faillir
In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.
1.Présent
Présent
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| je | fais |
| tu | fais |
| il/elle | fait |
| nous | faisons |
| vous | faites |
| ils/elles | font |
Je faillis tomber en descendant les escaliers.
I almost fell down the stairs.
Nous faillons souvent à nos promesses.
We often fail to keep our promises.
2.Passé Composé
Passé Composé
Completed past actions with present relevance.
| je | ai failli |
| tu | as failli |
| il/elle | a failli |
| nous | avons failli |
| vous | avez failli |
| ils/elles | ont failli |
Elle a failli rater son train ce matin.
She almost missed her train this morning.
Ils ont failli se perdre dans la forêt.
They almost got lost in the forest.
3.Imparfait
Imparfait
Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.
| je | faillais |
| tu | faillais |
| il/elle | faillait |
| nous | faillions |
| vous | failliez |
| ils/elles | faillaient |
Quand j'étais jeune, je faillis plusieurs fois à mes examens.
When I was young, I almost failed my exams several times.
Nous faillions souvent à nos objectifs.
We often fell short of our goals.
4.Futur Simple
Futur Simple
Future events, promises, and formal predictions.
| je | faillirai |
| tu | failliras |
| il/elle | faillira |
| nous | faillirons |
| vous | faillirez |
| ils/elles | failliront |
Demain, je faillirai à ma réunion si je ne me réveille pas à temps.
Tomorrow, I will almost miss my meeting if I don't wake up on time.
Ils failliront à leur promesse s'ils ne s'organisent pas.
They will fail to keep their promise if they don't get organized.
5.Conditionnel Présent
Conditionnel Présent
Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.
| je | faillirais |
| tu | faillirais |
| il/elle | faillirait |
| nous | faillirions |
| vous | failliriez |
| ils/elles | failliraient |
Si j'avais su, je faillirais à l'examen.
If I had known, I would almost fail the exam.
Nous faillirions à notre devoir si nous ne travaillions pas ensemble.
We would almost fail our duty if we didn't work together.
6.Subjonctif Présent
Subjonctif Présent
Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.
| je | faillisse |
| tu | faillisses |
| il/elle | faillisse |
| nous | faillissions |
| vous | faillissiez |
| ils/elles | faillissent |
Il faut que je failli à mes responsabilités.
It is necessary that I almost fail in my responsibilities.
Bien qu'ils faillent parfois, ils essaient toujours de s'améliorer.
Although they sometimes fall short, they always try to improve.
7.Plus-que-parfait
Plus-que-parfait
Actions completed before another past action.
| je | avais failli |
| tu | avais failli |
| il/elle | avait failli |
| nous | avions failli |
| vous | aviez failli |
| ils/elles | avaient failli |
J'avais failli partir avant que tu arrives.
I had almost left before you arrived.
Ils avaient failli échouer à leur projet.
They had almost failed in their project.
Related verbs
Common questions
- Is "faillir" regular or irregular in French?
- "faillir" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
- How do you conjugate "faillir" in the present tense?
- In the Présent, "faillir" conjugates as: fais, fais, faisons, and more. See the full table above.
- What is the past tense of "faillir" in French?
- In the Passé Composé, "faillir" conjugates as: ai failli, as failli, avons failli, and more. See the full table above.
- How common is "faillir" in French?
- "faillir" (to almost do, to fail) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.