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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désensimer

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The English translation of the French verb désensimer is “to lose one’s mind” or “to go crazy.” It is pronounced “day-zahn-see-may.”

The origin of the word désensimer can be broken down into two parts: “dé-“, which is a prefix meaning “to undo,” and “ensimer,” which comes from the Old French word “ensimer,” meaning “to lose one’s mind or reason.” The word désensimer was first used in the 19th century and is derived from the Latin word “exinsanire,” meaning “to make insane.”

In everyday French, désensimer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about a possibility or hypothetical situation in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of désensimer.

Example 1: Si j’avais perdu mon travail, j’aurais désensimé. (If I had lost my job, I would have gone crazy.)
Example 2: Il aurait désensimé s’il avait appris la vérité. (He would have lost his mind if he had learned the truth.)
Example 3: Si nous étions partis en vacances, nous n’aurions pas désensimé. (If we had gone on vacation, we wouldn’t have gone crazy.)

In these examples, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to describe a hypothetical situation in the past, which is losing one’s mind. The use of désensimer in this tense emphasizes the extreme and sudden nature of going crazy.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais désensimé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais désensimé. I would have made you understand.
tu aurais désensimé Tu aurais désensimé plus tôt. You would have understood earlier.
il aurait désensimé Il aurait désensimé le problème. He would have solved the problem.
elle aurait désensimé Elle aurait désensimé la situation. She would have resolved the situation.
on aurait désensimé On aurait désensimé cette confusion. One would have cleared up this confusion.
nous aurions désensimé Nous aurions désensimé ensemble. We would have figured it out together.
vous auriez désensimé Vous auriez désensimé cette question. You would have understood this question.
ils auraient désensimé Ils auraient désensimé le problème. They would have solved the problem.
elles auraient désensimé Elles auraient désensimé la situation. They (female) would have resolved the situation.

Other Conjugations for Désensimer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désensimer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Désensimer – 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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