empêcher

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French empeechier, inherited from Latin impedicāre. Cognate with English impeach. Doublet of empiéger.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ ~ /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

empêcher

  1. (transitive) to stop; to prevent; to hinder
    • 1966, C. van de Kieft, “Monopole de vente du "gruit" (produit végétal employé dans la fabrication de la bière) et droit de ban”, in Acta Historiae Neerlandica, volume 1, page 79:
      De la sorte, le banvin empêchait le débit de vins de qualité inférieure et servait l’intérêt général.
      In this way, the banvin prevented the output of poor-quality wines and served the general interest.
  2. (reflexive) to refrain
    Synonym: se retenir de
    Je ne peux m’empêcher de l’admirer. ― I can't help but admire him.

Conjugation

Conjugation of empêcher (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple empêcher
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple empêchant
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɑ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle empêché
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present empêche
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêches
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêche
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêchons
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɔ̃/ 		empêchez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/ 		empêchent
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/
imperfect empêchais
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɛ/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɛ/ 		empêchais
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɛ/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɛ/ 		empêchait
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɛ/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɛ/ 		empêchions
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃjɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃjɔ̃/ 		empêchiez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃje/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃje/ 		empêchaient
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɛ/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɛ/
past historic2 empêchai
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/ 		empêchas
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃa/ 		empêcha
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃa/ 		empêchâmes
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃam/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃam/ 		empêchâtes
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃat/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃat/ 		empêchèrent
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɛʁ/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɛʁ/
future empêcherai
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁe/ 		empêcheras
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁa/ 		empêchera
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁa/ 		empêcherons
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁɔ̃/ 		empêcherez
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁe/ 		empêcheront
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁɔ̃/
conditional empêcherais
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁɛ/ 		empêcherais
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁɛ/ 		empêcherait
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.ʁɛ/ 		empêcherions
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃə.ʁjɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		empêcheriez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃə.ʁje/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃə.ʁje/ 		empêcheraient
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ.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 empêche
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêches
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêche
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		empêchions
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃjɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃjɔ̃/ 		empêchiez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃje/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃje/ 		empêchent
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/
imperfect2 empêchasse
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃas/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃas/ 		empêchasses
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃas/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃas/ 		empêchât
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃa/ 		empêchassions
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa.sjɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃa.sjɔ̃/ 		empêchassiez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa.sje/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃa.sje/ 		empêchassent
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃas/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — empêche
/ɑ̃.pɛʃ/ 		— empêchons
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃɔ̃/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃɔ̃/ 		empêchez
/ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ or /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/ 		—
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).

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