promener

French

Etymology

From an alteration of Middle French pourmener, Old French pourmener, pormener (based on numerous verbs beginning with the prefix pro-), itself from pour- and mener; alternatively and less likely corresponds to a Vulgar Latin *prōmināre (“to drive forward”), from prō (“forward”) +‎ mino (“I drive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔm.ne/

• audio

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Verb

promener

1. (reflexive) to walk (leisurely), to go for a walk, to stroll
   • 1869, Charles Beaudelaire, "Perte d'auréole", Petits Poëmes en prose; translated 2009 by Keith Waldrop:

     Je puis maintenant me promener incognito, faire des actions basses, et me livrer à la crapule, comme les simples mortels

     Now I can stroll about incognito, do mean things, launch into debauches, like ordinary mortals.

   • 1962, Françoise Hardy, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     Tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge se promènent dans la rue deux par deux.

     All the boys and girls of my age walk down the street in pairs.

2. (transitive) to walk out (an animal)
3. (transitive) to carry around, often with the implication of showing off

Conjugation

This verb is conjugated like parler, except the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-, as in the third-person singular present indicative il promène and the third-person singular future indicative il promènera.

Derived terms

• envoyer promener

Related terms

• promenade

See also

• aller
• border
• côtoyer
• courir
• longer
• marcher

Further reading

• “promener”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.