clocher

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klɔ.ʃe/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From cloche (“bell”) +‎ -er.

Noun

clocher m (plural clochers)

1. bell tower, steeple
   • 1959, “Love in Portofino”, L. Chiosso, F. Buscaglione (lyrics), performed by Dalida:

     Il y avait à Portofino / un vieux clocher qui s’ennuyait / de ne sonner que les matines / quand Portofino se réveillait.

     There was in Portofino / an old bell tower which was bored / of only ringing in the morning / when Portofino was waking up.

Derived terms

• esprit de clocher
• querelle de clocher

Etymology 2

From cloche +‎ -er.

Verb

clocher

1. to ring a bell

Conjugation

Conjugation of clocher (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	clocher
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	clochant /klɔ.ʃɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		cloché /klɔ.ʃe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	cloche /klɔʃ/	cloches /klɔʃ/	cloche /klɔʃ/	clochons /klɔ.ʃɔ̃/	clochez /klɔ.ʃe/	clochent /klɔʃ/
	imperfect	clochais /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochais /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochait /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochions /klɔ.ʃjɔ̃/	clochiez /klɔ.ʃje/	clochaient /klɔ.ʃɛ/
	past historic2	clochai /klɔ.ʃe/	clochas /klɔ.ʃa/	clocha /klɔ.ʃa/	clochâmes /klɔ.ʃam/	clochâtes /klɔ.ʃat/	clochèrent /klɔ.ʃɛʁ/
	future	clocherai /klɔʃ.ʁe/	clocheras /klɔʃ.ʁa/	clochera /klɔʃ.ʁa/	clocherons /klɔʃ.ʁɔ̃/	clocherez /klɔʃ.ʁe/	clocheront /klɔʃ.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	clocherais /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherais /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherait /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherions /klɔ.ʃə.ʁjɔ̃/	clocheriez /klɔ.ʃə.ʁje/	clocheraient /klɔʃ.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	cloche /klɔʃ/	cloches /klɔʃ/	cloche /klɔʃ/	clochions /klɔ.ʃjɔ̃/	clochiez /klɔ.ʃje/	clochent /klɔʃ/
	imperfect2	clochasse /klɔ.ʃas/	clochasses /klɔ.ʃas/	clochât /klɔ.ʃa/	clochassions /klɔ.ʃa.sjɔ̃/	clochassiez /klɔ.ʃa.sje/	clochassent /klɔ.ʃas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	cloche /klɔʃ/	—	clochons /klɔ.ʃɔ̃/	clochez /klɔ.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 [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Etymology 3

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *cloppicāre (from cloppus), which displaced Classical claudicāre.

Verb

clocher

1. to limp

   Synonyms: boiter, claudiquer

2. to wobble
3. (informal) to be wrong

   Il y a quelque chose qui cloche. ― There's something wrong.

Conjugation

Conjugation of clocher (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	clocher
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	clochant /klɔ.ʃɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		cloché /klɔ.ʃe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	cloche /klɔʃ/	cloches /klɔʃ/	cloche /klɔʃ/	clochons /klɔ.ʃɔ̃/	clochez /klɔ.ʃe/	clochent /klɔʃ/
	imperfect	clochais /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochais /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochait /klɔ.ʃɛ/	clochions /klɔ.ʃjɔ̃/	clochiez /klɔ.ʃje/	clochaient /klɔ.ʃɛ/
	past historic2	clochai /klɔ.ʃe/	clochas /klɔ.ʃa/	clocha /klɔ.ʃa/	clochâmes /klɔ.ʃam/	clochâtes /klɔ.ʃat/	clochèrent /klɔ.ʃɛʁ/
	future	clocherai /klɔʃ.ʁe/	clocheras /klɔʃ.ʁa/	clochera /klɔʃ.ʁa/	clocherons /klɔʃ.ʁɔ̃/	clocherez /klɔʃ.ʁe/	clocheront /klɔʃ.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	clocherais /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherais /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherait /klɔʃ.ʁɛ/	clocherions /klɔ.ʃə.ʁjɔ̃/	clocheriez /klɔ.ʃə.ʁje/	clocheraient /klɔʃ.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	cloche /klɔʃ/	cloches /klɔʃ/	cloche /klɔʃ/	clochions /klɔ.ʃjɔ̃/	clochiez /klɔ.ʃje/	clochent /klɔʃ/
	imperfect2	clochasse /klɔ.ʃas/	clochasses /klɔ.ʃas/	clochât /klɔ.ʃa/	clochassions /klɔ.ʃa.sjɔ̃/	clochassiez /klɔ.ʃa.sje/	clochassent /klɔ.ʃas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	cloche /klɔʃ/	—	clochons /klɔ.ʃɔ̃/	clochez /klɔ.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 [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• clochard

Further reading

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