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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désabuser

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The English translation of the French verb “désabuser” is “to disillusion” or “to disabuse.” The infinitive form “désabuser” is pronounced as “day-za-byoo-zay.”

The verb “désabuser” comes from the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the verb “abuser” (to deceive or abuse). It is used in everyday French to describe the act of enlightening someone, correcting false beliefs, or dispelling illusions.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is mainly used in formal or literary contexts, “désabuser” follows regular conjugation patterns for -er verbs. Here are three examples of its usage in the Passé Simple with their English translations:

  1. Je le désabusai de ses rêves utopiques. (I disillusioned him about his utopian dreams.)
  2. Elle désabusa les jeunes enfants sur la vérité du Père Noël. (She disabused the young children about the truth of Santa Claus.)
  3. Ils désabusèrent les électeurs en révélant les scandales politiques. (They disillusioned the voters by exposing political scandals.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désabusai J’ai désabusé la personne. I disillusioned the person.
Tu désabusas Tu désabusas tes amis. You disillusioned your friends.
Il désabusa Il désabusa ses parents. He disillusioned his parents.
Elle désabusa Elle désabusa son mari. She disillusioned her husband.
On désabusa On désabusa tout le monde. One disillusioned everyone.
Nous désabusâmes Nous désabusâmes les étudiants. We disillusioned the students.
Vous désabusâtes Vous désabusâtes le public. You disillusioned the audience.
Ils désabusèrent Ils désabusèrent le peuple. They disillusioned the people.
Elles désabusèrent Elles désabusèrent les enfants. They (feminine) disillusioned the children.

Other Conjugations for Désabuser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désabuser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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