avouer

Avouer is a French verb meaning to confess or to admit, typically of a fact, fault, or personal feeling. It is transitive and can take a direct object (avouer quelque chose) or introduce a clause with que (avouer qu’il…); it can also be used with an infinitive to report what someone confesses having done (avouer avoir…).

Common uses include avouer une faute, avouer un crime, avouer ses sentiments. It can take the preposition à, as in avouer quelque chose à quelqu’un (to confess something to someone). Examples: Il avoue son crime. Elle avoue avoir menti. Ils ont avoué le vol à la police.

Conjugation: in the present tense the forms are j'avoue, tu avoues, il avoue, nous avouons, vous avouez, ils avouent. The past participle is avoué, used with the auxiliary avoir to form compound tenses (j'ai avoué). Imperfect: j'avouais, tu avouais, il avouait, nous avouions, vous avouiez, ils avouaient. Future: j'avouerai, tu avoueras, il avouera, nous avouerons, vous avouerez, ils avoueront. The verb shows an -o(u) stem in many forms, typical of this -er verb.

Etymology and related terms: avouer comes from Old French avouer, and is cognate with the English verb avow. In usage, avouer conveys a personal admission or confession; for a more neutral or formal acknowledgment, reconnaître is often used.