découvrir

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French descovrir, from Late Latin discoperīre < discooperīre, from Latin dis- + cooperiō.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /de.ku.vʁiʁ/
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

découvrir

  1. to discover
  2. to show, to reveal
  3. to leave uncovered, to expose
  4. to leave unprotected, to expose

Conjugation

This verb is conjugated like ouvrir 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 découvert is irregular.

Conjugation of découvrir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple découvrir
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple découvrant
/de.ku.vʁɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle découvert
/de.ku.vɛʁ/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present découvre
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvres
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvre
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvrons
/de.ku.vʁɔ̃/ 		découvrez
/de.ku.vʁe/ 		découvrent
/de.kuvʁ/
imperfect découvrais
/de.ku.vʁɛ/ 		découvrais
/de.ku.vʁɛ/ 		découvrait
/de.ku.vʁɛ/ 		découvrions
/de.ku.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		découvriez
/de.ku.vʁi.je/ 		découvraient
/de.ku.vʁɛ/
past historic2 découvris
/de.ku.vʁi/ 		découvris
/de.ku.vʁi/ 		découvrit
/de.ku.vʁi/ 		découvrîmes
/de.ku.vʁim/ 		découvrîtes
/de.ku.vʁit/ 		découvrirent
/de.ku.vʁiʁ/
future découvrirai
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁe/ 		découvriras
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁa/ 		découvrira
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁa/ 		découvrirons
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ 		découvrirez
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁe/ 		découvriront
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/
conditional découvrirais
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		découvrirais
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		découvrirait
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		découvririons
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁjɔ̃/ 		découvririez
/de.ku.vʁi.ʁje/ 		découvriraient
/de.ku.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 découvre
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvres
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvre
/de.kuvʁ/ 		découvrions
/de.ku.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		découvriez
/de.ku.vʁi.je/ 		découvrent
/de.kuvʁ/
imperfect2 découvrisse
/de.ku.vʁis/ 		découvrisses
/de.ku.vʁis/ 		découvrît
/de.ku.vʁi/ 		découvrissions
/de.ku.vʁi.sjɔ̃/ 		découvrissiez
/de.ku.vʁi.sje/ 		découvrissent
/de.ku.vʁis/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — découvre
/de.kuvʁ/ 		— découvrons
/de.ku.vʁɔ̃/ 		découvrez
/de.ku.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:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

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

Further reading

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