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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb distancer

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The English translation of the French verb “distancer” is “to distance” or “to leave behind.” The infinitive form “distancer” is pronounced as [dis.tɑ̃.se].

The verb “distancer” comes from the French noun “distance,” which ultimately derives from the Latin word “distantia” meaning “a space or interval.” In everyday French, “distancer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to express a past action that has been completed or a specific event that occurred and ended in the past. This tense is less commonly used in spoken French and is mostly found in written literature, formal writing, or historical contexts.

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

  1. Il distança ses concurrents et remporta la course.
    (He left his competitors behind and won the race.)

  2. L’équipe de football distança l’équipe adverse en marquant deux buts supplémentaires.
    (The football team distanced themselves from the opposing team by scoring two more goals.)

  3. La voiture accéléra subitement et distança les autres véhicules sur l’autoroute.
    (The car suddenly sped up and distanced itself from the other vehicles on the highway.)

In these examples, you can see how “distancer” is used to convey the action of leaving someone or something behind or creating distance between two entities.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je distançai Je distançai mes concurrents. I distanced my competitors.
Tu distanças Tu distanças ton adversaire. You distanced your opponent.
Il distança Il distança ses poursuivants. He distanced his pursuers.
Elle distança Elle distança la compétition. She distanced the competition.
On distança On distança les autres coureurs. One distanced the other runners.
Nous distançâmes Nous distançâmes nos adversaires. We distanced our opponents.
Vous distançâtes Vous distançâtes votre rival. You distanced your rival.
Ils distancèrent Ils distancèrent leurs concurrents. They distanced their competitors.
Elles distancèrent Elles distancèrent les autres équipes. They (feminine) distanced the other teams.

Other Conjugations for Distancer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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