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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désengager

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The English translation of the French verb désengager is “to disengage” or “to withdraw.” The infinitive form, désengager, is pronounced as “day-zahn-gah-zhay.”

Désengager comes from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (which indicates an undoing or reversal) and the verb “engager” (meaning “to engage” or “to involve”). It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when referring to actions that were disengaged or withdrawn in the past.

Here are three simple examples of désengager used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il désengagea son entreprise pour se consacrer à sa famille.
    (He disengaged from his company to devote himself to his family.)

  2. Nous désengageâmes notre soutien financier après avoir constaté des irrégularités.
    (We disengaged our financial support after noticing irregularities.)

  3. Les pays se désengagèrent du conflit et signèrent un accord de paix.
    (The countries disengaged from the conflict and signed a peace agreement.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing, and is less commonly used in everyday spoken language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désengageai Je désengageai le système. I disengaged the system.
Tu désengageas Tu désengageas la conversation. You disengaged the conversation.
Il désengagea Il désengagea le frein. He disengaged the brake.
Elle désengagea Elle désengagea le moteur. She disengaged the engine.
On désengagea On désengagea l’alarme. One disengaged the alarm.
Nous désengageâmes Nous désengageâmes la discussion. We disengaged the discussion.
Vous désengageâtes Vous désengageâtes le contrat. You disengaged the contract.
Ils désengagèrent Ils désengagèrent les troupes. They disengaged the troops.
Elles désengagèrent Elles désengagèrent l’embrayage. They (feminine) disengaged the clutch.

Other Conjugations for Désengager.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désengager

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désengager – 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 désengager. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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