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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désencombrer

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The English translation of the French verb désencombrer is “to declutter” or “to clear out.” The infinitive form, désencombrer, is pronounced as “day-zuhn-kom-bray.”

The word désencombrer originates from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “to remove” or “to undo”) and the verb “encombrer” (meaning “to clutter” or “to obstruct”). It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the act of removing or getting rid of unnecessary or unwanted items, thus creating a more organized and spacious environment.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, désencombrer is not frequently used in everyday French. This tense is mainly found in literature or formal writing. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous désencombrâmes la cave et jetâmes tout ce qui était inutile.
    “We decluttered the basement and threw away everything that was unnecessary.”

  2. Elle désencombra son bureau en rangeant tous les papiers dans des dossiers.
    “She cleared out her desk by organizing all the papers into folders.”

  3. Ils désencombrèrent leur appartement en donnant des affaires aux œuvres caritatives.
    “They decluttered their apartment by donating belongings to charities.”

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is used less frequently in spoken French and is instead replaced by the Passé Composé or other compound tenses.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désencombrai Je désencombrai la pièce. I decluttered the room.
Tu désencombras Tu désencombras le placard. You decluttered the closet.
Il désencombra Il désencombra la route. He cleared the road.
Elle désencombra Elle désencombra la table. She cleared the table.
On désencombra On désencombra le couloir. One cleared the hallway.
Nous désencombrâmes Nous désencombrâmes la cave. We cleared the basement.
Vous désencombrâtes Vous désencombrâtes la salle. You cleared the hall.
Ils désencombrèrent Ils désencombrèrent le grenier. They cleared the attic.
Elles désencombrèrent Elles désencombrèrent la cuisine. They (feminine) cleared the kitchen.

Other Conjugations for Désencombrer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désencombrer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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