ouvrir

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French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Middle French ouvrir, from Old French ovrir, obrir, from Vulgar Latin *operīre, alteration of Classical Latin aperīre (“to open”), perhaps under the influence of cooperīre (“to cover”) (whence couvrir). Cognate with Italian aprire; Portuguese and Spanish abrir; Catalan obrir.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /u.vʁiʁ/
  • audio(file)
  • (Louisiana) IPA(key): [uvæɾ], [ɾuvɾɪɾ]
  • Rhymes: -iʁ

Verb[edit]

ouvrir

  1. (transitive) to open
  2. (transitive) to begin, to initiate
    À peine arrivé, il a ouvert les hostilités.
    He initiated hostilities almost as soon as he arrived.
  3. (reflexive) to open (of a door or a flower)
  4. (reflexive) to open, to begin
    La séquence s’ouvre sur une scène de nuit.
    The sequence opens with a night scene.
  5. to turn on, to switch on, to put on (of a device or an appliance)
  6. to open it or the door, to answer it or the door, to get it
    On sonne à la porte. Je vais ouvrir.
    There's someone at the door; I'll open/answer/get it.
    Sophie, ouvre-moi, je voudrais te parler !
    Sophie, open the door; I want to talk to you!
    Allez, arrête tes bêtises et va ouvrir à Patrick ; il doit avoir froid dehors.
    Stop being silly and open the door for Patrick; he must be cold outside.
  7. (reflexive) to cut something open, to gash something (of a part of one's body)
    Le gardien de but a plongé pour rattraper le ballon, s’est cogné contre le poteau et s’est ouvert l’arcade sourcilière.
    The goalkeeper dived to catch the ball, banged himself on the goalpost and cut his eyebrow open.
  8. (reflexive) to open onto, to lead into (+ sur)
    Cette porte s’ouvre sur le jardin.
    This door opens onto the garden.
  9. (intransitive) to open onto, to overlook, to look onto (of a door or a window) (+ sur)
    La porte ouvre sur la rue.
    The door opens onto the street.
  10. (reflexive) to open up to, to be open to, to be exposed to, to get a feel for (+ à)
    Sa fille s’est ouverte à la musique sur le piano familial.
    The girl got a feel for music playing her family's piano.
  11. (reflexive) to open up to, to confide in (+ à)
  12. to make, to create, to open up (e.g., a path)

Conjugation[edit]

This verb is conjugated like couvrir and offrir. It is conjugated like a regular -er verb in the present and imperfect indicative, present subjunctive, imperative, and present participle; it is conjugated like a regular -ir verb in the infinitive, future indicative, conditional, past historic, and imperfect subjunctive; and its past participle ouvert is irregular.

Conjugation of ouvrir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple ouvrir
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple ouvrant
/u.vʁɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle ouvert
/u.vɛʁ/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present ouvre
/uvʁ/ 		ouvres
/uvʁ/ 		ouvre
/uvʁ/ 		ouvrons
/u.vʁɔ̃/ 		ouvrez
/u.vʁe/ 		ouvrent
/uvʁ/
imperfect ouvrais
/u.vʁɛ/ 		ouvrais
/u.vʁɛ/ 		ouvrait
/u.vʁɛ/ 		ouvrions
/u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		ouvriez
/u.vʁi.je/ 		ouvraient
/u.vʁɛ/
past historic2 ouvris
/u.vʁi/ 		ouvris
/u.vʁi/ 		ouvrit
/u.vʁi/ 		ouvrîmes
/u.vʁim/ 		ouvrîtes
/u.vʁit/ 		ouvrirent
/u.vʁiʁ/
future ouvrirai
/u.vʁi.ʁe/ 		ouvriras
/u.vʁi.ʁa/ 		ouvrira
/u.vʁi.ʁa/ 		ouvrirons
/u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ 		ouvrirez
/u.vʁi.ʁe/ 		ouvriront
/u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/
conditional ouvrirais
/u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		ouvrirais
/u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		ouvrirait
/u.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		ouvririons
/u.vʁi.ʁjɔ̃/ 		ouvririez
/u.vʁi.ʁje/ 		ouvriraient
/u.vʁi.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 ouvre
/uvʁ/ 		ouvres
/uvʁ/ 		ouvre
/uvʁ/ 		ouvrions
/u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		ouvriez
/u.vʁi.je/ 		ouvrent
/uvʁ/
imperfect2 ouvrisse
/u.vʁis/ 		ouvrisses
/u.vʁis/ 		ouvrît
/u.vʁi/ 		ouvrissions
/u.vʁi.sjɔ̃/ 		ouvrissiez
/u.vʁi.sje/ 		ouvrissent
/u.vʁis/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — ouvre
/uvʁ/ 		— ouvrons
/u.vʁɔ̃/ 		ouvrez
/u.vʁe/ 		—
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).

This verb is conjugated like couvrir and offrir. It is conjugated like a regular -er verb in the present and imperfect indicative, present subjunctive, imperative, and present participle; it is conjugated like a regular -ir verb in the infinitive, future indicative, conditional, past historic, and imperfect subjunctive; and its past participle ouvert is irregular.

Conjugation of s'ouvrir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple s'ouvrir
compound s'être + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple s’ouvrant
/su.vʁɑ̃/
compound ayant or étant + past participle
past participle ouvert
/u.vɛʁ/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present m’ouvre
/muvʁ/ 		t’ouvres
/tuvʁ/ 		s’ouvre
/suvʁ/ 		nous ouvrons
/nu.z‿u.vʁɔ̃/ 		vous ouvrez
/vu.z‿u.vʁe/ 		s’ouvrent
/suvʁ/
imperfect m’ouvrais
/mu.vʁɛ/ 		t’ouvrais
/tu.vʁɛ/ 		s’ouvrait
/su.vʁɛ/ 		nous ouvrions
/nu.z‿u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		vous ouvriez
/vu.z‿u.vʁi.je/ 		s’ouvraient
/su.vʁɛ/
past historic2 m’ouvris
/mu.vʁi/ 		t’ouvris
/tu.vʁi/ 		s’ouvrit
/su.vʁi/ 		nous ouvrîmes
/nu.z‿u.vʁim/ 		vous ouvrîtes
/vu.z‿u.vʁit/ 		s’ouvrirent
/su.vʁiʁ/
future m’ouvrirai
/mu.vʁi.ʁe/ 		t’ouvriras
/tu.vʁi.ʁa/ 		s’ouvrira
/su.vʁi.ʁa/ 		nous ouvrirons
/nu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/ 		vous ouvrirez
/vu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁe/ 		s’ouvriront
/su.vʁi.ʁɔ̃/
conditional m’ouvrirais
/mu.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		t’ouvrirais
/tu.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		s’ouvrirait
/su.vʁi.ʁɛ/ 		nous ouvririons
/nu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁjɔ̃/ 		vous ouvririez
/vu.z‿u.vʁi.ʁje/ 		s’ouvriraient
/su.vʁi.ʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of s'être + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of s'être + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of s'être + past participle
future perfect future of s'être + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of s'être + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present m’ouvre
/muvʁ/ 		t’ouvres
/tuvʁ/ 		s’ouvre
/suvʁ/ 		nous ouvrions
/nu.z‿u.vʁi.jɔ̃/ 		vous ouvriez
/vu.z‿u.vʁi.je/ 		s’ouvrent
/suvʁ/
imperfect2 m’ouvrisse
/mu.vʁis/ 		t’ouvrisses
/tu.vʁis/ 		s’ouvrît
/su.vʁi/ 		nous ouvrissions
/nu.z‿u.vʁi.sjɔ̃/ 		vous ouvrissiez
/vu.z‿u.vʁi.sje/ 		s’ouvrissent
/su.vʁis/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of s'être + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of s'être + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — ouvre-toi
/uvʁ.twa/ 		— ouvrons-nous
/u.vʁɔ̃.nu/ 		ouvrez-vous
/u.vʁe.vu/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of s'être + past participle — simple imperative of s'être + past participle simple imperative of s'être + 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).

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French ovrir.

Verb[edit]

ouvrir

  1. to open

Descendants[edit]

  • French: ouvrir
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