désunir 30秒で
- Désunir means to break a bond or union between people or groups, often leading to conflict or fragmentation.
- It is a regular -ir verb, conjugated like 'finir', and is commonly used in its reflexive form 'se désunir'.
- While it can apply to physical objects, it is most frequently used for social, political, and emotional contexts.
- Key synonyms include 'séparer', 'diviser', and 'désolidariser', but 'désunir' specifically emphasizes the loss of pre-existing harmony.
The French verb désunir is a sophisticated yet essential term that describes the act of breaking a union, a bond, or a state of togetherness. At its core, it is the antithesis of unir (to unite). While it can technically refer to physical objects being separated, its most frequent and powerful application is in the realm of human relationships, social structures, and political entities. When you use this word, you are often describing a process where harmony is lost and cohesion is replaced by fragmentation. It implies that there was once a solid, unified front that has now been compromised by internal or external forces.
- The Prefix 'Dés-'
- In French, the prefix 'dés-' acts like the English 'dis-' or 'un-'. It signifies the reversal of an action. Therefore, désunir literally means to 'undo the union'. This is why the word feels more active and often more tragic than simple verbs like 'separer' (to separate).
Les querelles d'argent ont fini par désunir les deux frères qui étaient autrefois inséparables.
In a sociological context, désunir is frequently used to discuss national identity or political parties. When a leader's rhetoric causes different groups within a country to turn against one another, commentators will say that the rhetoric is seeking to désunir la nation. It suggests a purposeful or consequential tearing of the social fabric. It is a word that carries weight; it isn't just about things being apart, but about the loss of the strength that comes from unity.
- Pronominal Form: Se Désunir
- The reflexive form se désunir is extremely common. It describes a group or a couple that is falling apart on its own. For example, 'L'équipe commence à se désunir' means the team is losing its teamwork and starting to act as individuals rather than a cohesive unit.
Historically, the term has been used in grand narratives—wars, revolutions, and the fall of empires. When historians analyze why a great civilization collapsed, they often point to internal factors that served to désunir the people. It is a word of fragmentation and discord. Because it is a B2 level word, using it correctly demonstrates a nuance in your vocabulary that 'séparer' simply cannot provide. It shows you understand the emotional or structural bond that was there before.
La trahison du général a suffi à désunir les troupes juste avant la bataille finale.
Finally, in a more abstract philosophical sense, one might talk about désunir the mind from the body, or désunir concepts that are usually thought of as one. However, in daily life, you are most likely to encounter it in news articles regarding political coalitions or in literature describing the slow dissolution of a marriage or a long-standing friendship.
- Tone and Register
- The word is formal to neutral. You wouldn't typically use it for trivial things like separating Lego bricks (you'd use 'détacher' or 'séparer'), but you would use it for anything involving human connection, ideology, or structural integrity.
Using désunir effectively requires understanding its transitivity and its reflexive patterns. As a transitive verb, it takes a direct object—the thing or group that is being broken apart. As a reflexive verb, it indicates that the subject itself is falling into a state of disunity.
- Transitive Usage (Active Force)
- When something external causes the separation. 'Cette décision risque de désunir le parti.' (This decision risks disuniting the party.) Here, the decision is the agent of disunity.
Il ne faut pas laisser la peur nous désunir face à l'adversité.
The verb follows the regular conjugation pattern of second-group verbs ending in '-ir' (like finir). This makes it predictable: je désunis, tu désunis, il désunit, nous désunissons, vous désunissez, ils désunissent. In the past tense (passé composé), it uses the auxiliary avoir: 'Ils ont désuni la coalition'.
- Reflexive Usage (Internal Dissolution)
- When a group falls apart from within. 'La famille s'est désunie après le décès du grand-père.' (The family fell apart after the grandfather's death.) This implies the process happened naturally or as a result of internal dynamics.
Au moindre obstacle, leur groupe se désunit totalement.
In literary contexts, you might see it used to describe the soul leaving the body or the separation of abstract ideals. 'L'âme se désunit du corps' is a poetic way to describe death. However, in modern French, you'll mostly see it applied to social units: un couple, une famille, une équipe, un pays, un syndicat.
When constructing sentences, remember that désunir often implies a negative outcome. It is rarely a 'good' thing to be disunited, unless you are talking about breaking up a harmful monopoly or a criminal gang. Usually, it carries a tone of regret or warning. 'Il ne faut pas nous désunir' is a common rallying cry for solidarity.
Leur objectif secret était de désunir l'opposition pour mieux régner.
- Common Contexts
- Politics (coalitions), Sports (team chemistry), Family (inheritance disputes), and Philosophy (dualism).
You will encounter désunir in several specific domains of French life. It is not a word people shout in the street, but it is a staple of 'Le Journal' (the news), political debates, and high-quality literature. Understanding these contexts will help you recognize the 'vibe' of the word.
- Political Commentary
- French politics is famous for its many parties and frequent coalitions. On news channels like BFM TV or in newspapers like Le Monde, you will often hear pundits discuss whether a new law will 'désunir la majorité' (disunite the majority party). It’s a keyword for internal conflict.
Ce débat sur l'Europe risque de désunir durablement l'électorat de gauche.
In the world of sports, particularly football (soccer), the term is used to describe a team that has lost its tactical discipline or its mental bond. If a team is winning 2-0 and then loses 2-3, a commentator might say: 'L'équipe s'est désunie en seconde période' (The team fell apart/lost its unity in the second half). It implies they stopped playing for each other.
- Literature and Cinema
- In French dramas, 'désunir' is used to describe the slow, painful breakup of a family or a couple. It’s more formal than 'se séparer' and suggests a deeper structural failure. You'll hear it in period pieces or psychological dramas where the focus is on the bonds between people.
Rien ne pourra nous désunir, pas même la distance.
Business and Corporate environments also use it. When two companies merge, the 'intégration' is the goal. If the cultures don't match, the management might worry about 'facteurs qui pourraient désunir les collaborateurs' (factors that could disunite the employees). It’s a way to talk about morale and cohesion without being too informal.
Finally, you might hear it in historical documentaries. France has a long history of 'unions sacrées' and civil strife. Narrators use désunir to describe the religious wars or the tensions during the French Revolution. It conveys the gravity of a society turning against itself.
La Révolution a fini par désunir les ordres anciens pour créer une nouvelle nation.
- Key Takeaway for Listening
- When you hear 'désunir', look for the 'glue' that is failing. Is it trust? Is it a shared goal? Is it a contract? The word always points to a broken bond.
While désunir is a powerful word, it is easy for English speakers to misuse it by translating directly from 'separate' or 'break up'. Here are the primary pitfalls to avoid when incorporating this verb into your French.
- Mistake 1: Using it for physical objects
- If you are taking apart a machine or separating two pieces of paper, do not use désunir. It sounds overly dramatic and strange. Use séparer, démonter, or détacher instead. Désunir is reserved for things that are 'united' by a bond, not just 'attached' physically.
Incorrect: J'ai désuni les deux Legos.
Correct: J'ai séparé les deux Legos.
Another common error is confusing désunir with diviser. While they are similar, diviser is more mathematical or clinical. You divide a cake (diviser un gâteau) or divide a group into two sub-groups. Désunir implies that the harmony or the strength of the union is being destroyed.
- Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive 'se'
- In English, we say 'The group split up'. In French, if the group did it to themselves, you must use se désunir. Simply saying 'Le groupe désunit' is grammatically incomplete because the verb needs an object or the reflexive pronoun.
Incorrect: L'équipe désunit.
Correct: L'équipe se désunit.
A third mistake is using it for a romantic 'breakup' in a casual conversation. If you want to say 'They broke up', use Ils ont rompu or Ils se sont séparés. Using Ils se sont désunis sounds like you are writing a 19th-century novel or a very formal psychological report. It's too 'heavy' for everyday gossip.
Finally, be careful with the spelling of the plural forms. Many students forget the 'ss' that appears in second-group verbs. 'Nous désunissons' is correct; 'Nous désunions' is the imperfect tense. Getting this wrong can change the timing of your sentence entirely.
- Summary of Usage
- Use 'désunir' for: Groups, Families, Political Parties, Abstract Concepts. Avoid for: Physical objects, casual breakups, math.
To truly master désunir, you should know its neighbors in the French vocabulary. Depending on the nuance you want to convey—whether it's a violent split or a gentle drifting apart—different words might be more appropriate.
- Séparer vs. Désunir
- 'Séparer' is the general term. It can be physical (séparer les blancs des jaunes d'œufs) or relational. 'Désunir' is more specific to the breaking of a bond. It implies that being together was the natural or desired state.
On sépare des objets; on désunit des alliés.
Another excellent alternative is diviser. This word is often used when a single entity is split into factions. In politics, 'diviser pour régner' (divide and conquer) is a classic phrase. While 'désunir' focuses on the loss of unity, 'diviser' focuses on the creation of separate, often opposing, parts.
- Désolidariser
- This is a great B2/C1 word. It means to withdraw your support from a group or a decision. 'Il s'est désolidarisé de son équipe' means he publicly stated he no longer agrees with them. It's more specific than 'se désunir'.
If you are talking about a physical structure or a group that is crumbling into small pieces, use désagréger. This is often used for rocks or for a social movement that is slowly losing its members and influence. It implies a slow process of decay.
La crise a fini par scinder le conseil d'administration en deux camps opposés.
Finally, consider rompre. This means 'to break' and is used for contracts, silence, or romantic relationships. It is much more abrupt than 'désunir'. If 'désunir' is a fraying rope, 'rompre' is the rope snapping suddenly.
- Quick Comparison Table
-
- Désunir: Loss of harmony/bond (Abstract/Social)
- Séparer: General separation (Physical/General)
- Diviser: Creating factions (Political/Math)
- Rompre: Abrupt breaking (Contracts/Relationships)
- Désagréger: Crumbling/Decay (Physical/Social)
発音ガイド
- Pronouncing 'u' as 'oo' (like 'moon'). It must be the tight French 'u'.
- Over-stressing the first syllable.
- Forgetting to pronounce the 'r' at the end.
- Confusing the 'é' with an 'e' sound.
- Making the 's' sound like a 'z' too strongly (it should be a soft 'z' sound between vowels).
レベル別の例文
Ils sont désunis.
They are disunited.
Passive use with 'être'.
La famille est désunie.
The family is disunited.
Adjective agreement (feminine).
Ne nous désunissons pas.
Let's not get disunited.
Imperative form.
Le jeu va les désunir.
The game will disunite them.
Future with 'aller'.
Pourquoi se désunir ?
Why disunite?
Infinitive in a question.
Ils ne veulent pas se désunir.
They don't want to fall apart.
Reflexive infinitive.
L'argent peut désunir.
Money can disunite.
Modal verb 'pouvoir'.
Le groupe se désunit.
The group is falling apart.
Present tense reflexive.
Les disputes ont fini par désunir le groupe.
Arguments ended up disuniting the group.
Passé composé with 'avoir'.
Sans chef, l'équipe se désunit vite.
Without a leader, the team falls apart quickly.
Present tense.
Ce secret risque de nous désunir.
This secret risks disuniting us.
Direct object 'nous'.
Ils se sont désunis après le voyage.
They fell apart after the trip.
Reflexive passé composé.
Il est triste de voir une famille se désunir.
It's sad to see a family fall apart.
Infinitive construction.
Le vent a désuni les feuilles du bouquet.
The wind separated the leaves of the bouquet.
Physical (rare but possible) usage.
Elle a peur que son choix désunisse ses amis.
She is afraid her choice might disunite her friends.
Subjunctive present.
Nous ne devons pas laisser la colère nous désunir.
We must not let anger disunite us.
Infinitive after 'laisser'.
La crise économique a tendance à désunir les nations.
The economic crisis tends to disunite nations.
General statement.
Si nous ne sommes pas prudents, ce projet va nous désunir.
If we aren't careful, this project will disunite us.
Conditional 'si' clause.
L'équipe s'est désunie au moment le plus critique du match.
The team fell apart at the most critical moment of the match.
Reflexive with 'être' in past.
Il a tout fait pour désunir ses adversaires politiques.
He did everything to disunite his political opponents.
Purpose clause with 'pour'.
Le manque de communication finit toujours par désunir les gens.
Lack of communication always ends up disuniting people.
Adverbial placement.
Cette loi pourrait désunir la majorité au parlement.
This law could disunite the majority in parliament.
Conditional 'pourrait'.
Une fois désunis, ils n'avaient plus aucune force.
Once disunited, they no longer had any strength.
Past participle as an adjective.
Il est important de ne pas se désunir face au danger.
It is important not to fall apart in the face of danger.
Negation of reflexive infinitive.
La rhétorique populiste cherche souvent à désunir le corps social.
Populist rhetoric often seeks to disunite the social body.
Abstract direct object.
Leur alliance s'est désunie dès que les intérêts ont divergé.
Their alliance fell apart as soon as interests diverged.
Temporal conjunction 'dès que'.
Il ne faut pas que cette polémique vienne désunir nos efforts.
This controversy must not come to disunite our efforts.
Subjunctive after 'il ne faut pas que'.
L'absence de vision commune a fini par désunir les membres fondateurs.
The absence of a common vision ended up disuniting the founding members.
Subject is an abstract noun.
Une société désunie est une société vulnérable aux influences extérieures.
A disunited society is a society vulnerable to external influences.
Adjectival use.
Elle craignait que l'héritage ne finisse par désunir sa progéniture.
She feared that the inheritance might end up disuniting her offspring.
Subjunctive with 'ne' explétif.
Le coach a remarqué que ses joueurs commençaient à se désunir tactiquement.
The coach noticed his players were starting to fall apart tactically.
Imperfect tense.
Rien n'est plus facile que de désunir ce qui n'a jamais été solide.
Nothing is easier than disuniting what was never solid.
Comparative structure.
L'érosion des valeurs partagées contribue à désunir le tissu national.
The erosion of shared values contributes to disuniting the national fabric.
Metaphorical usage.
Il s'agit d'une stratégie délibérée visant à désunir l'opposition syndicale.
It is a deliberate strategy aimed at disuniting the union opposition.
Present participle 'visant'.
Leur couple s'est désuni sous le poids des non-dits accumulés pendant des années.
Their couple fell apart under the weight of things left unsaid for years.
Reflexive in a complex sentence.
On ne saurait désunir l'œuvre de l'artiste de son contexte historique.
One cannot separate the artist's work from its historical context.
Formal 'ne saurait' construction.
La force centrifuge de la mondialisation peut parfois désunir les communautés locales.
The centrifugal force of globalization can sometimes disunite local communities.
Academic tone.
Il est impératif que nous ne nous désunissions pas face à cette menace existentielle.
It is imperative that we do not fall apart in the face of this existential threat.
Double 'ss' in subjunctive.
Le traité a été conçu pour unir, mais il a paradoxalement servi à désunir.
The treaty was designed to unite, but it paradoxically served to disunite.
Contrast between 'unir' and 'désunir'.
L'ambition personnelle finit souvent par désunir les collectifs les plus soudés.
Personal ambition often ends up disuniting the most tight-knit collectives.
Superlative 'les plus soudés'.
La dialectique hégélienne permet de comprendre comment l'esprit peut se désunir de lui-même.
Hegelian dialectics allows one to understand how the spirit can disunite from itself.
Philosophical context.
Une telle mesure ne ferait que désunir davantage une opinion publique déjà fragmentée.
Such a measure would only further disunite an already fragmented public opinion.
'Ne... que' restrictive construction.
L'œuvre romanesque de Proust explore la manière dont le temps désunit les êtres.
Proust's novelistic work explores the way time disunites beings.
Literary analysis.
Il est à craindre que les forces centrifuges de l'égoïsme ne finissent par désunir l'Europe.
It is to be feared that the centrifugal forces of selfishness will end up disuniting Europe.
Passive infinitive 'est à craindre'.
Désunir les composantes de cet atome nécessite une énergie phénoménale.
Disuniting the components of this atom requires phenomenal energy.
Infinitive as subject.
La sémantique peut parfois désunir le signifiant du signifié dans des contextes poétiques.
Semantics can sometimes disunite the signifier from the signified in poetic contexts.
Linguistic terminology.
Elle a observé, impuissante, son propre esprit se désunir sous l'effet du traumatisme.
She watched, helpless, as her own mind fell apart under the effect of trauma.
Complex object complement.
L'histoire retiendra que ce fut la discorde qui finit par désunir cet empire millénaire.
History will remember that it was discord that ended up disuniting this thousand-year empire.
Cleft sentence 'ce fut... qui'.
よく使う組み合わせ
よく使うフレーズ
— A moral or religious sentiment about preserving bonds.
Dans ce mariage, ce qui a été uni ne doit pas être désuni.
— A variation of 'divide and conquer'.
Sa tactique est simple : désunir pour mieux régner.
— An exhortation to stay strong together.
Face à la crise, il ne faut pas se laisser désunir.
— To cause a group to lose its formation or unity.
La nouvelle a suffi à désunir les rangs de l'opposition.
— The opposite of 'unity is strength'.
Rappelez-vous que la désunion fait la faiblesse.
— To shrink or fall apart rapidly.
Leur soutien s'est désuni comme une peau de chagrin.
— To cause people to think differently and stop agreeing.
Cette propagande vise à désunir les esprits.
— A common description for a country in civil strife.
Un peuple désuni est une proie facile.
— A poetic way to talk about death.
La mort vient désunir le corps et l'âme.
— To fall apart due to internal problems.
L'organisation a commencé à se désunir de l'intérieur.
慣用句と表現
— To create a mess or lack of unity, though less formal than 'désunir'.
Ces disputes, ça fait désordre dans l'équipe.
informal— To go one's own way instead of staying with the group.
Il a décidé de faire bande à part, ce qui a désuni le groupe.
neutral— To sow discord (which leads to being 'désuni').
Elle adore semer la zizanie pour nous désunir.
informal— To be at daggers drawn (highly disunited/hostile).
Les deux branches de la famille sont à couteaux tirés.
idiomatic— Every man for himself (the result of being désuni).
C'est devenu le chacun pour soi dans l'entreprise.
common— To ruin everything/the whole setup.
Ses critiques ont cassé la baraque et désuni l'équipe.
slang— To give someone the cold shoulder (starting a separation).
Il lui bat froid, ce qui commence à désunir leur amitié.
idiomatic— To distance oneself.
Elle a pris ses distances, désunissant ainsi le trio.
neutral語族
名詞
動詞
形容詞
Summary
The verb 'désunir' is a powerful way to describe the breakdown of unity in a group. For example, 'Les disputes peuvent désunir une famille' shows how internal conflict destroys a previously solid bond.
- Désunir means to break a bond or union between people or groups, often leading to conflict or fragmentation.
- It is a regular -ir verb, conjugated like 'finir', and is commonly used in its reflexive form 'se désunir'.
- While it can apply to physical objects, it is most frequently used for social, political, and emotional contexts.
- Key synonyms include 'séparer', 'diviser', and 'désolidariser', but 'désunir' specifically emphasizes the loss of pre-existing harmony.
関連コンテンツ
この単語を他の言語で
familyの関連語
à charge
B2扶養家族；経済的に支えられている家族の一員を指す。
à deux
A2二人で；ペアまたはカップルとして一緒に。
à domicile
A2自宅で
à jamais
A2Forever, for all time.
à la charge de
B2Dependent on; at the expense of.
à la mémoire de
B2〜の思い出に、〜を記念して。亡くなった人をしのんで使われる正式な表現です。
à la place de
B21. いつもの紅茶の代わりにコーヒーを飲みました。 2. 先生は試験の代わりに追加の課題をくれました。
à l'amiable
B2Amicably, by mutual agreement.
à l'égard de
A2With regard to; concerning.
à l'image de
B2〜に倣って、〜のように。
