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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désinformer

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The English translation of the French verb désinformer is “to misinform” or “to disinform.” The infinitive form, désinformer, is pronounced as “day-zan-for-may.”

The word désinformer is derived from the prefix “dé-” meaning “undo” or “reverse,” and “informer” meaning “to inform.” Therefore, désinformer can be understood as “to uninform” or “to provide false information.”

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is rarely used in spoken language but is commonly found in written literature and formal writing. It signifies completed actions in the past and is often replaced by the more common Past Tense (Passé Composé) in spoken French.

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

  1. Le gouvernement désinforma le peuple. (The government misinformed the people.)
  2. Les tabloïds désinformèrent leurs lecteurs. (The tabloids misinformed their readers.)
  3. L’entreprise désinforma ses clients pour dissimuler la vérité. (The company dis-informed its clients to conceal the truth.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désinformai J’ai désinformai les gens. I disinformed the people.
Tu désinformas Tu désinformas les médias. You disinformed the media.
Il désinforma Il désinforma le public. He disinformed the public.
Elle désinforma Elle désinforma ses amis. She disinformed her friends.
On désinforma On désinforma tout le monde. One disinformed everyone.
Nous désinformâmes Nous désinformâmes les autorités. We disinformed the authorities.
Vous désinformâtes Vous désinformâtes les lecteurs. You disinformed the readers.
Ils désinformèrent Ils désinformèrent les électeurs. They disinformed the voters.
Elles désinformèrent Elles désinformèrent les citoyennes. They (feminine) disinfor

Other Conjugations for Désinformer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désinformer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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