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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déroger

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The English translation of the French verb déroger is “to deviate” or “to infringe.” The infinitive form déroger is pronounced as “day-roh-zhay.”

The verb déroger has its origin in the Latin word “derogare,” meaning “to repeal” or “to subtract.” In everyday French, déroger is often used in the Passé Simple tense to indicate an action or behavior that deviated from a norm or a principle in the past.

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

  1. Les autorités dérogèrent aux règles établies. (The authorities deviated from the established rules.)
  2. Il dérogea à sa promesse en ne venant pas au rendez-vous. (He deviated from his promise by not showing up for the meeting.)
  3. L’entreprise dérogea à la loi en ne respectant pas les normes de sécurité. (The company infringed the law by not complying with safety standards.)

These examples illustrate situations where déroger is used to describe actions or behaviors that went against established norms, rules, promises, or legal requirements in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dérogeai J’ai dérogé à la règle. I deviated from the rule.
Tu dérogeas Tu dérogeas aux principes. You deviated from the principles.
Il dérogea Il dérogea à la tradition. He deviated from the tradition.
Elle dérogea Elle dérogea aux normes. She deviated from the norms.
On dérogea On dérogea à la coutume. One deviated from the custom.
Nous dérogeâmes Nous dérogeâmes aux règles. We deviated from the rules.
Vous dérogeâtes Vous dérogeâtes à la loi. You deviated from the law.
Ils dérogèrent Ils dérogèrent aux accords. They deviated from the agreements.
Elles dérogèrent Elles dérogèrent aux consignes. They (feminine) deviated from the instructions.

Other Conjugations for Déroger.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déroger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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