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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb drosser

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of drosser. 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 “drosser” is “to trim” or “to prune”. The infinitive form “drosser” is pronounced as “dross-ay”.

The verb “drosser” comes from the Old French word “drosser” which means “to clean, to clear out”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense that is mainly used in written French.

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

  1. Il drossa les branches mortes de l’arbre. (He trimmed the dead branches of the tree.)
  2. Elle drossa les haies du jardin. (She pruned the hedges in the garden.)
  3. Ils drossèrent les rosiers pour favoriser leur croissance. (They trimmed the rose bushes to promote their growth.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mostly reserved for formal writing or literature. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé or other past tenses are more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je drossai J’ai drossé la tapisserie. I brushed the wallpaper.
Tu drossas Tu as drossé le cheval. You brushed the horse.
Il drossa Il a drossé ses cheveux. He brushed his hair.
Elle drossa Elle a drossé le chien. She brushed the dog.
On drossa On a drossé les vêtements. One brushed the clothes.
Nous drossâmes Nous avons drossé le tapis. We brushed the carpet.
Vous drossâtes Vous avez drossé les meubles. You brushed the furniture.
Ils drossèrent Ils ont drossé le parquet. They brushed the floor.
Elles drossèrent Elles ont drossé les plantes. They (feminine) brushed the plants.

Other Conjugations for Drosser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb drosser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 drosser Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply