Glissent

Glissent is the third person plural present indicative form of the French verb glisser, which means to slide or slip. Used with subjects such as ils or elles, it describes movement across a surface with limited friction or a slipping action. The form also appears in phrases that convey the idea of sliding or gliding in a figurative sense, such as ideas or plans that “slip by.”

The base verb glisser is a regular -er verb in French. Its present tense forms follow the standard pattern: je glisse, tu glisses, il/elle glisse, nous glissons, vous glissez, ils/elles glissent. The verb’s past participle is glissé, used with auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses (par exemple, j’ai glissé). Other common tenses include imparfait: je glissais, futur simple: je glisserai, and passé simple: je glissai (literary). The root form is gliss-, with the typical -er verb endings added.

In usage, glisser covers physical movement on a surface—feet, skates, a slippery floor—or objects sliding across a platform or table. It also appears in meteorological and technical contexts, such as a robot wheel that glisse on ice or a document that glisse into a folder. Metaphorically, it can describe ideas, opinions, or prices that move or change gradually or unexpectedly.

Related terms include phrases like faire glisser (to cause to slide), déraper (to skid or derail), and le glissement (the act of sliding). Glisser and its forms are common in everyday French writing and speech, from instructions and directions to descriptive narratives.