/fajiʁ/
Translation
to almost do something, to nearly do
Word origin
From Latin fallere ('to deceive, to fail, to be lacking'). The sense 'to nearly do' grew from the older meaning 'to fail to do'. The same root gives English 'fail' and 'fallacy'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- fallere
- English cognates
- fail, fallacy
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular french-irregular conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | faillais | faillis | faillirai | faillirais | |
| tu | faillais | faillis | failliras | faillirais | |
| il/elle | faillait | faillit | faillira | faillirait | |
| nous | faillions | faillîmes | faillirons | faillirions | |
| vous | failliez | faillîtes | faillirez | failliriez | |
| ils/elles | faillaient | faillirent | failliront | failliraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | faille | faillisse |
| tu | failles | faillisses |
| il/elle | faille | faillît |
| nous | faillions | faillissions |
| vous | failliez | faillissiez |
| ils/elles | faillent | faillissent |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- faillant
- Past participle
- failli · faillie · faillis · faillies
Examples
J' l' .
I almost fell down the stairs this morning.
.
She nearly missed her train by a few seconds.
, -.
We almost forgot your birthday, forgive us.
, ' .
He nearly told the truth, then he kept quiet.
heurter piéton au carrefour.
The car nearly hit the pedestrian at the junction.
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faillir: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "faillir" (to almost do something, to nearly do): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 26.