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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dominer

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The English translation of the French verb “dominer” is “to dominate” or “to rule.” The infinitive form of “dominer” is pronounced as doh-mee-ney.

The word “dominer” comes from the Latin word “dominare,” meaning “to dominate” or “to rule.” In everyday French, “dominer” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past. However, the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing, and is less commonly used in spoken language.

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

  1. Il domina la compétition de natation.
    (He dominated the swimming competition.)

  2. La forteresse domina la vallée.
    (The fortress dominated the valley.)

  3. Le roi domina son peuple avec autorité.
    (The king ruled his people with authority.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is still grammatically correct in French, it has become less commonly used in spoken language. The more commonly used tense to talk about past events in spoken French is the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je dominai Je dominai le match. I dominated the game.
Tu dominas Tu dominas le débat. You dominated the debate.
Il domina Il domina la compétition. He dominated the competition.
Elle domina Elle domina la scène. She dominated the stage.
On domina On domina la situation. One dominated the situation.
Nous dominâmes Nous dominâmes l’équipe adverse. We dominated the opposing team.
Vous dominâtes Vous dominâtes le marché. You dominated the market.
Ils dominèrent Ils dominèrent le territoire. They dominated the territory.
Elles dominèrent Elles dominèrent la conversation. They (feminine) dominated the conversation.

Other Conjugations for Dominer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dominer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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