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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détortiller

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The English translation of the French verb détortiller is “to untwist” or “to unravel.” It is pronounced as “day-tor-tee-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word détortiller comes from the combination of the prefix “dé,” meaning “un-” or “to undo,” and the verb “tortiller,” meaning “to twist.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is most commonly used in everyday language to describe the action of untwisting or unraveling something.

In the L’infinitif Présent tense, détortiller is often used as a reflexive verb, meaning the subject performs the action on themselves. Some examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Je me détortille les cheveux – I am untwisting my hair.
  2. Elle se détortille les doigts – She is untwisting her fingers.
  3. Nous nous détortillons les câbles – We are untwisting the cables.

In these examples, the reflexive pronoun “se” is used before the verb to indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves. The verb is conjugated to match the subject, in this case, “je,” “elle,” and “nous.” The object of the verb is the body part or item that is being untwisted.

In English, these sentences would be translated as “I am untwisting my hair,” “She is untwisting her fingers,” and “We are untwisting the cables.”

In conclusion, détortiller is a commonly used verb in French to describe the action of untwisting or unraveling. It is often used as a reflexive verb in the L’infinitif Présent tense and can be used to describe the untwisting of body parts or objects.

Table of the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of détortiller

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je détortille Je détortille un fil. I untwist a wire.
tu détortilles Tu détortilles trop. You untwist too much.
il détortille Il détortille un câble. He untwists a cable.
elle détortille Elle détortille une corde. She untwists a rope.
on détortille On détortille beaucoup. We untwist a lot.
nous détortillons Nous détortillons ensemble. We untwist together.
vous détortillez Vous détortillez lentement. You untwist slowly.
ils détortillent Ils détortillent les câbles. They untwist the cables.
elles détortillent Elles détortillent les cordes. They untwist the ropes.

Other Conjugations for Détortiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détortiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détortiller  (this article)

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Détortiller – About the French L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense

BEFORE you continue…. why not take a deep dive into all the French tenses with my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
The French “l’infinitif présent” (Infinitive Present) tense is not a true verb tense in the same way that the present, past, or future tenses are. Instead, it’s the base form of a verb, and it has several important uses and interactions with other tenses.

Forming the Infinitive Present

To form the infinitive present of a verb, you typically take the unconjugated form of the verb (the form you’d find in a French dictionary) and remove the ending. For regular verbs, you remove the -er, -ir, or -re ending, and you’re left with the infinitive. For example:
   – Parler (to speak)
   – Finir (to finish)
   – Vendre (to sell)

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

As a Verb’s Dictionary Form

The most common use of the infinitive present is to represent a verb in its base form. It’s the form you would find in a dictionary or verb conjugation table.

After Modal Verbs

When you use modal verbs like “pouvoir” (can), “vouloir” (want), or “devoir” (must), the verb that follows is in its infinitive form. For example:
     – Je veux manger. (I want to eat.)
     – Il peut parler français. (He can speak French.)

As an Imperative

In informal commands, the infinitive is often used. For example:
     – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

In Infinitive Clauses

In complex sentences, especially after certain conjunctions, the infinitive is used to express actions that are separate from the main verb. For example:
     – J’ai besoin de manger avant de partir. (I need to eat before leaving.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The infinitive present can be used with the present tense to express ongoing actions or habitual actions. For example:
     – J’aime manger des croissants. (I like eating croissants.)

Future Tense

When combined with the future tense of “aller,” the infinitive present can express future actions. For example:
     – Je vais manger au restaurant demain. (I am going to eat at the restaurant tomorrow.)

Conditional Tense

The infinitive present is often used with the conditional to express actions that would happen in a hypothetical situation. For example:

     – Il mangerait s’il avait faim. (He would eat if he were hungry.)

Passé Composé

When forming compound tenses like “passé composé,” the auxiliary verb (être or avoir) is conjugated, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form. For example:
     – J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
     – Elle est partie. (She left.)

Imperfect Tense

The infinitive present can be combined with the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. For example:
     – Quand j’étais enfant, j’aimais jouer. (When I was a child, I liked to play.)

Subjunctive and Conditional Moods

In some complex sentences, the infinitive can be used with the subjunctive and conditional moods, especially when expressing uncertainty, possibility, or doubt.

Summary

The infinitive present in French serves as the base form of a verb and is used in various contexts, including after modal verbs, in imperative commands, in infinitive clauses, and in combination with other tenses to convey a wide range of meanings and actions. Its flexibility makes it a fundamental part of French grammar.

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