillai Je dépontillai le couteau. I unpointed the knife.
Tu dépontillas Tu dépontillas la plume. You unpointed the pen.
Il dépontilla Il dépontilla le stylo. He unpointed the pen.
Elle dépontilla Elle dépontilla la flèche. She unpointed the arrow.
On dépontilla On dépontilla le crayon. One unpointed the pencil.
Nous dépontillâmes Nous dépontillâmes les aiguilles. We unpointed the needles.
Vous dépontillâtes Vous dépontillâtes le crayon. You unpointed the pencil.
Ils dépontillèrent Ils dépontillèrent la plume. They unpointed the pen.
Elles dépontillèrent Elles dépontillèrent les couteaux. They (feminine) unpointed the knives.

Other Conjugations for Dépontiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépontiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the dépontiller Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply