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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dilater

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The English translation of the French verb “dilater” is “to dilate” or “to expand”. The infinitive form of “dilater” is pronounced as dee-la-teh.

The verb “dilater” originates from the Latin word “dīlātāre”, which means “to enlarge” or “to spread out”. In everyday French, “dilater” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in formal or written French.

Here are three simple examples of “dilater” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je dilatai mon regard pour mieux voir. (I dilated my eyes to see better.)
  2. Le médecin dilata ses pupilles avec des gouttes. (The doctor dilated his patient’s pupils with drops.)
  3. La salle de conférence se dilata en un vaste espace. (The conference room expanded into a vast space.)

In these examples, “dilater” is used to describe the action of enlarging or expanding something, such as eyes, pupils, or a physical space.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dilatai J’ai dilatai mes pupilles. I dilated my pupils.
Tu dilatas Tu dilatas tes vaisseaux sanguins. You dilated your blood vessels.
Il dilata Il dilata ses narines. He dilated his nostrils.
Elle dilata Elle dilata ses yeux. She dilated her eyes.
On dilata On dilata ses bronches. One dilated their bronchi.
Nous dilatâmes Nous dilatâmes nos pupilles. We dilated our pupils.
Vous dilatâtes Vous dilatâtes vos vaisseaux sanguins. You dilated your blood vessels.
Ils dilatèrent Ils dilatèrent leurs narines. They dilated their nostrils.
Elles dilatèrent Elles dilatèrent leurs yeux. They (feminine) dilated their eyes.

Other Conjugations for Dilater.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dilater

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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