clouer
French
Etymology
From clou (“nail”), or alternatively from Late Latin clāvāre, from Latin clāvus. Compare Italian chiavare, Catalan clavar.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /klu.e/
Audio: (file) Audio (France (Vosges)): (file) Audio (France): (file) Audio (France (Somain)): (file) - Homophones: clouai, cloué, clouée, clouées, cloués, clouez
Verb
clouer
- to nail (to attach using a nail)
- (figurative) to stick (to attach)
- (figurative) to pin down
- (vulgar) to nail, shag, fuck
Conjugation
Conjugation of clouer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | clouer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | clouant /klu.ɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | cloué /klu.e/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | cloue /klu/ |
cloues /klu/ |
cloue /klu/ |
clouons /klu.ɔ̃/ |
clouez /klu.e/ |
clouent /klu/ |
| imperfect | clouais /klu.ɛ/ |
clouais /klu.ɛ/ |
clouait /klu.ɛ/ |
clouions /klu.jɔ̃/ |
clouiez /klu.je/ |
clouaient /klu.ɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | clouai /klu.e/ |
clouas /klu.a/ |
cloua /klu.a/ |
clouâmes /klu.am/ |
clouâtes /klu.at/ |
clouèrent /klu.ɛʁ/ | |
| future | clouerai /klu.ʁe/ |
cloueras /klu.ʁa/ |
clouera /klu.ʁa/ |
clouerons /klu.ʁɔ̃/ |
clouerez /klu.ʁe/ |
cloueront /klu.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | clouerais /klu.ʁɛ/ |
clouerais /klu.ʁɛ/ |
clouerait /klu.ʁɛ/ |
clouerions /klu.ʁjɔ̃/ |
cloueriez /klu.ʁje/ |
cloueraient /klu.ʁɛ/ | |
| (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 | cloue /klu/ |
cloues /klu/ |
cloue /klu/ |
clouions /klu.jɔ̃/ |
clouiez /klu.je/ |
clouent /klu/ |
| imperfect2 | clouasse /klu.as/ |
clouasses /klu.as/ |
clouât /klu.a/ |
clouassions /klu.a.sjɔ̃/ |
clouassiez /klu.a.sje/ |
clouassent /klu.as/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | cloue /klu/ |
— | clouons /klu.ɔ̃/ |
clouez /klu.e/ |
— | |
| 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:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “clouer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.