envoyer

Envoyer is a French verb meaning to send or to dispatch. It is used for conveying objects, messages, or people to a destination and appears frequently in everyday speech and writing. The verb also forms the basis for the noun envoi, which refers to a sending or shipment and can appear in literary or postal contexts.

Etymology and overview: Envoyer derives from Old French envoyier or envoiier and ultimately from Latin inviare, meaning to send along or to convey. The form has remained irregular in many tenses, leading to distinctive present-tense stems and spelling changes across conjugations.

Conjugation and important forms: Envoyer is irregular in several tenses. Present indicative: je envoie, tu envoies, il/elle envoie, nous envoyons, vous envoyez, ils/elles envoient. Passé composé uses the auxiliary avoir: j'ai envoyé, tu as envoyé, il a envoyé, nous avons envoyé, vous avez envoyé, ils ont envoyé. Imparfait: envoyais, envoyais, envoyait, envoyions, envoyiez, envoyaient. Futur simple: enverrai, enverras, enverra, enverrons, enverrez, enverront. Conditionnel: enverrais, enverrais, enverrait, enverrions, enverriez, enverraient. Subjonctif présent: que j'envoie, que tu envoies, qu'il envoie, que nous envoyions, que vous envoyiez, qu'ils envoient. Impératif: envoie, envoyons, envoyez.

Usage notes: Envoyer is transitive and typically takes a direct object with a recipient expressed by a prepositional phrase, as in envoyer quelque chose à quelqu'un (to send something to someone). It is common for sending physical objects (un colis), letters, or messages (un e-mail, un message). Collocations include envoyer un e-mail, envoyer un fax, or envoyer des documents. The verb also appears in several idiomatic expressions, such as envoyer promener (to brush someone off) or envoyer au diable (to dismiss or discard).

See also: expédier, transmettre, adresser.

Examples: J'ai envoyé le colis hier. Elle envoie des e-mails tous les jours. Nous enverrons les documents demain.