Verb conjugation

apprivoiser

to tame; to win over, to charm

Usage

To tame a wild animal, and figuratively, to win someone over or gradually get comfortable with something new or intimidating (apprivoiser sa peur, une nouvelle culture) — famous in French literature for the fox's speech in Le Petit Prince.

Examples

Il a fallu des semaines pour apprivoiser ce chat sauvage. — It took weeks to tame this wild cat.
Elle a fini par apprivoiser sa peur du vide. — She eventually came to terms with her fear of heights.
Le renard demande au petit prince de l'apprivoiser. — The fox asks the little prince to tame him.

Common mistake

This isn't just "to domesticate" in the technical sense (that's domestiquer, for species over generations) — apprivoiser is about an individual animal or person becoming comfortable through a relationship, which is exactly the sense Saint-Exupéry's fox uses.

In real life

book Le Petit Prince — The fox's famous line to the little prince, "On ne connaît que les choses que l'on apprivoise" ("One only understands the things that one tames"), is one of the best-known passages in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 1943 novella.

Simple tenses

Present

je	apprivoise
tu	apprivoises
il/elle	apprivoise
nous	apprivoisons
vous	apprivoisez
ils/elles	apprivoisent

Imperfect

je	apprivoisais
tu	apprivoisais
il/elle	apprivoisait
nous	apprivoisions
vous	apprivoisiez
ils/elles	apprivoisaient

Past historic (passé simple)

je	apprivoisai
tu	apprivoisas
il/elle	apprivoisa
nous	apprivoisâmes
vous	apprivoisâtes
ils/elles	apprivoisèrent

Future

je	apprivoiserai
tu	apprivoiseras
il/elle	apprivoisera
nous	apprivoiserons
vous	apprivoiserez
ils/elles	apprivoiseront

Conditional

je	apprivoiserais
tu	apprivoiserais
il/elle	apprivoiserait
nous	apprivoiserions
vous	apprivoiseriez
ils/elles	apprivoiseraient

Subjunctive

je	apprivoise
tu	apprivoises
il/elle	apprivoise
nous	apprivoisions
vous	apprivoisiez
ils/elles	apprivoisent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

je	apprivoisasse
tu	apprivoisasses
il/elle	apprivoisât
nous	apprivoisassions
vous	apprivoisassiez
ils/elles	apprivoisassent

Imperative

tu	apprivoise
nous	apprivoisons
vous	apprivoisez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

je	ai apprivoisé
tu	as apprivoisé
il/elle	a apprivoisé
nous	avons apprivoisé
vous	avez apprivoisé
ils/elles	ont apprivoisé

Plus-que-parfait

je	avais apprivoisé
tu	avais apprivoisé
il/elle	avait apprivoisé
nous	avions apprivoisé
vous	aviez apprivoisé
ils/elles	avaient apprivoisé

Passé antérieur

je	eus apprivoisé
tu	eus apprivoisé
il/elle	eut apprivoisé
nous	eûmes apprivoisé
vous	eûtes apprivoisé
ils/elles	eurent apprivoisé

Futur antérieur

je	aurai apprivoisé
tu	auras apprivoisé
il/elle	aura apprivoisé
nous	aurons apprivoisé
vous	aurez apprivoisé
ils/elles	auront apprivoisé

Conditionnel passé

je	aurais apprivoisé
tu	aurais apprivoisé
il/elle	aurait apprivoisé
nous	aurions apprivoisé
vous	auriez apprivoisé
ils/elles	auraient apprivoisé

Subjonctif passé

je	aie apprivoisé
tu	aies apprivoisé
il/elle	ait apprivoisé
nous	ayons apprivoisé
vous	ayez apprivoisé
ils/elles	aient apprivoisé

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

je	eusse apprivoisé
tu	eusses apprivoisé
il/elle	eût apprivoisé
nous	eussions apprivoisé
vous	eussiez apprivoisé
ils/elles	eussent apprivoisé

Impératif passé

tu	aie apprivoisé
nous	ayons apprivoisé
vous	ayez apprivoisé

Other

Present participle

apprivoisant

Past participle

apprivoisé

Infinitive

apprivoiser

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "apprivoiser" mean?

"apprivoiser" means "to tame; to win over, to charm".

How do you conjugate "apprivoiser" in the present tense?

The present of "apprivoiser" is: je apprivoise, tu apprivoises, il/elle apprivoise, nous apprivoisons, vous apprivoisez, ils/elles apprivoisent.

What is the Passé composé of "apprivoiser"?

The passé composé of "apprivoiser" is: je ai apprivoisé, tu as apprivoisé, il/elle a apprivoisé, nous avons apprivoisé, vous avez apprivoisé, ils/elles ont apprivoisé.

What is the Imperative of "apprivoiser"?

The imperative of "apprivoiser" is: tu apprivoise, nous apprivoisons, vous apprivoisez.

apposer-apprendre-apprivoiser-approcher-approfondir