Wiktionary

siffler

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Old French sifler (later orthographically influenced by souffler), from Vulgar Latin *sīfilāre, probably an Osco-Umbrian influenced variant of Latin sībilāre (compare Spanish chiflar, Friulian sivilâ). Cf. also the variant northern Old French dialectal form sufler (whence Norman sûfflier and Walloon xhufler), from a Vulgar Latin variant *sufilāre (compare Italian zufolare), as well as the dialectal subler from a form *subilāre (compare Italian sobillare, Romansch tschüblar, Romanian șuiera); in areas transitional to Franco-Provençal dialects is found the form sibler (compare also Occitan siblar, siular, Catalan xiular).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /si.fle/
  • Audio(file)

Verb edit

siffler

  1. (transitive, intransitive) to whistle
    Elle siffle un air bizarre.
    She's whistling a strange tune.
  2. (transitive) to whistle for, to blow on a whistle for
    L’arbitre a sifflé la mi-temps.
    The referee blew the whistle for half-time.
  3. (transitive) to boo by whistling (to show one's disapproval at something)
  4. (intransitive, of snakes) to hiss
  5. (transitive) to knock back (a drink), to down

Conjugation edit

Conjugation of siffler (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple siffler
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple sifflant
/si.flɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle sifflé
/si.fle/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present siffle
/sifl/ 		siffles
/sifl/ 		siffle
/sifl/ 		sifflons
/si.flɔ̃/ 		sifflez
/si.fle/ 		sifflent
/sifl/
imperfect sifflais
/si.flɛ/ 		sifflais
/si.flɛ/ 		sifflait
/si.flɛ/ 		sifflions
/si.fli.jɔ̃/ 		siffliez
/si.fli.je/ 		sifflaient
/si.flɛ/
past historic2 sifflai
/si.fle/ 		sifflas
/si.fla/ 		siffla
/si.fla/ 		sifflâmes
/si.flam/ 		sifflâtes
/si.flat/ 		sifflèrent
/si.flɛʁ/
future sifflerai
/si.flə.ʁe/ 		siffleras
/si.flə.ʁa/ 		sifflera
/si.flə.ʁa/ 		sifflerons
/si.flə.ʁɔ̃/ 		sifflerez
/si.flə.ʁe/ 		siffleront
/si.flə.ʁɔ̃/
conditional sifflerais
/si.flə.ʁɛ/ 		sifflerais
/si.flə.ʁɛ/ 		sifflerait
/si.flə.ʁɛ/ 		sifflerions
/si.flə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		siffleriez
/si.flə.ʁje/ 		siffleraient
/si.flə.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 siffle
/sifl/ 		siffles
/sifl/ 		siffle
/sifl/ 		sifflions
/si.fli.jɔ̃/ 		siffliez
/si.fli.je/ 		sifflent
/sifl/
imperfect2 sifflasse
/si.flas/ 		sifflasses
/si.flas/ 		sifflât
/si.fla/ 		sifflassions
/si.fla.sjɔ̃/ 		sifflassiez
/si.fla.sje/ 		sifflassent
/si.flas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — siffle
/sifl/ 		— sifflons
/si.flɔ̃/ 		sifflez
/si.fle/ 		—
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:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

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