Promettre (promise)
Informations
Usage Frequency: medium
Regularity: irregular (3rd group group)
Auxiliary: avoir
Past Participle: promis
Synonyms: assurer, jurer, garantir
Antonyms: démentir, renier, désavouer
Language levels: promettre is used across all levels of language, from casual conversation to formal writing.
Connotations use: The verb 'promettre' generally has positive connotations, as it is associated with commitment and reliability. However, it can also have negative connotations if the promise is not kept.
Contextual use:
Oral
:
high
Formal
:
medium
Written
:
medium
Informal
:
high
Culture and Usage
The verb 'promettre' is often used in everyday conversation and can be found in many idiomatic expressions, such as 'promettre la lune' (to promise the moon).
Specific Grammatical Constructions
The verb 'promettre' is often used in the conditional tense when making a promise (e.g., 'Je te promettrais'). It is also used with the preposition 'Ă ' when promising something to someone (e.g., 'Je promets Ă mon ami').
Phonetic Difficulties
The pronunciation of 'promettre' can be challenging for English speakers due to the silent 't' and the French 'r' sound.
False Friends
'Promettre' should not be confused with the English verb 'to promote', even though they sound similar.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of 'promettre' (/pÊÉ.mÉtÊ/) can be challenging for English speakers due to the French 'r' and silent 't'.
Common Difficulties
The verb 'promettre' can often be confused with 'propose', which has a different meaning. It also has an irregular conjugation pattern which can be difficult to remember.
Common Errors
A common mistake is forgetting the double 't' in the spelling of 'promettre'.
Associated Slangs:
Barder ( To swear )
Usage Frequency: medium
Context: Used in informal French to express the act of making a promise or guaranteeing something. It is less formal than 'promettre' and can be used among friends or in casual conversation.
- Examples FR: Je te barde que je le ferai demain.
- Examples EN: I swear to you that I will do it tomorrow.
Cracher ( To spit )
Usage Frequency: low
Context: In slang French, 'cracher' can also mean to promise something. It is very informal and mostly used among friends or in a casual conversation.
- Examples FR: Je crache que je ne le dirai Ă personne.
- Examples EN: I promise that I won't tell anyone.
Jurer ( To swear )
Usage Frequency: high
Context: In colloquial French, 'jurer' is often used to mean to promise something. It is less formal than 'promettre', and is often used among friends or in casual conversation.
- Examples FR: Je jure que je ne le ferai plus jamais.
- Examples EN: I swear that I will never do it again.
Proverbes
Promettre et tenir sont deux.
Promising and keeping are two different things.
Qui promet trop ne tient pas parole.
He who promises too much doesn't keep his word.
Promettre n'est pas donner.
Promising is not giving.
Promesse non tenue fait perdre confiance.
Unkept promise makes you lose trust.
Promesse de gascon, ne vaut pas un clou.
Gascon's promise is not worth a nail.
Promesse de marin, mariage de rien.
Sailor's promise, no wedding.
Citations
"Promettre ne coûte rien, c'est tenir qui est difficile."
"Ne promets jamais lorsque tu es joyeux ; ne réponds jamais lorsque tu es en colÚre ; ne décide jamais lorsque tu es triste."
"Promettre est une dette, ne l'oublie pas."
"Ceux qui promettent sont ceux qui vous déçoivent."
"La promesse est une belle femme et la réalisation est une laide."
"Promettre c'est donner de l'espoir."
Indicatif présent
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Sentence Normal | Sentence Negative | Sentence Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | je promets (I promise) |
Je promets de toujours ĂȘtre honnĂȘte (I promise to always be honest) |
Je ne promets pas d'ĂȘtre parfait (I do not promise to be perfect) |
Est-ce que je promets de faire de mon mieux ? (Do I promise to do my best?) |
| Tu | tu promets (you promise) |
Tu promets de respecter les rĂšgles (You promise to respect the rules) |
Tu ne promets pas de terminer Ă temps (You do not promise to finish on time) |
Promets-tu de venir Ă l'heure ? (Do you promise to come on time?) |
| Il | il promet (he promises) |
Il promet de nous aider (He promises to help us) |
Il ne promet pas d'ĂȘtre lĂ (He does not promise to be there) |
Est-ce qu'il promet d'ĂȘtre prudent ? (Does he promise to be careful?) |
| Elle | elle promet (she promises) |
Elle promet de dire la vérité (She promises to tell the truth) |
Elle ne promet pas d'ĂȘtre patiente (She does not promise to be patient) |
Promet-elle de rester fidĂšle ? (Does she promise to stay faithful?) |
| Nous | nous promettons (we promise) |
Nous promettons de respecter nos engagements (We promise to respect our commitments) |
Nous ne promettons pas d'ĂȘtre toujours disponibles (We do not promise to always be available) |
Promettons-nous d'ĂȘtre solidaires ? (Do we promise to be supportive?) |
| Vous | vous promettez (you promise) |
Vous promettez de faire votre part (You promise to do your part) |
Vous ne promettez pas de vous comporter correctement (You do not promise to behave properly) |
Promettez-vous de maintenir le secret ? (Do you promise to keep the secret?) |
| Ils | ils promettent (they promise) |
Ils promettent de partager les bénéfices (They promise to share the profits) |
Ils ne promettent pas d'ĂȘtre justes (They do not promise to be fair) |
Est-ce qu'ils promettent de nous soutenir ? (Do they promise to support us?) |
| Elles | elles promettent (they promise) |
Elles promettent de faire la vaisselle (They promise to do the dishes) |
Elles ne promettent pas de ranger leur chambre (They do not promise to clean their room) |
Est-ce qu'elles promettent de coopérer ? (Do they promise to cooperate?) |
Indicatif imparfait
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Sentence Normal | Sentence Negative | Sentence Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | je promettais (I was promising) |
Je promettais de finir le travail (I promised to finish the work) |
Je ne promettais jamais de sortir le chien (I never promised to walk the dog) |
Promettais-je de toujours ĂȘtre lĂ pour toi ? (Did i promise to always be there for you?) |
| Tu | tu promettais (you were promising) |
Tu promettais de mieux Ă©tudier (You promised to study harder) |
Tu ne promettais pas de garder le secret (You didn't promise to keep the secret) |
Promettais-tu de visiter plus souvent tes grands-parents ? (Did you promise to visit your grandparents more often?) |
| Il | il promettait (he was promising) |
Il promettait de nous aider (He promised to help us) |
Il ne promettait pas de dire la vérité (He didn't promise to tell the truth) |
Promettait-il de se comporter ? (Did he promise to behave?) |
| Elle | elle promettait (she was promising) |
Elle promettait de nous rendre visite (She promised to visit us) |
Elle ne promettait pas de rester calme (She didn't promise to stay calm) |
Promettait-elle de toujours rester en contact ? (Did she promise to keep in touch?) |
| Nous | nous promettions (we were promising) |
Nous promettions d'ĂȘtre plus responsables (We promised to be more responsible) |
Nous ne promettions pas de réduire le bruit (We didn't promise to reduce noise) |
Promettions-nous d'ĂȘtre plus organisĂ©s ? (Did we promise to be more organised?) |
| Vous | vous promettiez (you were promising) |
Vous promettiez de faire un gateau (You promised to bake a cake) |
Vous ne promettiez pas de ranger votre chambre (You didn't promise to tidy up your room) |
Promettiez-vous de lire ce livre ? (Did you promise to read this book?) |
| Ils | ils promettaient (they were promising) |
Ils promettaient d'ĂȘtre Ă l'heure (They promised to be on time) |
Ils ne promettaient pas de rester sobres (They didn't promise to stay sober) |
Promettaient-ils de faire leurs devoirs ? (Did they promise to do their homework?) |
| Elles | elles promettaient (they were promising) |
Elles promettaient de préparer un diner (They promised to cook dinner) |
Elles ne promettaient pas de faire la vaisselle (They didn't promise to do the dishes) |
Promettaient-elles de ne pas faire de bĂȘtises ? (Did they promise not to do anything naughty?) |
Futur simple
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Normal | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | je promettrai (I will promise) |
Je promettrai de recycler tous les jours (I will promise to recycle every day) |
Je ne promettrai pas de manger des bonbons tous les jours (I will not promise to eat sweets every day) |
Est-ce que je promettrai de finir mes devoirs Ă temps ? (Will I promise to finish my homework on time?) |
| Tu | tu promettras (you will promise) |
Tu promettras de protéger l'environnement (You will promise to protect the environment) |
Tu ne promettras pas de faire du bruit la nuit (You will not promise to make noise at night) |
Promettras-tu de ne pas gaspiller l'eau ? (Will you promise not to waste water?) |
| Il | il promettra (he will promise) |
Il promettra de respecter les rĂšgles (He will promise to respect the rules) |
Il ne promettra pas d'ĂȘtre dĂ©sordonnĂ© (He will not promise to be messy) |
Promettra-t-il de ne pas chauffer trop sa maison ? (Will he promise not to heat his house too much?) |
| Elle | elle promettra (she will promise) |
Elle promettra de faire du bénévolat (She will promise to volunteer) |
Elle ne promettra pas de répandre des rumeurs (She will not promise to spread rumors) |
Promettra-t-elle de respecter les autres ? (Will she promise to respect others?) |
| Nous | nous promettrons (we will promise) |
Nous promettrons de ne pas jeter les ordures dans la rue (We will promise not to throw garbage in the street) |
Nous ne promettrons pas de polluer la planĂšte (We will not promise to pollute the planet) |
Promettrons-nous de toujours dire la vérité ? (Will we promise to always tell the truth?) |
| Vous | vous promettrez (you will promise) |
Vous promettrez de toujours ĂȘtre ponctuels (You will promise to always be on time) |
Vous ne promettrez pas de fumer (You will not promise to smoke) |
Promettrez-vous de respecter les lois ? (Will you promise to respect the laws?) |
| Ils | ils promettront (they will promise) |
Ils promettront de prendre soin des animaux (They will promise to take care of animals) |
Ils ne promettront pas d'abuser des ressources naturelles (They will not promise to overuse natural resources) |
Promettront-ils de ramasser leurs déchets ? (Will they promise to pick up their trash?) |
| Elles | elles promettront (they will promise) |
Elles promettront de respecter toutes les cultures (They will promise to respect all cultures) |
Elles ne promettront pas de négliger l'éducation (They will not promise to neglect education) |
Promettront-elles de ne pas gaspiller l'Ă©nergie ? (Will they promise not to waste energy?) |
Passé composé
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Normal | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | j'ai promis (I have promised) |
J'ai promis de finir le projet (I promised to finish the project) |
Je n'ai pas promis de le faire (I didn't promise to do it) |
Ai-je promis de terminer le travail ? (Did I promise to finish the work?) |
| Tu | tu as promis (you have promised) |
Tu as promis de nous aider (You promised to help us) |
Tu n'as pas promis de venir (You didn't promise to come) |
As-tu promis d'ĂȘtre lĂ ? (Did you promise to be there?) |
| Il | il a promis (he has promised) |
Il a promis de nous rejoindre (He promised to join us) |
Il n'a pas promis de résoudre le problÚme (He didn't promise to solve the problem) |
A-t-il promis de réparer cela ? (Did he promise to fix this?) |
| Elle | elle a promis (she has promised) |
Elle a promis de lire le livre (She promised to read the book) |
Elle n'a pas promis d'appeler (She didn't promise to call) |
A-t-elle promis de prendre soin du chien ? (Did she promise to take care of the dog?) |
| Nous | nous avons promis (we have promised) |
Nous avons promis d'ĂȘtre plus vigilants (We promised to be more vigilant) |
Nous n'avons pas promis de venir (We didn't promise to come) |
Avons-nous promis de rester silencieux ? (Did we promise to stay silent?) |
| Vous | vous avez promis (you have promised) |
Vous avez promis de ne pas le dire (You promised not to tell) |
Vous n'avez pas promis de rester (You didn't promise to stay) |
Avez-vous promis de nous soutenir ? (Did you promise to support us?) |
| Ils | ils ont promis (they have promised) |
Ils ont promis de nettoyer la cuisine (They promised to clean the kitchen) |
Ils n'ont pas promis d'ĂȘtre lĂ (They didn't promise to be there) |
Ont-ils promis de ne pas se disputer ? (Did they promise not to argue?) |
| Elles | elles ont promis (they have promised) |
Elles ont promis de faire les devoirs (They promised to do the homework) |
Elles n'ont pas promis de jouer (They didn't promise to play) |
Ont-elles promis de nous aider ? (Did they promise to help us?) |
Conditionnel présent
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Normal | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | Je promettrais (I would promise) |
Je promettrais de toujours ĂȘtre Ă l'Ă©coute si je deviens prĂ©sident du comitĂ©. (I would promise to always listen if I became committee president.) |
Je ne promettrais pas de garder le secret si cela mettait quelqu'un en danger. (I wouldn't promise to keep the secret if it endangered someone.) |
Promettrais-je de respecter le testament si j'étais son exécuteur testamentaire ? (Would I promise to respect the will if I were his executor?) |
| Tu | tu promettrais (you would promise) |
Tu promettrais de travailler plus dur si tu obtenais cette promotion. (You would promise to work harder if you got this promotion.) |
Tu ne promettrais pas de manger moins de sucre, mĂȘme si c'est meilleur pour ta santĂ©. (You wouldn't promise to eat less sugar, even if it's better for your health.) |
Promettrais-tu de venir nous voir plus souvent si tu déménages à l'étranger ? (Would you promise to visit us more often if you moved abroad?) |
| Il | il promettrait (he would promise) |
Il promettrait de résoudre ce problÚme si il avait plus de ressources. (He would promise to solve this problem if he had more resources.) |
Il ne promettrait pas de prendre soin du chien, mĂȘme si c'est sa responsabilitĂ©. (He wouldn't promise to take care of the dog, even if it's his responsibility.) |
Promettrait-il d'ĂȘtre plus prudent s'il Ă©tait frĂ©quemment victime d'accidents de voiture ? (Would he promise to be more careful if he was frequently involved in car accidents?) |
| Elle | elle promettrait (she would promise) |
Elle promettrait de réparer sa part de la clÎture si elle avait le matériel nécessaire (She would promise to fix her part of the fence if she had the necessary equipment.) |
Elle ne promettrait pas de vous appeler chaque semaine, mĂȘme si vous Ă©tiez meilleure amie. (She wouldn't promise to call you every week, even if you were best friends.) |
Promettrait-elle de payer la dette si elle gagnait Ă la loterie ? (Would she promise to pay off the debt if she won the lottery?) |
| Nous | nous promettrions (we would promise) |
Nous promettrions de garder la maison propre toutes les semaines si nous avons un robot aspirateur. (We would promise to keep entire the house clean every week if we had a vacuum cleaner robot.) |
Nous ne promettrions pas de garder le silence si nous voyons une injustice. (We wouldn't promise to keep silent if we witness an injustice.) |
Promettrions-nous de donner la moitié de nos revenus à la charité si nous dévenir millionaires ? (Would we promise to give half of our earnings to charity if we became millionaires?) |
| Vous | vous promettriez (you would promise) |
Vous promettriez de finir le rapport avant la fin de la semaine si vous embauchez une assistante temporaire. (You would promise to finish the report before the end of the week if you hired a temporary assistant.) |
Vous ne promettriez pas de prendre soin de vos parents, mĂȘme s'ils vous le demandaient. (You wouldn't promise to take care of your parents, even if they asked you to.) |
Promettriez-vous d'arrĂȘter de fumer si vous aviez des problĂšmes de santĂ© ? (Would you promise to quit smoking if you had health issues?) |
| Ils | ils promettraient (they would promise) |
Ils promettraient de construire un nouveau parc s'ils Ă©taient Ă©lus au conseil municipal. (They would promise to build a new park if they were elected to the town council.) |
Ils ne promettraient pas de venir vous aider Ă dĂ©mĂ©nager, mĂȘme s'ils en avaient le temps. (They wouldn't promise to come help you move, even if they had the time.) |
Promettraient-ils de diminuer les taxes si il gagnent l'Ă©lection ? (Would they promise to lower taxes if they won the election?) |
| Elles | elles promettraient (they would promise) |
Elles promettraient de faire le ménage tous les jours si elles avaient une maison plus petite. (They would promise to clean every day if they had a smaller house.) |
Elles ne promettraient pas de rembourser l'argent qu'elles doivent, mĂȘme si elles avaient un bon travail. (They wouldn't promise to repay the money they owe, even if they had a good job.) |
Promettraient-elles de venir plus souvent si elles vivaient plus prĂšs ? (Would they promise to come more often if they lived closer?) |
Impératif présent
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Normal | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tu | promets (promise) |
Promets-moi (Promise me) |
Ne me promets pas (Do not promise me) |
none (none) |
| Nous | promettons (let's promise) |
Promettons-leur (Let's promise them) |
Ne leur promettons pas (Let's not promise them) |
none (none) |
| Vous | promettez (promise) |
Promettez-le (Promise it) |
Ne le promettez pas (Do not promise it) |
none (none) |