Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) 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.” It is pronounced as “day-may-yay.”

Démailler comes from the Old French word “desmaillier” which means “to unfasten” or “to unwind.” It is derived from the Latin word “dismaglare” which means “to disentangle.”

In everyday French, démailler is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical action or situation in the past. It is often used in conjunction with the conditional tense to express a condition or possibility.

Here are three examples of démailler in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense:

  1. Si tu démaillais tes cheveux, tu aurais l’air plus décontracté. (If you untangled your hair, you would look more relaxed.)
  2. Il fallait que je démaillasse le fil avant de commencer à tricoter. (I had to unravel the yarn before starting to knit.)
  3. Nous voulions que le problème se démaille de lui-même, mais cela n’a pas été le cas. (We hoped that the problem would untangle itself, but that was not the case.)

Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of démailler

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je démaillasse Si je démaillasse régulièrement, j’aurais moins de problèmes. If I regularly untangled, I would have less problems.
tu démaillasses Si tu démaillasses un peu plus vite, ça irait mieux. If you untangled a little faster, it would be better.
il démaillât Il serait content si il démaillât toutes les semaines. He would be happy if he untangled every week.
elle démaillât Elle ne serait pas en retard si elle démaillât avant de partir. She wouldn’t be late if she untangled before leaving.
on démaillât Si on démaillât avant de dormir, on se réveillerait plus facilement. If one untangled before sleeping, one would wake up more easily.
nous démaillassions Si nous démaillassions toujours ensemble, ça serait plus rapide. If we always untangled together, it would be faster.
vous démaillassiez Si vous démaillassiez plus souvent, vous n’auriez pas autant de noeuds. If you untangled more often, you wouldn’t have as many knots.
ils démaillassent S’ils démaillassent tous les jours, ils n’auraient pas de cheveux emmêlés. If they untangled every day, they wouldn’t have tangled hair.
elles démaillassent Si elles démaillassent ensemble, ça serait plus amusant. If they untangled together, it would be more fun.

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
   

    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 (this article)

    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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Démailler – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Imparfait, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions, states, or conditions that are uncertain, subjective, or hypothetical in the past. It is used in a variety of situations, including wishes, doubts, emotions, and polite requests, and often occurs in dependent clauses following certain expressions and conjunctions.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Imparfait, you typically start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the verb in the imparfait (imperfect) tense. Then, you remove the -ent ending and add the appropriate endings:

– For regular -er verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.
– For regular -ir and -re verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty: The Subjonctif Imparfait is used to express doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past.

Example: Il doutait qu’elle vînt à la fête. (He doubted that she came to the party.)

2. Wishes and Desires: It is used to express wishes or desires in the past.

Example: J’aurais aimé que tu fusses là. (I would have liked you to be there.)

3. Hypothetical Scenarios: The Subjonctif Imparfait is employed in hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: Si j’eusse su, j’aurais agi différemment. (If I had known, I would have acted differently.)
4. Polite Requests and Suggestions: It is used to make polite requests and suggestions in a formal or polite tone.

Example: Il souhaitait que vous vinssiez lui rendre visite. (He wished that you would come to visit him.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Subjonctif Présent

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used in dependent clauses with the Subjonctif Présent in the main clause, especially in complex sentences.

Example: Il faut que tu manges bien pour que tu aies de l’énergie. (You need to eat well so that you have energy.)

Indicatif Passé Composé

The Subjonctif Imparfait can be used alongside the Indicatif Passé Composé to indicate a contrast between a factual event and a hypothetical one.

Example: Il est parti avant que tu ne fusses arrivé. (He left before you arrived.)

Conditional

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used with the Conditional to express unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: J’aurais pu le faire si j’eusse eu plus de temps. (I could have done it if I had had more time.)

Conditional Perfect

It can also be used with the Conditional Perfect to express unreal or hypothetical past events that would have occurred before other past events.

Example: J’aurais su s’il eût partagé l’information. (I would have known if he had shared the information.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Imparfait is a relatively complex tense, and its usage depends on the context and the verbs involved. It is essential to practice and become familiar with common expressions and contexts where this tense is appropriate to use it effectively in everyday French communication.

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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