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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désister

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of désister. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb désister is “to withdraw” or “to back out”. The infinitive form, désister, is pronounced as “day-zee-stay”.

Désister comes from the Latin word “desistere”, which means “to stop” or “to desist”. In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that took place in the past, particularly formal or official statements, or historical events.

Here are three examples of désister in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Il désista de participer à la compétition.
    (He withdrew from participating in the competition.)

  2. L’entreprise désista de poursuivre le projet.
    (The company backed out of continuing the project.)

  3. Les manifestants désistèrent suite à l’accord du gouvernement.
    (The protesters withdrew after the government’s agreement.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désistai Je me désistai de cette compétition. I withdrew from this competition.
Tu désistas Tu te désistas à la dernière minute. You withdrew at the last minute.
Il désista Il se désista de son projet. He withdrew from his project.
Elle désista Elle se désista de sa demande. She withdrew her request.
On désista On se désista de l’affaire. One withdrew from the case.
Nous désistâmes Nous nous désistâmes de notre plainte. We withdrew our complaint.
Vous désistâtes Vous vous désistâtes de votre engagement. You withdrew from your commitment.
Ils désistèrent Ils se désistèrent de leur décision. They withdrew from their decision.
Elles désistèrent Elles se désistèrent de leur action. They (feminine) withdrew from their action.

Other Conjugations for Désister.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désister

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the désister Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply