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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douter

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of douter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “douter” is “to doubt.” The infinitive form “douter” is pronounced as “doo-teh.”

The verb “douter” comes from the Latin word “dubitare,” meaning “to hesitate” or “to doubt.” In everyday French, “douter” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, although this tense is more commonly found in written French rather than in spoken language.

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

  1. Je doutai de ma décision. (I doubted my decision.)
  2. Tu doutas de sa sincérité. (You doubted his/her sincerity.)
  3. Il/Elle douta de la vérité de ses paroles. (He/She doubted the truthfulness of his/her words.)

Note: While the Passé Simple tense is still used in literature, it is less prevalent in spoken French. In everyday spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je doutai Je doutai de sa parole. I doubted his word.
Tu doutas Tu doutas de ton choix. You doubted your choice.
Il douta Il douta de ses capacités. He doubted his abilities.
Elle douta Elle douta de sa décision. She doubted her decision.
On douta On douta de son engagement. One doubted his commitment.
Nous doutâmes Nous doutâmes de son intention. We doubted his intention.
Vous doutâtes Vous doutâtes de leur honnêteté. You doubted their honesty.
Ils doutèrent Ils doutèrent de leur succès. They doubted their success.
Elles doutèrent Elles doutèrent de leur choix. They (feminine) doubted their choice.

Other Conjugations for Douter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the douter Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply