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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérouter

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The English translation of the French verb dérouter is “to divert” or “to reroute.” The infinitive form, dérouter, is pronounced as “day-roo-tay.”

Dérouter comes from the French word “route,” meaning “route” or “path.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary tense used primarily in written French.

Three simple examples of dérouter in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. Je déroutai les passagers vers un autre aéroport. (I diverted the passengers to another airport.)
  2. L’officier dérouta l’armée ennemie vers le nord. (The officer rerouted the enemy army to the north.)
  3. Le navigateur dérouta le bateau pour éviter les récifs. (The navigator diverted the boat to avoid the reefs.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déroutai Je déroutai le navire. I diverted the ship.
Tu déroutas Tu déroutas l’avion. You diverted the plane.
Il dérouta Il dérouta le train. He diverted the train.
Elle dérouta Elle dérouta le bus. She diverted the bus.
On dérouta On dérouta le trafic. One diverted the traffic.
Nous déroutâmes Nous déroutâmes le vol. We diverted the flight.
Vous déroutâtes Vous déroutâtes le camion. You diverted the truck.
Ils déroutèrent Ils déroutèrent les passagers. They diverted the passengers.
Elles déroutèrent Elles déroutèrent les voitures. They (feminine) diverted the cars.

Other Conjugations for Dérouter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérouter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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