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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb devancer

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The English translation of the French verb “devancer” is “to get ahead of” or “to surpass.” The infinitive form of “devancer” is pronounced as “duh-vahn-seh.”

The word “devancer” comes from the Latin word “devincere,” which means “to overcome” or “to defeat.” In everyday French, “devancer” is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used to describe completed actions in the past.

Here are three examples of “devancer” used in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Ils devancèrent leurs concurrents et remportèrent la course.
    (They got ahead of their competitors and won the race.)

  2. Le chanteur devança les attentes du public lors de son concert.
    (The singer surpassed the audience’s expectations during his concert.)

  3. L’entreprise devança tous ses concurrents en lançant un nouveau produit révolutionnaire.
    (The company outdid all its competitors by launching a revolutionary new product.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je devançai Je devançai mes concurrents. I surpassed my competitors.
Tu devanças Tu devanças ton adversaire. You surpassed your opponent.
Il devança Il devança le peloton. He surpassed the pack.
Elle devança Elle devança ses collègues. She surpassed her colleagues.
On devança On devança les attentes. One surpassed the expectations.
Nous devançâmes Nous devançâmes l’équipe adverse. We surpassed the opposing team.
Vous devançâtes Vous devançâtes le leader. You surpassed the leader.
Ils devancèrent Ils devancèrent leurs rivaux. They surpassed their rivals.
Elles devancèrent Elles devancèrent les autres équipes. They (feminine) surpassed the other teams.

Other Conjugations for Devancer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb devancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Devancer – 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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