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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douer

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The English translation of the French verb “douer” is “to endow” or “to gift.” The infinitive form “douer” is pronounced as “dwey.”

The verb “douer” originates from the Latin word “dotare,” which means “to give a dowry.” In everyday French, the verb “douer” is most commonly used in the Passé Simple tense when referring to the act of endowing or gifting someone with a quality, talent, or characteristic in the past.

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

  1. Il doua sa fille d’une beauté exceptionnelle.
    (He endowed his daughter with exceptional beauty.)
  2. Elle le doua d’une grande intelligence.
    (She gifted him with great intelligence.)
  3. Le professeur nous doua d’une passion pour la langue française.
    (The professor endowed us with a passion for the French language.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French and is less common in spoken language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je douai Je douai mes filles avec des talents artistiques. I endowed my daughters with artistic talents.
Tu douas Tu douas ton ami d’intelligence. You endowed your friend with intelligence.
Il doua Il doua son équipe de courage. He endowed his team with courage.
Elle doua Elle doua sa sœur de compassion. She endowed her sister with compassion.
On doua On doua le chat de grâce. One endowed the cat with grace.
Nous douâmes Nous douâmes notre maison d’amour. We endowed our house with love.
Vous douâtes Vous douâtes le pays de richesse. You endowed the country with wealth.
Ils douèrent Ils douèrent leur entreprise de succès. They endowed their company with success.
Elles douèrent Elles douèrent leur école de connaissances. They (feminine) endowed their school with knowledge.

Other Conjugations for Douer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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