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Definition 2024
différer
différer
See also: differer
French
Verb
différer
- to differ
Conjugation
This verb is conjugated like céder. It is a regular -er verb, except that its last stem vowel alternates between /e/ (written ‘é’) and /ɛ/ (written ‘è’), with the latter being used before mute ‘e’. One special case is the future stem, used in the future and the conditional. Before 1990, the future stem of such verbs was written différer-, reflecting the historic pronunciation /e/. In 1990, the French Academy recommended that it be written diffèrer-, reflecting the now common pronunciation /ɛ/, thereby making this distinction consistent throughout the conjugation (and also matching in this regard the conjugations of verbs like lever and jeter). Both spellings are in use today, and both are therefore given here.
Conjugation of différer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | différer | avoir différé | |||||
| gerund | en différant | en ayant différé | |||||
| present participle | différant /di.fe.ʁɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | différé /di.fe.ʁe/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | diffère /di.fɛʁ/ |
diffères /di.fɛʁ/ |
diffère /di.fɛʁ/ |
différons /di.fe.ʁɔ̃/ |
différez /di.fe.ʁe/ |
diffèrent /di.fɛʁ/ |
| imperfect | différais /di.fe.ʁɛ/ |
différais /di.fe.ʁɛ/ |
différait /di.fe.ʁɛ/ |
différions /di.fe.ʁjɔ̃/ |
différiez /di.fe.ʁje/ |
différaient /di.fe.ʁɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | différai /di.fe.ʁe/ |
différas /di.fe.ʁa/ |
différa /di.fe.ʁa/ |
différâmes /di.fe.ʁam/ |
différâtes /di.fe.ʁat/ |
différèrent /di.fe.ʁɛʁ/ |
|
| future | diffèrerai or différerai /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁe/ |
diffèreras or différeras /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁa/ |
diffèrera or différera /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁa/ |
diffèrerons or différerons /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁɔ̃/ |
diffèrerez or différerez /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁe/ |
diffèreront or différeront /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | diffèrerais or différerais /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ |
diffèrerais or différerais /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ |
diffèrerait or différerait /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ |
diffèrerions or différerions /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
diffèreriez or différeriez /di.fɛ.ʁə.ʁje/ |
diffèreraient or différeraient /di.fɛ.ʁə.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 | diffère /di.fɛʁ/ |
diffères /di.fɛʁ/ |
diffère /di.fɛʁ/ |
différions /di.fe.ʁjɔ̃/ |
différiez /di.fe.ʁje/ |
diffèrent /di.fɛʁ/ |
| imperfect1 |
différasse /di.fe.ʁas/ |
différasses /di.fe.ʁas/ |
différât /di.fe.ʁa/ |
différassions /di.fe.ʁa.sjɔ̃/ |
différassiez /di.fe.ʁa.sje/ |
différassent /di.fe.ʁas/ |
|
| 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 | – | |
| — | diffère /di.fɛʁ/ |
— | différons /di.fe.ʁɔ̃/ |
différez /di.fe.ʁe/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||