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Verb conjugation

ciller

to blink; to bat an eyelash

Usage

Ciller means to blink, the eyelids briefly closing — but it shows up most often in the negative construction sans ciller, meaning to not react at all, French's equivalent of 'without batting an eyelid.'

Examples
  • Il a menti sans ciller.He lied without batting an eyelid.
  • Ses paupières cillaient sous la lumière vive.His eyelids blinked under the bright light.
  • Elle a écouté la mauvaise nouvelle sans ciller.She listened to the bad news without flinching.
Common mistake

Ciller is mostly encountered in the fixed phrase sans ciller for staying impassive — for the everyday act of blinking or winking one eye at someone, cligner (de l'œil) is the far more common verb.

Often confused with cligner.

Simple tenses

Present

jecille
tucilles
il/ellecille
nouscillons
vouscillez
ils/ellescillent

Imperfect

jecillais
tucillais
il/ellecillait
nouscillions
vouscilliez
ils/ellescillaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jecillai
tucillas
il/ellecilla
nouscillâmes
vouscillâtes
ils/ellescillèrent

Future

jecillerai
tucilleras
il/ellecillera
nouscillerons
vouscillerez
ils/ellescilleront

Conditional

jecillerais
tucillerais
il/ellecillerait
nouscillerions
vouscilleriez
ils/ellescilleraient

Subjunctive

jecille
tucilles
il/ellecille
nouscillions
vouscilliez
ils/ellescillent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jecillasse
tucillasses
il/ellecillât
nouscillassions
vouscillassiez
ils/ellescillassent

Imperative

tucille
nouscillons
vouscillez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai cillé
tuas cillé
il/ellea cillé
nousavons cillé
vousavez cillé
ils/ellesont cillé

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais cillé
tuavais cillé
il/elleavait cillé
nousavions cillé
vousaviez cillé
ils/ellesavaient cillé

Passé antérieur

jeeus cillé
tueus cillé
il/elleeut cillé
nouseûmes cillé
vouseûtes cillé
ils/elleseurent cillé

Futur antérieur

jeaurai cillé
tuauras cillé
il/elleaura cillé
nousaurons cillé
vousaurez cillé
ils/ellesauront cillé

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais cillé
tuaurais cillé
il/elleaurait cillé
nousaurions cillé
vousauriez cillé
ils/ellesauraient cillé

Subjonctif passé

jeaie cillé
tuaies cillé
il/elleait cillé
nousayons cillé
vousayez cillé
ils/ellesaient cillé

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse cillé
tueusses cillé
il/elleeût cillé
nouseussions cillé
vouseussiez cillé
ils/elleseussent cillé

Impératif passé

tuaie cillé
nousayons cillé
vousayez cillé

Other

Present participle

cillant

Past participle

cillé

Infinitive

ciller

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "ciller" mean?

"ciller" means "to blink; to bat an eyelash".

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

The present of "ciller" is: je cille, tu cilles, il/elle cille, nous cillons, vous cillez, ils/elles cillent.

What is the Passé composé of "ciller"?

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

What is the Imperative of "ciller"?

The imperative of "ciller" is: tu cille, nous cillons, vous cillez.