ouvrir
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French ouvrir, from Old French ovrir, obrir, from Vulgar Latin *operīre, alteration of Classical Latin aperīre (“to open”), perhaps under the influence of cooperīre (“to cover”) (whence couvrir). Cognate with Italian aprire; Portuguese and Spanish abrir; Catalan obrir.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
ouvrir
- (transitive) to open
- (transitive) to begin, to initiate
- À peine arrivé, il a ouvert les hostilités.
- He initiated hostilities almost as soon as he arrived.
- (reflexive) to open (of a door or a flower)
- (reflexive) to open, to begin
- La séquence s’ouvre sur une scène de nuit.
- The sequence opens with a night scene.
- to turn on, to switch on, to put on (of a device or an appliance)
- to open it or the door, to answer it or the door, to get it
- On sonne à la porte. Je vais ouvrir.
- There's someone at the door; I'll open/answer/get it.
- Sophie, ouvre-moi, je voudrais te parler !
- Sophie, open the door; I want to talk to you!
- Allez, arrête tes bêtises et va ouvrir à Patrick ; il doit avoir froid dehors.
- Stop being silly and open the door for Patrick; he must be cold outside.
- (reflexive) to cut something open, to gash something (of a part of one's body)
- Le gardien de but a plongé pour rattraper le ballon, s’est cogné contre le poteau et s’est ouvert l’arcade sourcilière.
- The goalkeeper dived to catch the ball, banged himself on the goalpost and cut his eyebrow open.
- (reflexive) to open onto, to lead into (+ sur)
- Cette porte s’ouvre sur le jardin.
- This door opens onto the garden.
- (intransitive) to open onto, to overlook, to look onto (of a door or a window) (+ sur)
- La porte ouvre sur la rue.
- The door opens onto the street.
- (reflexive) to open up to, to be open to, to be exposed to, to get a feel for (+ à)
- Sa fille s’est ouverte à la musique sur le piano familial.
- The girl got a feel for music playing her family's piano.
- (reflexive) to open up to, to confide in (+ à)
- to make, to create, to open up (e.g., a path)
Conjugation edit
This verb is conjugated like couvrir and offrir. It is conjugated like a regular -er verb in the present and imperfect indicative, present subjunctive, imperative, and present participle; it is conjugated like a regular -ir verb in the infinitive, future indicative, conditional, past historic, and imperfect subjunctive; and its past participle ouvert is irregular.
Conjugation of ouvrir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | ouvrir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | ouvrant /u.vʁɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | ouvert /u.vɛʁ/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | ouvre /uvʁ/ |
ouvres /uvʁ/ |
ouvre /uvʁ/ |
ouvrons /u.vʁɔ̃/ |
ouvrez /u.vʁe/ |
ouvrent /uvʁ/ |
| imperfect | ouvrais /u.vʁɛ/ |
ouvrais /u.vʁɛ/ |
ouvrait /u.vʁɛ/ |
ouvrions /u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ |
ouvriez /u.vʁi.je/ |
ouvraient /u.vʁɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | ouvris /u.vʁi/ |
ouvris /u.vʁi/ |
ouvrit /u.vʁi/ |
ouvrîmes /u.vʁim/ |
ouvrîtes /u.vʁit/ |
ouvrirent /u.vʁiʁ/ | |
| future | ouvrirai /u.vʁi.ʁe/ |
ouvriras /u.vʁi.ʁa/ |
ouvrira /u.vʁi.ʁa/ |
ouvrirons /u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ |
ouvrirez /u.vʁi.ʁe/ |
ouvriront /u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | ouvrirais /u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
ouvrirais /u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
ouvrirait /u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
ouvririons /u.vʁi.ʁjɔ̃/ |
ouvririez /u.vʁi.ʁje/ |
ouvriraient /u.vʁi.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 | ouvre /uvʁ/ |
ouvres /uvʁ/ |
ouvre /uvʁ/ |
ouvrions /u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ |
ouvriez /u.vʁi.je/ |
ouvrent /uvʁ/ |
| imperfect2 | ouvrisse /u.vʁis/ |
ouvrisses /u.vʁis/ |
ouvrît /u.vʁi/ |
ouvrissions /u.vʁi.sjɔ̃/ |
ouvrissiez /u.vʁi.sje/ |
ouvrissent /u.vʁis/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | ouvre /uvʁ/ |
— | ouvrons /u.vʁɔ̃/ |
ouvrez /u.vʁe/ |
— | |
| 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). | |||||||
This verb is conjugated like couvrir and offrir. It is conjugated like a regular -er verb in the present and imperfect indicative, present subjunctive, imperative, and present participle; it is conjugated like a regular -ir verb in the infinitive, future indicative, conditional, past historic, and imperfect subjunctive; and its past participle ouvert is irregular.
Conjugation of s'ouvrir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | s'ouvrir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | s'être + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | s’ouvrant /su.vʁɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant or étant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | ouvert /u.vɛʁ/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | m’ouvre /muvʁ/ |
t’ouvres /tuvʁ/ |
s’ouvre /suvʁ/ |
nous ouvrons /nu.z‿u.vʁɔ̃/ |
vous ouvrez /vu.z‿u.vʁe/ |
s’ouvrent /suvʁ/ |
| imperfect | m’ouvrais /mu.vʁɛ/ |
t’ouvrais /tu.vʁɛ/ |
s’ouvrait /su.vʁɛ/ |
nous ouvrions /nu.z‿u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ |
vous ouvriez /vu.z‿u.vʁi.je/ |
s’ouvraient /su.vʁɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | m’ouvris /mu.vʁi/ |
t’ouvris /tu.vʁi/ |
s’ouvrit /su.vʁi/ |
nous ouvrîmes /nu.z‿u.vʁim/ |
vous ouvrîtes /vu.z‿u.vʁit/ |
s’ouvrirent /su.vʁiʁ/ | |
| future | m’ouvrirai /mu.vʁi.ʁe/ |
t’ouvriras /tu.vʁi.ʁa/ |
s’ouvrira /su.vʁi.ʁa/ |
nous ouvrirons /nu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ |
vous ouvrirez /vu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁe/ |
s’ouvriront /su.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | m’ouvrirais /mu.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
t’ouvrirais /tu.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
s’ouvrirait /su.vʁi.ʁɛ/ |
nous ouvririons /nu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁjɔ̃/ |
vous ouvririez /vu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁje/ |
s’ouvriraient /su.vʁi.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 | m’ouvre /muvʁ/ |
t’ouvres /tuvʁ/ |
s’ouvre /suvʁ/ |
nous ouvrions /nu.z‿u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ |
vous ouvriez /vu.z‿u.vʁi.je/ |
s’ouvrent /suvʁ/ |
| imperfect2 | m’ouvrisse /mu.vʁis/ |
t’ouvrisses /tu.vʁis/ |
s’ouvrît /su.vʁi/ |
nous ouvrissions /nu.z‿u.vʁi.sjɔ̃/ |
vous ouvrissiez /vu.z‿u.vʁi.sje/ |
s’ouvrissent /su.vʁis/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of s'être + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of s'être + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | ouvre-toi /uvʁ.twa/ |
— | ouvrons-nous /u.vʁɔ̃.nu/ |
ouvrez-vous /u.vʁe.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). | |||||||
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “ouvrir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French edit
Etymology edit
From Old French ovrir.
Verb edit
ouvrir
- to open
Descendants edit
- French: ouvrir