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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désentortiller

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The English translation of the French verb désentortiller is “to untangle” or “to unravel.” It is pronounced “day-zahn-tor-tee-yay.”

The origin of the word désentortiller can be broken down into two parts: “dés” meaning “undo” or “reverse,” and “entortiller” meaning “to twist or tangle.” Together, the word can be interpreted as “to reverse a tangle” or “to untwist.”

In everyday French, désentortiller is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait (Imperfect Subjunctive) tense to express an action that is uncertain, hypothetical, or desired but not certain to happen. This tense is often used in conjunction with the conditional tense to express a future possibility or a desired outcome.

Here are three simple examples of désentortiller in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, je désentortillerais mes cheveux. (If I had more time, I would untangle my hair.)
  2. Je te conseille de désentortiller tes fils avant de les brancher. (I advise you to untangle your wires before plugging them in.)
  3. Il fallait que je désentortille ma langue pour lui parler. (I had to untangle my tongue to speak to him.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je désentortillasse S’il faisait beau, je désentortillasse les ficelles. If it was nice, I would untangle the strings.
tu désentortillasses Si tu avais plus de patience, tu désentortillasses la corde. If you had more patience, you would untangle the rope.
il désentortillât Il pourrait réussir s’il désentortillât ses problèmes. He could succeed if he untangled his problems.
elle désentortillât Elle serait plus heureuse si elle désentortillât sa vie. She would be happier if she untangled her life.
on désentortillât Si on désentortillât tout, le résultat serait plus clair. If one untangled everything, the result would be clearer.
nous désentortillassions Si nous désentortillassions ensemble, ça irait plus vite. If we untangled together, it would go faster.
vous désentortillassiez Si vous désentortillassiez les problèmes, ils seraient résolus. If you untangled the problems, they would be solved.
ils désentortillassent S’ils désentortillassent avec soin, ils ne feraient pas d’erreurs. If they untangled carefully, they wouldn’t make mistakes.
elles désentortillassent Si elles désentortillassent les fils, elles pourraient continuer. If they untangled the threads, they could continue.

Other Conjugations for Désentortiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désentortiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désentortiller (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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