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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérouler

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The English translation of the French verb dérouler is “to unfold” or “to unroll.” The infinitive form of dérouler is pronounced as “day-roo-lay.”

Dérouler is derived from the Old French word “desrouler,” which comes from the prefix “des-” meaning “undo” and the verb “rouler” meaning “to roll.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of unrolling or unfolding something.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, dérouler is conjugated as follows:

  • Je déroulai (I unfolded)
  • Tu déroulas (You unfolded)
  • Il/elle déroula (He/she unfolded)
  • Nous déroulâmes (We unfolded)
  • Vous déroulâtes (You unfolded)
  • Ils/elles déroulèrent (They unfolded)

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

  1. Je déroulai le tapis rouge pour accueillir les invités. (I unrolled the red carpet to welcome the guests.)
  2. Elle déroula le parchemin ancien avec précaution. (She unfolded the ancient parchment with caution.)
  3. Nous déroulâmes la bannière pour la parade. (We unfolded the banner for the parade.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déroulai Je déroulai le tapis. I unrolled the carpet.
Tu déroulas Tu déroulas le film. You unrolled the film.
Il déroula Il déroula la toile. He unrolled the canvas.
Elle déroula Elle déroula le câble. She unrolled the cable.
On déroula On déroula le tapis rouge. One unrolled the red carpet.
Nous déroulâmes Nous déroulâmes le tapis vert. We unrolled the green carpet.
Vous déroulâtes Vous déroulâtes le document. You unrolled the document.
Ils déroulèrent Ils déroulèrent le tapis blanc. They unrolled the white carpet.
Elles déroulèrent Elles déroulèrent le rouleau. They (feminine) unrolled the roll.

Other Conjugations for Dérouler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérouler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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