ployer

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French ployer; variant of plier (which later underwent further modification), both from Old French pleier, ploiier, from Latin plicāre, from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to plait, to weave”) [from 13th century].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plwa.je/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: ployé, ployée, ployées, ployés, ployez
• Rhymes: -je, -e

Verb

ployer

1. (literary, intransitive) to bend, fold

   Synonym: plier

Conjugation

This verb is part of a large group of -er verbs that conjugate like noyer or ennuyer. These verbs always replace the 'y' with an 'i' before a silent 'e'.

Conjugation of ployer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	ployer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	ployant /plwa.jɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		ployé /plwa.je/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	ploie /plwa/	ploies /plwa/	ploie /plwa/	ployons /plwa.jɔ̃/	ployez /plwa.je/	ploient /plwa/
	imperfect	ployais /plwa.jɛ/	ployais /plwa.jɛ/	ployait /plwa.jɛ/	ployions /plwaj.jɔ̃/	ployiez /plwaj.je/	ployaient /plwa.jɛ/
	past historic2	ployai /plwa.je/	ployas /plwa.ja/	ploya /plwa.ja/	ployâmes /plwa.jam/	ployâtes /plwa.jat/	ployèrent /plwa.jɛʁ/
	future	ploierai /plwa.ʁe/	ploieras /plwa.ʁa/	ploiera /plwa.ʁa/	ploierons /plwa.ʁɔ̃/	ploierez /plwa.ʁe/	ploieront /plwa.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	ploierais /plwa.ʁɛ/	ploierais /plwa.ʁɛ/	ploierait /plwa.ʁɛ/	ploierions /plwa.ʁjɔ̃/	ploieriez /plwa.ʁje/	ploieraient /plwa.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	ploie /plwa/	ploies /plwa/	ploie /plwa/	ployions /plwaj.jɔ̃/	ployiez /plwaj.je/	ploient /plwa/
	imperfect2	ployasse /plwa.jas/	ployasses /plwa.jas/	ployât /plwa.ja/	ployassions /plwa.ja.sjɔ̃/	ployassiez /plwa.ja.sje/	ployassent /plwa.jas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	ploie /plwa/	—	ployons /plwa.jɔ̃/	ployez /plwa.je/	—
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

• éployer
• imployable

 

Further reading

• “ployer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French pleier, ploiier.

Verb

ployer

1. to fold

Conjugation

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Conjugation of ployer

infinitive	simple	ployer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2	simple	ployant
	compound	present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle		ployé
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ie (i’)	tu	il, elle	nous	vous	ilz, elles
(simple tenses)	present	ploye	ployes	ploye	ployons	ployez	ployent
	imperfect	ployois, ployoys	ployois, ployoys	ployoit, ployoyt	ployions, ployyons	ployiez, ployyez	ployoient, ployoyent
	past historic	ploya	ployas	ploya	ployasmes	ployastes	ployerent
	future	ployerai, ployeray	ployeras	ployera	ployerons	ployerez	ployeront
	conditional	ployerois, ployeroys	ployerois, ployeroys	ployeroit, ployeroyt	ployerions, ployeryons	ployeriez, ployeryez	ployeroient, ployeroyent
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que ie (i’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	ploye	ployes	ploye	ployons	ployez	ployent
	imperfect	ployasse	ployasses	ployast	ployassions	ployassiez	ployassent
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	ploye	—	ployons	ployez	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).

Related terms

• plier

Descendants

• French: ployer