prouver
French
Etymology
From Old French prover, from Latin probāre, present active infinitive of probō.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pʁu.ve/
audio (file)
Verb
prouver
- to prove
Conjugation
Conjugation of prouver (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | prouver | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | prouvant /pʁu.vɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | prouvé /pʁu.ve/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | prouve /pʁuv/ | prouves /pʁuv/ | prouve /pʁuv/ | prouvons /pʁu.vɔ̃/ | prouvez /pʁu.ve/ | prouvent /pʁuv/ |
| imperfect | prouvais /pʁu.vɛ/ | prouvais /pʁu.vɛ/ | prouvait /pʁu.vɛ/ | prouvions /pʁu.vjɔ̃/ | prouviez /pʁu.vje/ | prouvaient /pʁu.vɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | prouvai /pʁu.ve/ | prouvas /pʁu.va/ | prouva /pʁu.va/ | prouvâmes /pʁu.vam/ | prouvâtes /pʁu.vat/ | prouvèrent /pʁu.vɛʁ/ | |
| future | prouverai /pʁu.vʁe/ | prouveras /pʁu.vʁa/ | prouvera /pʁu.vʁa/ | prouverons /pʁu.vʁɔ̃/ | prouverez /pʁu.vʁe/ | prouveront /pʁu.vʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | prouverais /pʁu.vʁɛ/ | prouverais /pʁu.vʁɛ/ | prouverait /pʁu.vʁɛ/ | prouverions /pʁu.və.ʁjɔ̃/ | prouveriez /pʁu.və.ʁje/ | prouveraient /pʁu.vʁɛ/ | |
| (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 | prouve /pʁuv/ | prouves /pʁuv/ | prouve /pʁuv/ | prouvions /pʁu.vjɔ̃/ | prouviez /pʁu.vje/ | prouvent /pʁuv/ |
| imperfect2 | prouvasse /pʁu.vas/ | prouvasses /pʁu.vas/ | prouvât /pʁu.va/ | prouvassions /pʁu.va.sjɔ̃/ | prouvassiez /pʁu.va.sje/ | prouvassent /pʁu.vas/ | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | prouve /pʁuv/ | — | prouvons /pʁu.vɔ̃/ | prouvez /pʁu.ve/ | — | |
| 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). | |||||||
Related terms
- approuver
- éprouver
- preuve
- probable
- probation
- prouvable
- prouveur
Further reading
- “prouver”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Old French
Verb
prouver
- Alternative form of prover
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-v, *-vs, *-vt are modified to f, s, t. This verb has a stressed present stem pruev distinct from the unstressed stem prouv, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
Conjugation of prouver (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | prouver | avoir prouvé | |||||
| gerund | en prouvant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | prouvant | ||||||
| past participle | prouvé | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses | present | pruis | prueves | prueve | prouvons | prouvez | pruevent |
| imperfect | prouvoie, prouveie, prouvoe, prouveve | prouvoies, prouveies, prouvoes, prouveves | prouvoit, prouveit, prouvot, prouveve | prouviiens, prouviens | prouviiez, prouviez | prouvoient, prouveient, prouvoent, prouvevent | |
| preterite | prouvai | prouvas | prouva | prouvames | prouvastes | prouverent | |
| future | prouverai | prouveras | prouvera | prouverons | prouveroiz, prouvereiz, prouverez | prouveront | |
| conditional | prouveroie, prouvereie | prouveroies, prouvereies | prouveroit, prouvereit | prouveriiens, prouveriens | prouveriiez, prouveriez | prouveroient, prouvereient | |
| compound tenses | present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
| simple tenses | present | pruisse | pruisses | pruisse, pruist | provons, pruissiens, pruissons | provez, pruissiez | pruissent |
| imperfect | prouvasse | prouvasses | prouvast | prouvissons, prouvissiens | prouvissoiz, prouvissez, prouvissiez | prouvassent | |
| compound tenses | past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | pruisse | — | prouvons | prouvez | — | ||