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Definition 2025
plaire
plaire
French
Verb
plaire
- (intransitive) (followed by à or preceded by an indirect object) to please (usually translated into English as like with exchange of the subject and object)
- Cet homme me plaît ― I fancy that man (lit., “That man pleases me”)
- Cette robe me plaît ― I like this dress
- (reflexive) to enjoy (oneself)
- Je me suis plu à Paris. ― I liked it in Paris.
Related terms
Conjugation
plaire and its derived verbs conjugate like taire, except that the third person singular of the present indicative may take a circumflex on the ‘i’.
Conjugation of plaire (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | plaire | avoir plu | |||||
| gerund | en plaisant | en ayant plu | |||||
| present participle | plaisant /plɛ.zɑ̃/ |
||||||
| past participle | plu /ply/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | plais /plɛ/ |
plais /plɛ/ |
plaît or plait /plɛ/ |
plaisons /plɛ.zɔ̃/ |
plaisez /plɛ.ze/ |
plaisent /plɛz/ |
| imperfect | plaisais /plɛ.zɛ/ |
plaisais /plɛ.zɛ/ |
plaisait /plɛ.zɛ/ |
plaisions /plɛ.zjɔ̃/ |
plaisiez /plɛ.zje/ |
plaisaient /plɛ.zɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | plus /ply/ |
plus /ply/ |
plut /ply/ |
plûmes /plym/ |
plûtes /plyt/ |
plurent /plyʁ/ |
|
| future | plairai /plɛ.ʁe/ |
plairas /plɛ.ʁa/ |
plaira /plɛ.ʁa/ |
plairons /plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ |
plairez /plɛ.ʁe/ |
plairont /plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | plairais /plɛ.ʁɛ/ |
plairais /plɛ.ʁɛ/ |
plairait /plɛ.ʁɛ/ |
plairions /plɛ.ʁjɔ̃/ |
plairiez /plɛ.ʁje/ |
plairaient /plɛ.ʁɛ/ |
|
| 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 anterior1 | Use the past historic 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 je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | plaise /plɛz/ |
plaises /plɛz/ |
plaise /plɛz/ |
plaisions /plɛ.zjɔ̃/ |
plaisiez /plɛ.zje/ |
plaisent /plɛz/ |
| imperfect1 |
plusse /plys/ |
plusses /plys/ |
plût /ply/ |
plussions /ply.sjɔ̃/ |
plussiez /ply.sje/ |
plussent /plys/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | plais /plɛ/ |
— | plaisons /plɛ.zɔ̃/ |
plaisez /plɛ.ze/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||
Anagrams
Old French
Verb
plaire
- Alternative infinitive of plaisir.
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb ends in a palatal stem, so there is an extra i before the e of some endings. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
Conjugation of plaire (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | plaire | avoir pleü | |||||
| gerund | en plaisant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | plaisant | ||||||
| past participle | pleü | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | plaz, plais | plais | plaist | plaisons | plaisiez | plaisent |
| imperfect | plaisoie, plaiseie | plaisoies, plaiseies | plaisoit, plaiseit | plaisiiens, plaisiens | plaisiiez, plaisiez | plaisoient, plaiseient | |
| preterite | ploi | pleüs | plot | pleümes | pleüstes | plorent | |
| future | plairai | plairas | plaira | plairons | plairoiz, plaireiz, plairez | plairont | |
| conditional | plairoie, plaireie | plairoies, plaireies | plairoit, plaireit | plairiiens, plairiens | plairiiez, plairiez | plairoient, plaireient | |
| 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 | place, plaise | places, plaises | place, plaise | placiens, plaçons, plaisiens, plaisons | placiez, plaisiez | placent, plaisent |
| imperfect | pleüsse | pleüsses | pleüst | pleüssons, pleüssiens | pleüssoiz, pleüssez, pleüssiez | pleüssent | |
| 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 | – | |
| — | plais | — | plaisons | plaisiez | — | ||