fiancer
French
Etymology
From fiance + -er. Compare Italian fidanzare.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fjɑ̃.se/, /fi.jɑ̃.se/
Audio (file)
Verb
fiancer
- (usually reflexive) to get engaged (to be married)
Conjugation
This verb is part of a group of -er verbs for which 'c' is softened to a 'ç' before the vowels 'a' and 'o'.
Conjugation of fiancer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | fiancer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | fiançant /fjɑ̃.sɑ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | fiancé /fjɑ̃.se/ or /fi.jɑ̃.se/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | fiance /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiances /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiance /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiançons /fjɑ̃.sɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɔ̃/ | fiancez /fjɑ̃.se/ or /fi.jɑ̃.se/ | fiancent /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ |
| imperfect | fiançais /fjɑ̃.sɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɛ/ | fiançais /fjɑ̃.sɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɛ/ | fiançait /fjɑ̃.sɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɛ/ | fiancions /fjɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ | fianciez /fjɑ̃.sje/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sje/ | fiançaient /fjɑ̃.sɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | fiançai /fjɑ̃.se/ or /fi.jɑ̃.se/ | fianças /fjɑ̃.sa/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sa/ | fiança /fjɑ̃.sa/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sa/ | fiançâmes /fjɑ̃.sam/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sam/ | fiançâtes /fjɑ̃.sat/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sat/ | fiancèrent /fjɑ̃.sɛʁ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɛʁ/ | |
| future | fiancerai /fjɑ̃.sʁe/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁe/ | fianceras /fjɑ̃.sʁa/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁa/ | fiancera /fjɑ̃.sʁa/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁa/ | fiancerons /fjɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/ | fiancerez /fjɑ̃.sʁe/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁe/ | fianceront /fjɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | fiancerais /fjɑ̃.sʁɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɛ/ | fiancerais /fjɑ̃.sʁɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɛ/ | fiancerait /fjɑ̃.sʁɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɛ/ | fiancerions /fjɑ̃.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ | fianceriez /fjɑ̃.sə.ʁje/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sə.ʁje/ | fianceraient /fjɑ̃.sʁɛ/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) | present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | fiance /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiances /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiance /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | fiancions /fjɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ | fianciez /fjɑ̃.sje/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sje/ | fiancent /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ |
| imperfect2 | fiançasse /fjɑ̃.sas/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sas/ | fiançasses /fjɑ̃.sas/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sas/ | fiançât /fjɑ̃.sa/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sa/ | fiançassions /fjɑ̃.sa.sjɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sa.sjɔ̃/ | fiançassiez /fjɑ̃.sa.sje/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sa.sje/ | fiançassent /fjɑ̃.sas/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sas/ | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | fiance /fjɑ̃s/ or /fi.jɑ̃s/ | — | fiançons /fjɑ̃.sɔ̃/ or /fi.jɑ̃.sɔ̃/ | fiancez /fjɑ̃.se/ or /fi.jɑ̃.se/ | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Derived terms
- fiançailles
Further reading
- “fiancer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Etymology
Old French fiancier.
Verb
fiancer
- to promise
- 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 52:
- fiancerent tous que se Lancelot venoit ilz n yroient mie avec lui
- they all promised that if Lancelot came they wouldn't go with him
-
Conjugation
- As parler except c becomes ç before a and o. May remain c in older manuscripts.
- Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
Conjugation of fiancer
| infinitive | simple | fiancer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle1 or gerund2 | simple | fiançant | |||||
| compound | present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | fiancé | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | ie (i’) | tu | il, elle | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | fiance | fiances | fiance | fiançons | fiancez | fiancent |
| imperfect | fiançois, fiançoys | fiançois, fiançoys | fiançoit, fiançoyt | fiancions, fiançons | fianciez, fiancyez | fiançoient, fiançoyent | |
| past historic | fiança | fianças | fiança | fiançasmes | fiançastes | fiancerent | |
| future | fiancerai, fianceray | fianceras | fiancera | fiancerons | fiancerez | fianceront | |
| conditional | fiancerois, fianceroys | fiancerois, fianceroys | fianceroit, fianceroyt | fiancerions, fianceryons | fianceriez, fianceryez | fianceroient, fianceroyent | |
| (compound tenses) | present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que ie (i’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ilz, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | fiance | fiances | fiance | fiançons | fiancez | fiancent |
| imperfect | fiançasse | fiançasses | fiançast | fiançassions | fiançassiez | fiançassent | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | fiance | — | fiançons | fiancez | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679. | |||||||
| 2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180). | |||||||
Descendants
- French: fiancer