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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérouiller

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The English translation of the French verb dérouiller is “to remove rust” or “to rustproof”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form dérouiller is day-roo-yay.

Dérouiller comes from the combination of the prefix dé- (indicating negation or removal) and the noun rouille, meaning “rust”. It is most often used in everyday French in the present tense to describe the action of removing or preventing rust from something, such as metal objects.

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

  1. J’éclairai ma lampe de poche et je dérouillai les clés rouillées. (I turned on my flashlight and removed the rust from the rusty keys.)
  2. Elle dérouilla sa bicyclette avant de partir en balade. (She rustproofed her bicycle before going for a ride.)
  3. Ils dérouillèrent les outils du garage pour les préparer à l’hiver. (They rustproofed the tools in the garage to prepare them for winter.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal or literary contexts in French, and the preferred tense for everyday conversations is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dérouillai Je dérouillai le vélo. I rust-proofed the bike.
Tu dérouillas Tu dérouillas la serrure. You rust-proofed the lock.
Il dérouilla Il dérouilla la chaîne. He rust-proofed the chain.
Elle dérouilla Elle dérouilla la voiture. She rust-proofed the car.
On dérouilla On dérouilla les outils. One rust-proofed the tools.
Nous dérouillâmes Nous dérouillâmes les pièces. We rust-proofed the parts.
Vous dérouillâtes Vous dérouillâtes la porte. You rust-proofed the door.
Ils dérouillèrent Ils dérouillèrent le moteur. They rust-proofed the engine.
Elles dérouillèrent Elles dérouillèrent la clôture. They (feminine) rust-proofed the fence.

Other Conjugations for Dérouiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérouiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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