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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désaffecter

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The English translation of the French verb désaffecter is “to decommission” or “to disaffect.” The infinitive form, désaffecter, is pronounced as “day-zah-fehk-teh.”

The word désaffecter originates from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “dis-” or “un-“) and the verb “affecter” (meaning “to affect” or “to assign”). In everyday French, désaffecter is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past.

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

  1. Le gouvernement désaffecta l’ancienne usine.
    (The government decommissioned the old factory.)

  2. L’église fut désaffectée depuis plusieurs années.
    (The church was disaffected for several years.)

  3. Ils désaffectèrent le bâtiment après l’incendie.
    (They disaffected the building after the fire.)

In these examples, désaffecter is used to convey the action of decommissioning, disaffecting, or ceasing the use of a particular place or facility in the past tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désaffectai J’ai désaffectai l’immeuble. I decommissioned the building.
Tu désaffectas Tu désaffectas le terrain. You decommissioned the land.
Il désaffecta Il désaffecta l’usine. He decommissioned the factory.
Elle désaffecta Elle désaffecta la salle. She decommissioned the room.
On désaffecta On désaffecta le bâtiment. One decommissioned the building.
Nous désaffectâmes Nous désaffectâmes le site. We decommissioned the site.
Vous désaffectâtes Vous désaffectâtes le local. You decommissioned the premises.
Ils désaffectèrent Ils désaffectèrent le centre. They decommissioned the center.
Elles désaffectèrent Elles désaffectèrent le parc. They (feminine) decommissioned the park.

Other Conjugations for Désaffecter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désaffecter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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