Démarrai

Démarrai is a form of the French verb démarrer. It represents the passé simple, the literary past tense, in the first person singular. In modern spoken French this tense is uncommon outside of formal writing or historical narratives, where authors seek a narrative distance or a traditional rhythm.

Usage and context. The passé simple, including démarrai in its 1st person singular form, appears mainly in novels, chronicles, and literary journalism. It is often used to sequence actions in a story, similar in function to the passé composé in everyday speech, but with a distinctly written and sometimes more ceremonial feel. The form démarrai (or démarrai, depending on spelling conventions) is typically accompanied by a clear narrative subject and direct action.

Etymology and form. Démarrer is a standard -er verb meaning to start, to switch on, or to set in motion. The passé simple forms follow the regular pattern for -er verbs in French, creating a past-tense variant that is inherited from classical grammatical usage. The existence of démarrai highlights how French verbs adapt to different tenses while retaining a common stem.

Examples. In literary prose one might encounter: Démarrai le moteur; le véhicule se mit en mouvement. Démarrai alors une nouvelle étape de son plan, et les difficultés semblaient reculer. These sentences illustrate the typical narrative function of the form.

Notes. Démarrai is part of a broader set of passé simple forms that readers may encounter in older texts or stylistically marked writing. It is not typically used in everyday conversation.