/e.nɛʁ.ve/
Translation
to irritate, to annoy; reflexively s'énerver, to get worked up
Word origin
From Latin enervare ('to remove the sinews from, to weaken'), from e- ('out of') and nervus ('sinew, nerve'). French kept the medical sense for centuries before the modern meaning of fraying someone's nerves took over in the nineteenth century.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- enervare
- English cognates
- enervate, nerve, nervous
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular -er conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | énerve | énervais | énervai | énerverai | énerverais |
| tu | énerves | énervais | énervas | énerveras | énerverais |
| il/elle | énerve | énervait | énerva | énervera | énerverait |
| nous | énervons | énervions | énervâmes | énerverons | énerverions |
| vous | énervez | énerviez | énervâtes | énerverez | énerveriez |
| ils/elles | énervent | énervaient | énervèrent | énerveront | énerveraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | énerve | énervasse |
| tu | énerves | énervasses |
| il/elle | énerve | énervât |
| nous | énervions | énervassions |
| vous | énerviez | énervassiez |
| ils/elles | énervent | énervassent |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tu | énerve |
| nous | énervons |
| vous | énervez |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- énervant
- Past participle
- énervé · énervée · énervés · énervées
Examples
' .
That noise has been getting on my nerves since this morning.
' , .
Do not get worked up, we will find a solution.
' ' .
He gets worked up as soon as anyone talks politics.
- .
The children are annoying their grandmother with their questions.
au .
I lost my temper on the phone and I regret it.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueFrench · Free printables
énerver: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "énerver" (to irritate, to annoy; reflexively s'énerver, to get worked up): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 27.