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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déposséder

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The English translation of the French verb déposséder is “to dispossess” or “to deprive.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “déposséder” is [dey-poh-zey-dey].

The verb déposséder originates from the Latin word “possidēre,” meaning “to possess.” In everyday French, déposséder is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense for actions that occurred in the past and are now completed. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in written French, particularly in literature.

Three simple examples of déposséder in the Passé Simple tense are:

  1. Il la déposséda de tous ses biens. (He dispossessed her of all her belongings.)
  2. L’entreprise déposséda ses employés de leurs droits. (The company deprived its employees of their rights.)
  3. Ils dépossédèrent la famille de ses terres. (They dispossessed the family of their lands.)

These examples illustrate instances where déposséder is used in the past tense to describe actions of dispossessing or depriving someone or a group of something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépossédai Je le dépossédai de son bien. I dispossessed him of his property.
Tu dépossédas Tu dépossédas ta sœur de son droit. You dispossessed your sister of her right.
Il déposséda Il déposséda son collègue de son poste. He dispossessed his colleague of his position.
Elle déposséda Elle déposséda son frère de sa voiture. She dispossessed her brother of his car.
On déposséda On déposséda l’entreprise de ses biens. One dispossessed the company of its assets.
Nous dépossédâmes Nous dépossédâmes les occupants de la maison. We dispossessed the occupants of the house.
Vous dépossédâtes Vous dépossédâtes le propriétaire de son terrain. You dispossessed the owner of his land.
Ils dépossédèrent Ils dépossédèrent les habitants de leurs terres. They dispossessed the inhabitants of their lands.
Elles dépossédèrent Elles dépossédèrent les locataires de leur appartement. They (feminine) dispossessed the tenants of their apartment.

Other Conjugations for Déposséder.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déposséder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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