Inherited from Middle French , from Old French bercier (“to rock”), from Vulgar Latin *bertiāre, via Gaulish from Proto-Celtic *berta- (“to shake”), related to *bereti (“to carry”). See berceau (“cradle”).
bercer
This verb is part of a group of -er verbs for which 'c' is softened to a 'ç' before the vowels 'a' and 'o'.
| infinitive | simple | bercer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | berçant /bɛʁ.sɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | bercé /bɛʁ.se/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | berce /bɛʁs/ |
berces /bɛʁs/ |
berce /bɛʁs/ |
berçons /bɛʁ.sɔ̃/ |
bercez /bɛʁ.se/ |
bercent /bɛʁs/ |
| imperfect | berçais /bɛʁ.sɛ/ |
berçais /bɛʁ.sɛ/ |
berçait /bɛʁ.sɛ/ |
bercions /bɛʁ.sjɔ̃/ |
berciez /bɛʁ.sje/ |
berçaient /bɛʁ.sɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | berçai /bɛʁ.se/ |
berças /bɛʁ.sa/ |
berça /bɛʁ.sa/ |
berçâmes /bɛʁ.sam/ |
berçâtes /bɛʁ.sat/ |
bercèrent /bɛʁ.sɛʁ/ | |
| future | bercerai /bɛʁ.sə.ʁe/ |
berceras /bɛʁ.sə.ʁa/ |
bercera /bɛʁ.sə.ʁa/ |
bercerons /bɛʁ.sə.ʁɔ̃/ |
bercerez /bɛʁ.sə.ʁe/ |
berceront /bɛʁ.sə.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | bercerais /bɛʁ.sə.ʁɛ/ |
bercerais /bɛʁ.sə.ʁɛ/ |
bercerait /bɛʁ.sə.ʁɛ/ |
bercerions /bɛʁ.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
berceriez /bɛʁ.sə.ʁje/ |
berceraient /bɛʁ.sə.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 | berce /bɛʁs/ |
berces /bɛʁs/ |
berce /bɛʁs/ |
bercions /bɛʁ.sjɔ̃/ |
berciez /bɛʁ.sje/ |
bercent /bɛʁs/ |
| imperfect2 | berçasse /bɛʁ.sas/ |
berçasses /bɛʁ.sas/ |
berçât /bɛʁ.sa/ |
berçassions /bɛʁ.sa.sjɔ̃/ |
berçassiez /bɛʁ.sa.sje/ |
berçassent /bɛʁ.sas/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | berce /bɛʁs/ |
— | berçons /bɛʁ.sɔ̃/ |
bercez /bɛʁ.se/ |
— | |
| 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 , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
bercer
This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-c, *-cs, *-ct are modified to z, z, zt. In addition, c becomes ç before an a, o or u to keep the /ts/ sound intact. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | bercer | avoir bercé | |||||
| gerund | en berçant | gerund of avoir + past participle | |||||
| present participle | berçant | ||||||
| past participle | bercé | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | berz | berces | berce | berçons | bercez | bercent |
| imperfect | berçoie, berceie, berçoe, berceve | berçoies, berceies, berçoes, berceves | berçoit, berceit, berçot, berceve | berciiens, berciens | berciiez, berciez | berçoient, berceient, berçoent, bercevent | |
| preterite | berçai | berças | berça | berçames | berçastes | bercerent | |
| future | bercerai | berceras | bercera | bercerons | berceroiz, bercereiz, bercerez | berceront | |
| conditional | berceroie, bercereie | berceroies, bercereies | berceroit, bercereit | berceriiens, berceriens | berceriiez, berceriez | berceroient, bercereient | |
| 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 | berz | berz | berzt | berçons | bercez | bercent |
| imperfect | berçasse | berçasses | berçast | bercissons, bercissiens | bercissoiz, bercissez, bercissiez | berçassent | |
| compound tenses |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | berce | — | berçons | bercez | — | ||