méfaire

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French

Etymology

From Old French mesfaire, mesfere, from mes- (“badly, wrongly”) + faire (“to do”); mé- +‎ faire.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /me.fɛʁ/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛʁ

Verb

méfaire

  1. (defective) to do wrong; to do something immoral

Usage notes

Some dictionaries give this verb as defective.

Conjugation

Conjugation of méfaire (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple méfaire
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple méfaisant
/mef.zɑ̃/ or /mɛf.zɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle méfait
/me.fɛ/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present méfais
/me.fɛ/ 		méfais
/me.fɛ/ 		méfait
/me.fɛ/ 		méfaisons
/mef.zɔ̃/ or /mɛf.zɔ̃/ 		méfaites
/me.fɛt/ 		méfont
/me.fɔ̃/
imperfect méfaisais
/mef.zɛ/ or /mɛf.zɛ/ 		méfaisais
/mef.zɛ/ or /mɛf.zɛ/ 		méfaisait
/mef.zɛ/ or /mɛf.zɛ/ 		méfaisions
/me.fə.zjɔ̃/ 		méfaisiez
/me.fə.zje/ 		méfaisaient
/mef.zɛ/ or /mɛf.zɛ/
past historic2 méfis
/me.fi/ 		méfis
/me.fi/ 		méfit
/me.fi/ 		méfîmes
/me.fim/ 		méfîtes
/me.fit/ 		méfirent
/me.fiʁ/
future méferai
/me.fʁe/ 		méferas
/me.fʁa/ 		méfera
/me.fʁa/ 		méferons
/me.fʁɔ̃/ 		méferez
/me.fʁe/ 		méferont
/me.fʁɔ̃/
conditional méferais
/me.fʁɛ/ 		méferais
/me.fʁɛ/ 		méferait
/me.fʁɛ/ 		méferions
/me.fə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		méferiez
/me.fə.ʁje/ 		méferaient
/me.fʁɛ/
(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 méfasse
/me.fas/ 		méfasses
/me.fas/ 		méfasse
/me.fas/ 		méfassions
/me.fa.sjɔ̃/ 		méfassiez
/me.fa.sje/ 		méfassent
/me.fas/
imperfect2 méfisse
/me.fis/ 		méfisses
/me.fis/ 		méfît
/me.fi/ 		méfissions
/me.fi.sjɔ̃/ 		méfissiez
/me.fi.sje/ 		méfissent
/me.fis/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — méfais
/me.fɛ/ 		— méfaisons
/mef.zɔ̃/ or /mɛf.zɔ̃/ 		méfaites
/me.fɛt/ 		—
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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