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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dériver

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The English translation of the French verb “dériver” is “to derive” or “to drift.”
The infinitive form “dériver” is pronounced as de-ree-vay.

The word “dériver” comes from the Latin word “derīvāre,” meaning “to draw off” or “to derive.” In everyday French, “dériver” is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense in formal or written contexts. The Passé Simple is used to describe past events that are completed and have no relation to the present.

Here are three examples of “dériver” used in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’entendis le bruit de l’eau qui dérivait dans la rivière.
    (I heard the sound of the water drifting in the river.)

  2. Le bateau dériva vers des eaux inconnues.
    (The boat drifted towards unknown waters.)

  3. Les discussions dérivèrent sur des sujets politiques sensibles.
    (The discussions drifted towards sensitive political topics.)

In all these examples, “dériver” is used in its literal sense of “drifting” or “moving in a certain direction without control.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dérivai J’ai dérivai vers la côte. I drifted towards the coast.
Tu dérivas Tu dérivas vers le nord. You drifted towards the north.
Il dériva Il dériva avec le courant. He drifted with the current.
Elle dériva Elle dériva vers l’ouest. She drifted towards the west.
On dériva On dériva vers la mer. One drifted towards the sea.
Nous dérivâmes Nous dérivâmes pendant des heures. We drifted for hours.
Vous dérivâtes Vous dérivâtes vers la plage. You drifted towards the beach.
Ils dérivèrent Ils dérivèrent vers le sud. They drifted towards the south.
Elles dérivèrent Elles dérivèrent avec le vent. They (feminine) drifted with the wind.

Other Conjugations for Dériver.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dériver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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