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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désoccuper

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The English translation of the French verb désoccuper is “to vacate” or “to free up”. The infinitive form “désoccuper” is pronounced as “day-zoh-koo-pay”.

The word “désoccuper” is derived from the prefix “dés-” meaning “un-” or “de-“, and the verb “occuper” meaning “to occupy”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) to describe actions or events that occurred and were completed in the past.

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

  1. Je désoccupai ma chambre.
    (I vacated my room.)
  2. Tu désoccupas ton poste de travail.
    (You freed up your workstation.)
  3. Il désoccupa l’appartement avant de partir.
    (He vacated the apartment before leaving.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, especially in formal or literary contexts. In spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désoccupai Je désoccupai la chambre. I vacated the room.
Tu désoccupas Tu désoccupas ton bureau. You vacated your office.
Il désoccupa Il désoccupa la maison. He vacated the house.
Elle désoccupa Elle désoccupa la salle de classe. She vacated the classroom.
On désoccupa On désoccupa le siège. One vacated the seat.
Nous désoccupâmes Nous désoccupâmes les lieux. We vacated the premises.
Vous désoccupâtes Vous désoccupâtes la chambre d’hôtel. You vacated the hotel room.
Ils désoccupèrent Ils désoccupèrent les locaux. They vacated the premises.
Elles désoccupèrent Elles désoccupèrent la cuisine. They (feminine) vacated the kitchen.

Other Conjugations for Désoccuper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désoccuper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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