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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désavouer

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The English translation of the French verb “désavouer” is “to disown” or “to disavow.” The infinitive form “désavouer” is pronounced as “day-za-voo-ey.”

The word “désavouer” originated from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the verb “avouer” (meaning “to confess” or “to admit”). It is most often used in everyday French to express the act of denying or renouncing something, typically in the sense of rejecting responsibility or affiliation with a particular person, action, or belief.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), which is primarily used in written and formal French, “désavouer” takes on the following forms:

  1. Il désavoua son frère devant tout le monde.
    (He disowned his brother in front of everyone.)
  2. Elle désavoua ses erreurs lors de l’entretien.
    (She disavowed her mistakes during the interview.)
  3. Le gouvernement désavoua les actions de son ministre.
    (The government disavowed the actions of its minister.)

Note: In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désavouai J’ai désavouai mes erreurs. I disowned my mistakes.
Tu désavouas Tu désavouas sa décision. You disowned his decision.
Il désavoua Il désavoua son complice. He disowned his accomplice.
Elle désavoua Elle désavoua ses actions. She disowned her actions.
On désavoua On désavoua la proposition. One disowned the proposition.
Nous désavouâmes Nous désavouâmes cette politique. We disowned this policy.
Vous désavouâtes Vous désavouâtes leur comportement. You disowned their behavior.
Ils désavouèrent Ils désavouèrent leur chef. They disowned their leader.
Elles désavouèrent Elles désavouèrent leur ami. They (feminine) disowned their friend.

Other Conjugations for Désavouer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désavouer – 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.

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