louvoyer
French
Etymology
lof + -oyer
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lu.vwa.je/
Audio (file)
Verb
louvoyer
- (nautical) to tack
- (figuratively) to avoid verbal commitment, to hedge
Conjugation
This verb is part of a large group of -er verbs that conjugate like noyer or ennuyer. These verbs always replace the 'y' with an 'i' before a silent 'e'.
Conjugation of louvoyer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | louvoyer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | louvoyant /lu.vwa.jɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | louvoyé /lu.vwa.je/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | louvoie /lu.vwa/ | louvoies /lu.vwa/ | louvoie /lu.vwa/ | louvoyons /lu.vwa.jɔ̃/ | louvoyez /lu.vwa.je/ | louvoient /lu.vwa/ |
| imperfect | louvoyais /lu.vwa.jɛ/ | louvoyais /lu.vwa.jɛ/ | louvoyait /lu.vwa.jɛ/ | louvoyions /lu.vwaj.jɔ̃/ | louvoyiez /lu.vwaj.je/ | louvoyaient /lu.vwa.jɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | louvoyai /lu.vwa.je/ | louvoyas /lu.vwa.ja/ | louvoya /lu.vwa.ja/ | louvoyâmes /lu.vwa.jam/ | louvoyâtes /lu.vwa.jat/ | louvoyèrent /lu.vwa.jɛʁ/ | |
| future | louvoierai /lu.vwa.ʁe/ | louvoieras /lu.vwa.ʁa/ | louvoiera /lu.vwa.ʁa/ | louvoierons /lu.vwa.ʁɔ̃/ | louvoierez /lu.vwa.ʁe/ | louvoieront /lu.vwa.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | louvoierais /lu.vwa.ʁɛ/ | louvoierais /lu.vwa.ʁɛ/ | louvoierait /lu.vwa.ʁɛ/ | louvoierions /lu.vwa.ʁjɔ̃/ | louvoieriez /lu.vwa.ʁje/ | louvoieraient /lu.vwa.ʁɛ/ | |
| (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 | louvoie /lu.vwa/ | louvoies /lu.vwa/ | louvoie /lu.vwa/ | louvoyions /lu.vwaj.jɔ̃/ | louvoyiez /lu.vwaj.je/ | louvoient /lu.vwa/ |
| imperfect2 | louvoyasse /lu.vwa.jas/ | louvoyasses /lu.vwa.jas/ | louvoyât /lu.vwa.ja/ | louvoyassions /lu.vwa.ja.sjɔ̃/ | louvoyassiez /lu.vwa.ja.sje/ | louvoyassent /lu.vwa.jas/ | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | louvoie /lu.vwa/ | — | louvoyons /lu.vwa.jɔ̃/ | louvoyez /lu.vwa.je/ | — | |
| 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). | |||||||
Further reading
- “louvoyer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.