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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dessiner

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The English translation of the French verb “dessiner” is “to draw.” The infinitive form “dessiner” is pronounced as de-see-neh.

The verb “dessiner” comes from the Latin word “designare,” which means “to designate” or “to mark out.” In everyday French, “dessiner” is commonly used to express the action of creating images or illustrations by hand.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “dessiner” is used to describe past actions that are completed and not ongoing. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’entrai dans la chambre et je dessinai une fleur.
    (I entered the room and drew a flower.)

  2. L’artiste s’assit devant le chevalet et dessina une magnifique scène de montagne.
    (The artist sat in front of the easel and drew a magnificent mountain scene.)

  3. Il prit un crayon et dessina un portrait de sa mère.
    (He took a pencil and drew a portrait of his mother.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dessinai J’ai dessinai un portrait. I drew a portrait.
Tu dessinas Tu dessinas un paysage. You drew a landscape.
Il dessina Il dessina une fleur. He drew a flower.
Elle dessina Elle dessina un arbre. She drew a tree.
On dessina On dessina un animal. One drew an animal.
Nous dessinâmes Nous dessinâmes un bâtiment. We drew a building.
Vous dessinâtes Vous dessinâtes un pont. You drew a bridge.
Ils dessinèrent Ils dessinèrent un visage. They drew a face.
Elles dessinèrent Elles dessinèrent une voiture. They (feminine) drew a car.

Other Conjugations for Dessiner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dessiner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dessiner – 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.

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