embrasser

French

Etymology

From Middle French embrasser, from Old French embracier, equivalent to en- +‎ bras +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.bʁa.se/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

embrasser

1. (dated, transitive) to hug, embrace (to affectionately wrap one's arms around another)

   Synonym: prendre dans ses bras

   qui trop embrasse mal étreint ― grasp all, lose all

2. (transitive) to kiss (to touch with the lips)

   Elle m’en veut d’avoir embrassé son petit copain, et je ne pense pas qu’elle me pardonnera de sitôt.

   She's mad at me for kissing her boyfriend, and I don't think she'll forgive me anytime soon.

   • 2018, Zaz, Saint-Valentin:

     J’irai sur l’avenue embrasser les statues. À quoi tient leur salut ? Est-ce à leurs cœurs de pierre, à leurs froides manières ?

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of embrasser (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	embrasser
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	embrassant /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		embrassé /ɑ̃.bʁa.se/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	embrasse /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrasses /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrasse /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrassons /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɔ̃/	embrassez /ɑ̃.bʁa.se/	embrassent /ɑ̃.bʁas/
	imperfect	embrassais /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɛ/	embrassais /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɛ/	embrassait /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɛ/	embrassions /ɑ̃.bʁa.sjɔ̃/	embrassiez /ɑ̃.bʁa.sje/	embrassaient /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɛ/
	past historic2	embrassai /ɑ̃.bʁa.se/	embrassas /ɑ̃.bʁa.sa/	embrassa /ɑ̃.bʁa.sa/	embrassâmes /ɑ̃.bʁa.sam/	embrassâtes /ɑ̃.bʁa.sat/	embrassèrent /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɛʁ/
	future	embrasserai /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁe/	embrasseras /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁa/	embrassera /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁa/	embrasserons /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁɔ̃/	embrasserez /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁe/	embrasseront /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁɔ̃/
	conditional	embrasserais /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁɛ/	embrasserais /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁɛ/	embrasserait /ɑ̃.bʁa.sʁɛ/	embrasserions /ɑ̃.bʁa.sə.ʁjɔ̃/	embrasseriez /ɑ̃.bʁa.sə.ʁje/	embrasseraient /ɑ̃.bʁa.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	embrasse /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrasses /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrasse /ɑ̃.bʁas/	embrassions /ɑ̃.bʁa.sjɔ̃/	embrassiez /ɑ̃.bʁa.sje/	embrassent /ɑ̃.bʁas/
	imperfect2	embrassasse /ɑ̃.bʁa.sas/	embrassasses /ɑ̃.bʁa.sas/	embrassât /ɑ̃.bʁa.sa/	embrassassions /ɑ̃.bʁa.sa.sjɔ̃/	embrassassiez /ɑ̃.bʁa.sa.sje/	embrassassent /ɑ̃.bʁa.sas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	embrasse /ɑ̃.bʁas/	—	embrassons /ɑ̃.bʁa.sɔ̃/	embrassez /ɑ̃.bʁa.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

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