plaire
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French plaire, from Old French plaire, from plaisir, from Latin placēre. The original infinitive now became a noun, and the infinitive ending was changed to -aire by analogy with the future and conditional forms in plair-. The future stem came from Latin pluperfect stem placuer- (placueram, placuerās, ...); some other verbs also use the pluperfect stem for their future stems (but not in the case of pluperfect forms containing -s- or -x-), for example tenir, tiendrai (if using the infinitive form, it results on expected *tenirai < tenī́re hábeō), see also Appendix:French verbs#Origins.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /plɛʁ/
audio (file)
Verb
plaire
- (intransitive, with indirect object) to please, to appeal to (usually translated into English as like with exchange of subject and object)
- Cet homme me plaît ― I like/fancy that man. (literally, “That man appeals to me.”)
- Cette robe me plaît. ― I like this dress.
- (reflexive) to enjoy (oneself)
- Je me suis plu à Paris. ― I liked it in Paris.
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'.
infinitive | simple | plaire | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | plaisant /plɛ.zɑ̃/ or /ple.zɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | plu /ply/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | plais /plɛ/ |
plais /plɛ/ |
plaît or plait /plɛ/ |
plaisons /plɛ.zɔ̃/ or /ple.zɔ̃/ |
plaisez /plɛ.ze/ or /ple.ze/ |
plaisent /plɛz/ |
imperfect | plaisais /plɛ.zɛ/ or /ple.zɛ/ |
plaisais /plɛ.zɛ/ or /ple.zɛ/ |
plaisait /plɛ.zɛ/ or /ple.zɛ/ |
plaisions /plɛ.zjɔ̃/ or /ple.zjɔ̃/ |
plaisiez /plɛ.zje/ or /ple.zje/ |
plaisaient /plɛ.zɛ/ or /ple.zɛ/ | |
past historic2 | plus /ply/ |
plus /ply/ |
plut /ply/ |
plûmes /plym/ |
plûtes /plyt/ |
plurent /plyʁ/ | |
future | plairai /plɛ.ʁe/ or /ple.ʁe/ |
plairas /plɛ.ʁa/ or /ple.ʁa/ |
plaira /plɛ.ʁa/ or /ple.ʁa/ |
plairons /plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ or /ple.ʁɔ̃/ |
plairez /plɛ.ʁe/ or /ple.ʁe/ |
plairont /plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ or /ple.ʁɔ̃/ | |
conditional | plairais /plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /ple.ʁɛ/ |
plairais /plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /ple.ʁɛ/ |
plairait /plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /ple.ʁɛ/ |
plairions /plɛ.ʁjɔ̃/ or /ple.ʁjɔ̃/ |
plairiez /plɛ.ʁje/ or /ple.ʁje/ |
plairaient /plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /ple.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 | plaise /plɛz/ |
plaises /plɛz/ |
plaise /plɛz/ |
plaisions /plɛ.zjɔ̃/ or /ple.zjɔ̃/ |
plaisiez /plɛ.zje/ or /ple.zje/ |
plaisent /plɛz/ |
imperfect2 | plusse /plys/ |
plusses /plys/ |
plût /ply/ |
plussions /ply.sjɔ̃/ |
plussiez /ply.sje/ |
plussent /plys/ | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | plais /plɛ/ |
— | plaisons /plɛ.zɔ̃/ or /ple.zɔ̃/ |
plaisez /plɛ.ze/ or /ple.ze/ |
— | |
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). |
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'.
infinitive | simple | se plaire | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | s'être + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | se plaisant /sə plɛ.zɑ̃/ or /sə ple.zɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | ayant or étant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | plu /ply/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | me plais /mə plɛ/ |
te plais /tə plɛ/ |
se plaît or se plait /sə plɛ/ |
nous plaisons /nu plɛ.zɔ̃/ or /nu ple.zɔ̃/ |
vous plaisez /vu plɛ.ze/ or /vu ple.ze/ |
se plaisent /sə plɛz/ |
imperfect | me plaisais /mə plɛ.zɛ/ or /mə ple.zɛ/ |
te plaisais /tə plɛ.zɛ/ or /tə ple.zɛ/ |
se plaisait /sə plɛ.zɛ/ or /sə ple.zɛ/ |
nous plaisions /nu plɛ.zjɔ̃/ or /nu ple.zjɔ̃/ |
vous plaisiez /vu plɛ.zje/ or /vu ple.zje/ |
se plaisaient /sə plɛ.zɛ/ or /sə ple.zɛ/ | |
past historic2 | me plus /mə ply/ |
te plus /tə ply/ |
se plut /sə ply/ |
nous plûmes /nu plym/ |
vous plûtes /vu plyt/ |
se plurent /sə plyʁ/ | |
future | me plairai /mə plɛ.ʁe/ or /mə ple.ʁe/ |
te plairas /tə plɛ.ʁa/ or /tə ple.ʁa/ |
se plaira /sə plɛ.ʁa/ or /sə ple.ʁa/ |
nous plairons /nu plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ or /nu ple.ʁɔ̃/ |
vous plairez /vu plɛ.ʁe/ or /vu ple.ʁe/ |
se plairont /sə plɛ.ʁɔ̃/ or /sə ple.ʁɔ̃/ | |
conditional | me plairais /mə plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /mə ple.ʁɛ/ |
te plairais /tə plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /tə ple.ʁɛ/ |
se plairait /sə plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /sə ple.ʁɛ/ |
nous plairions /nu plɛ.ʁjɔ̃/ or /nu ple.ʁjɔ̃/ |
vous plairiez /vu plɛ.ʁje/ or /vu ple.ʁje/ |
se plairaient /sə plɛ.ʁɛ/ or /sə ple.ʁɛ/ | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of s'être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of s'être + past participle | ||||||
past anterior2 | past historic of s'être + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of s'être + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of s'être + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | me plaise /mə plɛz/ |
te plaises /tə plɛz/ |
se plaise /sə plɛz/ |
nous plaisions /nu plɛ.zjɔ̃/ or /nu ple.zjɔ̃/ |
vous plaisiez /vu plɛ.zje/ or /vu ple.zje/ |
se plaisent /sə plɛz/ |
imperfect2 | me plusse /mə plys/ |
te plusses /tə plys/ |
se plût /sə ply/ |
nous plussions /nu ply.sjɔ̃/ |
vous plussiez /vu ply.sje/ |
se plussent /sə plys/ | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of s'être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of s'être + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | plais-toi /plɛ.twa/ |
— | plaisons-nous /plɛ.zɔ̃.nu/ or /ple.zɔ̃.nu/ |
plaisez-vous /plɛ.ze.vu/ or /ple.ze.vu/ |
— | |
compound | — | simple imperative of s'être + past participle | — | simple imperative of s'être + past participle | simple imperative of s'être + 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
Further reading
- “plaire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Occitan
Etymology
From a variant of Old Occitan plazer (probably reformed by analogy from conjugated forms; compare French plaire vs. plaisir, and Catalan plaure vs. plaer), from Latin placeō, placēre (“to please”).
Pronunciation
Audio (Languedocien) (file)
Antonyms
- desplaire
- desagradar
- desplàser
Related terms
- plaser (“pleasure”)
Further reading
- Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 500.
Old French
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.
simple | compound | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | plaire | avoir pleü | |||||
gerund | en plaisant | gerund of avoir + 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 | present tense of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
past anterior | preterite tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future tense of avoir + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional tense of avoir + 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 | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
— | plais | — | plaisons | plaisiez | — |