Inherited fromMiddle Frenchnettoyer, fromOld Frenchnetoiier, a restructuring (based onnet(“clean (adj.)”)) of Old Frenchnoiier(“to clean”), fromVulgar Latin*nitidiāre, a verb based on Latinnitidus(“shining, polished”), which took on the meaning of 'clean'. Bysurface analysis,net +-oyer.
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nettoyer
This verb is part of a large group of-er verbs that conjugate likenoyer orennuyer. These verbs always replace the 'y' with an 'i' before a silent 'e'.
| infinitive | simple | nettoyer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle orgerund1 | simple | nettoyant /nɛ.twa.jɑ̃/ or/ne.twa.jɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | nettoyé /nɛ.twa.je/ or/ne.twa.je/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | nettoie /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoies /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoie /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoyons /nɛ.twa.jɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.jɔ̃/ | nettoyez /nɛ.twa.je/ or/ne.twa.je/ | nettoient /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ |
| imperfect | nettoyais /nɛ.twa.jɛ/ or/ne.twa.jɛ/ | nettoyais /nɛ.twa.jɛ/ or/ne.twa.jɛ/ | nettoyait /nɛ.twa.jɛ/ or/ne.twa.jɛ/ | nettoyions /nɛ.twaj.jɔ̃/ or/ne.twaj.jɔ̃/ | nettoyiez /nɛ.twaj.je/ or/ne.twaj.je/ | nettoyaient /nɛ.twa.jɛ/ or/ne.twa.jɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | nettoyai /nɛ.twa.je/ or/ne.twa.je/ | nettoyas /nɛ.twa.ja/ or/ne.twa.ja/ | nettoya /nɛ.twa.ja/ or/ne.twa.ja/ | nettoyâmes /nɛ.twa.jam/ or/ne.twa.jam/ | nettoyâtes /nɛ.twa.jat/ or/ne.twa.jat/ | nettoyèrent /nɛ.twa.jɛʁ/ or/ne.twa.jɛʁ/ | |
| future | nettoierai /nɛ.twa.ʁe/ or/ne.twa.ʁe/ | nettoieras /nɛ.twa.ʁa/ or/ne.twa.ʁa/ | nettoiera /nɛ.twa.ʁa/ or/ne.twa.ʁa/ | nettoierons /nɛ.twa.ʁɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.ʁɔ̃/ | nettoierez /nɛ.twa.ʁe/ or/ne.twa.ʁe/ | nettoieront /nɛ.twa.ʁɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | nettoierais /nɛ.twa.ʁɛ/ or/ne.twa.ʁɛ/ | nettoierais /nɛ.twa.ʁɛ/ or/ne.twa.ʁɛ/ | nettoierait /nɛ.twa.ʁɛ/ or/ne.twa.ʁɛ/ | nettoierions /nɛ.twa.ʁjɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.ʁjɔ̃/ | nettoieriez /nɛ.twa.ʁje/ or/ne.twa.ʁje/ | nettoieraient /nɛ.twa.ʁɛ/ or/ne.twa.ʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) | present perfect | present indicative ofavoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | nettoie /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoies /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoie /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | nettoyions /nɛ.twaj.jɔ̃/ or/ne.twaj.jɔ̃/ | nettoyiez /nɛ.twaj.je/ or/ne.twaj.je/ | nettoient /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ |
| imperfect2 | nettoyasse /nɛ.twa.jas/ or/ne.twa.jas/ | nettoyasses /nɛ.twa.jas/ or/ne.twa.jas/ | nettoyât /nɛ.twa.ja/ or/ne.twa.ja/ | nettoyassions /nɛ.twa.ja.sjɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.ja.sjɔ̃/ | nettoyassiez /nɛ.twa.ja.sje/ or/ne.twa.ja.sje/ | nettoyassent /nɛ.twa.jas/ or/ne.twa.jas/ | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive ofavoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | nettoie /nɛ.twa/ or/ne.twa/ | — | nettoyons /nɛ.twa.jɔ̃/ or/ne.twa.jɔ̃/ | nettoyez /nɛ.twa.je/ or/ne.twa.je/ | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | — | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the prepositionen. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995],Master the Basics: French, pp.77,78,79,81). | |||||||
FromOld Frenchnettoier.
nettoyer
| infinitive | simple | nettoyer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle1 orgerund2 | simple | nettoyant | |||||
| compound | present participle or gerund ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | nettoyé | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | ie (i’) | tu | il, elle | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | nettoye | nettoyes | nettoye | nettoyons | nettoyez | nettoyent |
| imperfect | nettoyois,nettoyoys | nettoyois,nettoyoys | nettoyoit,nettoyoyt | nettoyions,nettoyyons | nettoyiez,nettoyyez | nettoyoient,nettoyoyent | |
| past historic | nettoya | nettoyas | nettoya | nettoyasmes | nettoyastes | nettoyerent | |
| future | nettoyerai,nettoyeray | nettoyeras | nettoyera | nettoyerons | nettoyerez | nettoyeront | |
| conditional | nettoyerois,nettoyeroys | nettoyerois,nettoyeroys | nettoyeroit,nettoyeroyt | nettoyerions,nettoyeryons | nettoyeriez,nettoyeryez | nettoyeroient,nettoyeroyent | |
| (compound tenses) | present perfect | present indicative ofavoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | past historic ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que ie (i’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ilz, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | nettoye | nettoyes | nettoye | nettoyons | nettoyez | nettoyent |
| imperfect | nettoyasse | nettoyasses | nettoyast | nettoyassions | nettoyassiez | nettoyassent | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive ofavoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive ofavoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | nettoye | — | nettoyons | nettoyez | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | — | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | simple imperative ofavoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995],Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p.179). TheFrench Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679. | |||||||
| 2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with prepositionen, as inModern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995],op. cit., p.180). | |||||||