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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déshabiller

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The English translation of the French verb “déshabiller” is “to undress.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “déshabiller” is [day-zha-bee-yay].

The verb “déshabiller” is derived from the prefix “dé-” (which indicates the opposite action) and the verb “habiller” (to dress). It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of removing one’s clothing or someone else’s clothing. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is a literary tense used for narrating past events, “déshabiller” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je déshabillai (I undressed)
  • Tu déshabillas (You undressed)
  • Il/elle déshabilla (He/she undressed)

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

  1. Je déshabillai le bébé avant de le mettre au lit.
    (I undressed the baby before putting him to bed.)

  2. Tu déshabillas rapidement après la fin de la fête.
    (You undressed quickly after the end of the party.)

  3. Il déshabilla sa petite amie lentement et avec tendresse.
    (He undressed his girlfriend slowly and tenderly.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je déshabillai Je déshabillai le bébé. I undressed the baby.
Tu déshabillas Tu déshabillas le mannequin. You undressed the mannequin.
Il déshabilla Il déshabilla la femme. He undressed the woman.
Elle déshabilla Elle déshabilla l’homme. She undressed the man.
On déshabilla On déshabilla le modèle. One undressed the model.
Nous déshabillâmes Nous déshabillâmes les enfants. We undressed the children.
Vous déshabillâtes Vous déshabillâtes le patient. You undressed the patient.
Ils déshabillèrent Ils déshabillèrent les patients. They undressed the patients.
Elles déshabillèrent Elles déshabillèrent les modèles. They (feminine) undressed the models.

Other Conjugations for Déshabiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déshabiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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