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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenchaîner

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The English translation of the French verb désenchaîner is “to unchain” or “to unshackle.” It is pronounced as “day-zan-shey-neh.”

The word désenchaîner is a combination of the prefix dés- (meaning “undo” or “un-“) and the verb enchaîner (meaning “to chain” or “to shackle”). It comes from the Latin word “catena,” which means “chain.”

In everyday French, désenchaîner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal past action. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être followed by the past participle of désenchaîner.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais désenchaîné mon chien. (If I had known, I would have unchained my dog.)
  2. Ils auraient désenchaîné les prisonniers s’ils avaient eu la clé. (They would have unshackled the prisoners if they had the key.)
  3. Si elle avait réussi, elle se serait désenchaînée de son passé. (If she had succeeded, she would have freed herself from her past.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of désenchaîner

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais désenchaîné Si j’avais su, j’aurais désenchaîné la situation. If I had known, I would have untangled the situation.
tu aurais désenchaîné Tu aurais désenchaîné ta moto. You would have unchained your motorcycle.
il aurait désenchaîné Il aurait désenchaîné le chien. He would have unchained the dog.
elle aurait désenchaîné Elle aurait désenchaîné le bateau. She would have unchained the boat.
on aurait désenchaîné On aurait désenchaîné la porte. One would have unchained the door.
nous aurions désenchaîné Nous aurions désenchaîné les vélos. We would have unchained the bikes.
vous auriez désenchaîné Vous auriez désenchaîné la situation. You would have untangled the situation.
ils auraient désenchaîné Ils auraient désenchaîné leurs chevaux. They would have unchained their horses.
elles auraient désenchaîné Elles auraient désenchaîné leurs animaux. They (female) would have unchained their animals.

Other Conjugations for Désenchaîner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchaîner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchaîner  (this article)

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

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


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Désenchaîner – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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