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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déprécier

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The English translation of the French verb déprécier is “to depreciate” or “to belittle.” The infinitive form of déprécier is pronounced as “day-pray-syay.”

Déprécier is a French verb that originated from the Latin word “depreciare,” which means “to lower the price” or “to undervalue.” In everyday French, déprécier is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in written language. This tense is less common in spoken French.

Here are three simple examples of déprécier in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il déprécia ses compétences lors de l’entretien. (He belittled his skills during the interview.)
  2. Elle déprécia nos efforts pour résoudre le problème. (She depreciated our efforts to solve the problem.)
  3. Ils déprécièrent la valeur des actions de la société. (They depreciated the value of the company’s stocks.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is often replaced by the Passé Composé tense in spoken French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dépréciai J’ai déprécié la valeur de la voiture. I depreciated the value of the car.
Tu déprécias Tu déprécias ses compétences. You depreciated his skills.
Il déprécia Il dépréciait cette décision. He depreciated this decision.
Elle déprécia Elle déprécia ce cadeau. She depreciated this gift.
On déprécia On dépréciait cet événement. One depreciated this event.
Nous dépréciâmes Nous dépréciâmes leurs efforts. We depreciated their efforts.
Vous dépréciâtes Vous dépréciâtes cette idée. You depreciated this idea.
Ils déprécièrent Ils déprécièrent cette propriété. They depreciated this property.
Elles déprécièrent Elles déprécièrent son travail. They (feminine) depreciated her work.

Other Conjugations for Déprécier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déprécier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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