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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désintéresser

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The English translation of the French verb désintéresser is “to disinterest” or “to make uninterested.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-zan-tay-ree-zay.”

The word désintéresser comes from the French prefix “dés-” meaning “not” or “un-” and the verb “intéresser” meaning “to interest.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

In this tense, désintéresser is used to express a hypothetical or imaginary situation in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the conditional tense, followed by the past participle “désintéressé.”

Here are three simple examples of désintéresser in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais désintéressé de cette affaire. (If I had known, I would have disinterested you from this matter.)
  2. Elle aurait désintéressé ses amis de ses problèmes personnels. (She would have disinterested her friends from her personal problems.)
  3. Nous aurions désintéressé nos enfants de nos disputes conjugales. (We would have disinterested our children from our marital disputes.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais désintéressé(e) Si j’avais su, je me serais désintéressé(e) de cette affaire. If I had known, I would have disengaged from this matter.
tu te serais désintéressé(e) Tu te serais désintéressé(e) de cette histoire. You would have disengaged from this story.
il se serait désintéressé Il se serait désintéressé de la politique. He would have lost interest in politics.
elle se serait désintéressée Elle se serait désintéressée des résultats. She would have stopped caring about the results.
on se serait désintéressé On se serait désintéressé du débat. One would have lost interest in the debate.
nous nous serions désintéressé(e)s Nous nous serions désintéressé(e)s de ces problèmes. We would have disengaged from these problems.
vous vous seriez désintéressé(e)(s) Vous vous seriez désintéressé(e)(s) de l’affaire. You would have disengaged from the matter.
ils se seraient désintéressés Ils se seraient désintéressés de ces sujets. They would have lost interest in these topics.
elles se seraient désintéressées Elles se seraient désintéressées des affaires du monde. They (female) would have lost interest in world affairs.

Other Conjugations for Désintéresser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désintéresser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Désintéresser – 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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