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Verb conjugation

entraver

to understand

Usage

Two very different senses: literally to hinder, obstruct, or get in the way of something (entraver la circulation, entraver une enquête), and, in slang, to understand (t'entraves rien ?). The slang sense is common in casual speech and rap.

Examples
  • Les travaux entravent la circulation en centre-ville. — The roadwork is obstructing traffic downtown.
  • Cette clause entrave la liberté des parties. — This clause restricts the parties' freedom.
  • J'entrave rien à ce qu'il raconte. — I don't understand a thing he's saying.
Common mistake

Learners who only know the formal "hinder/obstruct" sense are often thrown by the completely unrelated slang meaning "to understand" — the two senses belong to different registers and shouldn't be mixed in formal writing.

In real life
  • expression "J'entrave que dalle" — Common French slang phrase meaning "I don't understand a thing," combining the slang sense of entraver (to understand) with que dalle (nothing) — well documented in French slang dictionaries.

Simple tenses

Present

jeentrave
tuentraves
il/elleentrave
nousentravons
vousentravez
ils/ellesentravent

Imperfect

jeentravais
tuentravais
il/elleentravait
nousentravions
vousentraviez
ils/ellesentravaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jeentravai
tuentravas
il/elleentrava
nousentravâmes
vousentravâtes
ils/ellesentravèrent

Future

jeentraverai
tuentraveras
il/elleentravera
nousentraverons
vousentraverez
ils/ellesentraveront

Conditional

jeentraverais
tuentraverais
il/elleentraverait
nousentraverions
vousentraveriez
ils/ellesentraveraient

Subjunctive

jeentrave
tuentraves
il/elleentrave
nousentravions
vousentraviez
ils/ellesentravent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jeentravasse
tuentravasses
il/elleentravât
nousentravassions
vousentravassiez
ils/ellesentravassent

Imperative

tuentrave
nousentravons
vousentravez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

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

Plus-que-parfait

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

Passé antérieur

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

Futur antérieur

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

Conditionnel passé

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

Subjonctif passé

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

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

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

Impératif passé

tuaie entravé
nousayons entravé
vousayez entravé

Other

Present participle

entravant

Past participle

entravé

Infinitive

entraver

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "entraver" mean?

"entraver" means "to understand".

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

The present of "entraver" is: je entrave, tu entraves, il/elle entrave, nous entravons, vous entravez, ils/elles entravent.

What is the Passé composé of "entraver"?

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

What is the Imperative of "entraver"?

The imperative of "entraver" is: tu entrave, nous entravons, vous entravez.