inquiéter

See also: inquieter

French

Etymology

    From Old French inquieter (12th c.), a borrowing from Latin inquietāre.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ɛ̃.kje.te/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Audio (France (Somain)):(file)

    Verb

    inquiéter

    1. (transitive) to worry
      Cette nouvelle m'inquiète.This news worries me.
    2. (reflexive) to be worried, to worry
      Synonym: s'en faire
      Ne t'inquiète pas!Don't worry! (informal)
      Ne vous en inquiétez pas!Don't worry about it. (formal)

    Conjugation

    This verb is conjugated like céder. It is a regular -er verb, except that its last stem vowel alternates between /e/ (written 'é') and /ɛ/ (written 'è'), with the latter being used before mute 'e'. One special case is the future stem, used in the future and the conditional. Before 1990, the future stem of such verbs was written inquiéter-, reflecting the historic pronunciation /e/. In 1990, the French Academy recommended that it be written inquièter-, reflecting the now common pronunciation /ɛ/, thereby making this distinction consistent throughout the conjugation (and also matching in this regard the conjugations of verbs like lever and jeter). Both spellings are in use today, and both are therefore given here.

    This verb is conjugated like céder. It is a regular -er verb, except that its last stem vowel alternates between /e/ (written 'é') and /ɛ/ (written 'è'), with the latter being used before mute 'e'. One special case is the future stem, used in the future and the conditional. Before 1990, the future stem of such verbs was written inquiéter-, reflecting the historic pronunciation /e/. In 1990, the French Academy recommended that it be written inquièter-, reflecting the now common pronunciation /ɛ/, thereby making this distinction consistent throughout the conjugation (and also matching in this regard the conjugations of verbs like lever and jeter). Both spellings are in use today, and both are therefore given here.

    Further reading