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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discriminer

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The English translation of the French verb “discriminer” is “to discriminate.” The infinitive form of “discriminer” is pronounced as “dees-kree-mee-nay.”

The verb “discriminer” comes from the Latin word “discriminare,” which means “to distinguish” or “to differentiate.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of treating someone unfairly or unequally based on their race, gender, religion, or other characteristics.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “discriminer” is less commonly used in everyday French conversation. However, here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les employeurs discriminèrent les candidats lors du processus d’embauche.
    (The employers discriminated against the candidates during the hiring process.)

  2. Elle discriminina les étudiants en fonction de leurs origines ethniques.
    (She discriminated against the students based on their ethnic backgrounds.)

  3. Les lois de l’époque discrimininèrent les homosexuels.
    (The laws of the time discriminated against homosexuals.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal writing, literature, or historical contexts in French. In modern spoken French, the Passé Composé or other compound tenses are commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je discriminai J’ai discriminé contre lui. I discriminated against him.
Tu discriminas Tu as discriminé les minorités. You discriminated against minorities.
Il discrimina Il a discriminé ses collègues. He discriminated against his colleagues.
Elle discrimina Elle a discriminé les personnes âgées. She discriminated against elderly people.
On discrimina On a discriminé les immigrés. One discriminated against immigrants.
Nous discriminâmes Nous avons discriminé les femmes. We discriminated against women.
Vous discriminâtes Vous avez discriminé les handicapés. You discriminated against disabled people.
Ils discriminèrent Ils ont discriminé les minorités raciales. They discriminated against racial minorities.
Elles discriminèrent Elles ont discriminé les homosexuels. They (feminine) discriminated against homosexuals.

Other Conjugations for Discriminer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discriminer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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