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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désentraver

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The English translation of the French verb désentraver is “to unblock” or “to remove obstacles.” The infinitive form of désentraver is pronounced as “day-son-trah-veh.”

The word désentraver originates from the combination of the prefix “dés-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the verb “entraver” (meaning “to obstruct” or “to hinder”). It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past.

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

  1. Nous désentravâmes la voie pour laisser passer les voitures.
    (We unblocked the road to let the cars pass.)

  2. Tu désentravas le tuyau pour réparer la fuite.
    (You unblocked the pipe to fix the leak.)

  3. Ils désentravèrent la situation en trouvant une solution rapide.
    (They unblocked the situation by finding a quick solution.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal writing or literature, and it is less commonly used in spoken or informal French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je désentravai J’ai désentravai le problème. I untangled the problem.
Tu désentravas Tu désentravas la situation. You untangled the situation.
Il désentrova Il désentrova ses émotions. He untangled his emotions.
Elle désentrova Elle désentrova ses cheveux. She untangled her hair.
On désentrova On désentrova les fils. One untangled the wires.
Nous désentravâmes Nous désentravâmes les relations. We untangled the relationships.
Vous désentravâtes Vous désentravâtes les nœuds. You untangled the knots.
Ils désentravèrent Ils désentravèrent les problèmes. They untangled the problems.
Elles désentravèrent Elles désentravèrent les cordes. They (feminine) untangled the ropes.

Other Conjugations for Désentraver.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désentraver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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