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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démailler

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The English translation of the French verb démailler is “to unravel” or “to untangle”. The infinitive form “démailler” is pronounced as “day-may-yay.”

The verb démailler is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (indicating reversal or removal) and the noun “maille” (meaning “mesh” or “stitch”). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of undoing knots or separating tangled threads or fabrics.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), démailler is conjugated as follows:

  • Je démêlai (I unraveled/untangled)
  • Tu démêlas (You unraveled/untangled)
  • Il/elle démêla (He/she unraveled/untangled)
  • Nous démêlâmes (We unraveled/untangled)
  • Vous démêlâtes (You unraveled/untangled)
  • Ils/elles démêlèrent (They unraveled/untangled)

Here are three examples of démailler in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Je démêlai les fils emmêlés.
    (I unraveled the tangled threads.)

  2. Tu démêlas les cheveux de ta sœur.
    (You unraveled your sister’s hair.)

  3. Il démêla les nœuds de la corde.
    (He untangled the knots in the rope.)

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of démailler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je démêlai Je démêlai les fils. I untangled the threads.
Tu démêlas Tu démêlas tes cheveux. You untangled your hair.
Il démêla Il démêla le problème. He untangled the problem.
Elle démêla Elle démêla la pelote. She untangled the ball of yarn.
On démêla On démêla les cordes. One untangled the ropes.
Nous démêlâmes Nous démêlâmes les nœuds. We untangled the knots.
Vous démêlâtes Vous démêlâtes la situation. You untangled the situation.
Ils démêlèrent Ils démêlèrent les fils électriques. They untangled the electrical wires.
Elles démêlèrent Elles démêlèrent leurs cheveux. They (feminine) untangled their hair.

Other Conjugations for Démailler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démailler

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Démailler – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb démailler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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