boire

Boire is a French verb meaning "to drink." It is irregular and belongs to the class of common, highly used verbs. Its basic sense covers consuming liquids, but it also appears in many idioms and set phrases. The noun derived from it is boisson (a drink).

Etymology and related forms: Boire derives from Latin bibere, with cognates in other Romance languages such as beber in Spanish, bere in Italian, and beber in Portuguese. The verb forms change widely across tenses, especially in the present and future.

Conjugation overview: In the present tense the forms are je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils boivent. The passé composé uses the auxiliary avoir and the past participle bu: j’ai bu, tu as bu, il a bu, nous avons bu, vous avez bu, ils ont bu. The imperfect is buvais, buvais, buvait, buvions, buviez, buvaient. The future simple is boirai, boiras, boira, boirons, boirez, boiront. The conditional is boirais, boirais, boirait, boirions, boiriez, boiraient. The subjunctive present takes the forms boive, boives, boive, buvions, buviez, boivent. The imperative is bois, buvons, buvez.

Usage notes: Boire takes a direct object, typically a liquid or beverage, as in Je bois de l’eau or Nous buvons un café. It may appear in expressions such as boire à la santé de quelqu’un (to drink to someone’s health) and in various idioms describing drinking behavior. The verb can also appear in semi-idiomatic constructions and literary contexts, where tense and mood (especially subjunctive or conditional) convey nuance about desire, doubt, or habit.