confesser

See also: confêsser

English

Noun

confesser (plural confessers)

1. Alternative form of confessor

References

• “confesser”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• forceness, reconfess

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.fɛ.se/, /kɔ̃.fe.se/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

confesser

1. (transitive) to acknowledge, admit
2. (transitive, reflexive) to confess oneself (to confess having sinned)

Conjugation

Conjugation of confesser (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	confesser
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	confessant /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɑ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		confessé /kɔ̃.fɛ.se/ or /kɔ̃.fe.se/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	confesse /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confesses /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confesse /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confessons /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɔ̃/	confessez /kɔ̃.fɛ.se/ or /kɔ̃.fe.se/	confessent /kɔ̃.fɛs/
	imperfect	confessais /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɛ/	confessais /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɛ/	confessait /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɛ/	confessions /kɔ̃.fɛ.sjɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sjɔ̃/	confessiez /kɔ̃.fɛ.sje/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sje/	confessaient /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɛ/
	past historic2	confessai /kɔ̃.fɛ.se/ or /kɔ̃.fe.se/	confessas /kɔ̃.fɛ.sa/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sa/	confessa /kɔ̃.fɛ.sa/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sa/	confessâmes /kɔ̃.fɛ.sam/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sam/	confessâtes /kɔ̃.fɛ.sat/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sat/	confessèrent /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɛʁ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɛʁ/
	future	confesserai /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁe/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁe/	confesseras /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁa/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁa/	confessera /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁa/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁa/	confesserons /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɔ̃/	confesserez /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁe/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁe/	confesseront /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɔ̃/
	conditional	confesserais /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɛ/	confesserais /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɛ/	confesserait /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɛ/	confesserions /kɔ̃.fɛ.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sə.ʁjɔ̃/	confesseriez /kɔ̃.fɛ.sə.ʁje/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sə.ʁje/	confesseraient /kɔ̃.fɛ.sʁɛ/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sʁɛ/
(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	confesse /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confesses /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confesse /kɔ̃.fɛs/	confessions /kɔ̃.fɛ.sjɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sjɔ̃/	confessiez /kɔ̃.fɛ.sje/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sje/	confessent /kɔ̃.fɛs/
	imperfect2	confessasse /kɔ̃.fɛ.sas/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sas/	confessasses /kɔ̃.fɛ.sas/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sas/	confessât /kɔ̃.fɛ.sa/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sa/	confessassions /kɔ̃.fɛ.sa.sjɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sa.sjɔ̃/	confessassiez /kɔ̃.fɛ.sa.sje/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sa.sje/	confessassent /kɔ̃.fɛ.sas/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	confesse /kɔ̃.fɛs/	—	confessons /kɔ̃.fɛ.sɔ̃/ or /kɔ̃.fe.sɔ̃/	confessez /kɔ̃.fɛ.se/ or /kɔ̃.fe.se/	—
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 [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Further reading

• “confesser”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Verb

confesser

1. to confess

Conjugation

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Conjugation of confesser

infinitive	simple	confesser
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2	simple	confessant
	compound	present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle		confessé
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ie (i’)	tu	il, elle	nous	vous	ilz, elles
(simple tenses)	present	confesse	confesses	confesse	confessons	confessez	confessent
	imperfect	confessois, confessoys	confessois, confessoys	confessoit, confessoyt	confessions, confessyons	confessiez, confessyez	confessoient, confessoyent
	past historic	confessa	confessas	confessa	confessasmes	confessastes	confesserent
	future	confesserai, confesseray	confesseras	confessera	confesserons	confesserez	confesseront
	conditional	confesserois, confesseroys	confesserois, confesseroys	confesseroit, confesseroyt	confesserions, confesseryons	confesseriez, confesseryez	confesseroient, confesseroyent
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que ie (i’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	confesse	confesses	confesse	confessons	confessez	confessent
	imperfect	confessasse	confessasses	confessast	confessassions	confessassiez	confessassent
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	confesse	—	confessons	confessez	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + 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). The French 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 preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).

Old French

Verb

confesser

1. to confess
2. to promise; to swear
3. (Christianity) to confess (hear someone's confession)

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ss, *-sss, *-sst are modified to s, s, st. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of confesser (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		confesser			avoir confessé
gerund		en confessant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		confessant
past participle		confessé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	confes	confesses	confesse	confessons	confessez	confessent
	imperfect	confessoie, confesseie, confessoe, confesseve	confessoies, confesseies, confessoes, confesseves	confessoit, confesseit, confessot, confesseve	confessiiens, confessiens	confessiiez, confessiez	confessoient, confesseient, confessoent, confessevent
	preterite	confessai	confessas	confessa	confessames	confessastes	confesserent
	future	confesserai	confesseras	confessera	confesserons	confesseroiz, confessereiz, confesserez	confesseront
	conditional	confesseroie, confessereie	confesseroies, confessereies	confesseroit, confessereit	confesseriiens, confesseriens	confesseriiez, confesseriez	confesseroient, confessereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	confes	confes	confest	confessons	confessez	confessent
	imperfect	confessasse	confessasses	confessast	confessissons, confessissiens	confessissoiz, confessissez, confessissiez	confessassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	confesse	—	confessons	confessez	—

Related terms

• confession
• confessour