essaies

Essaies is a French term that primarily appears as a verb form. It is the second-person singular present indicative of the verb essayer, meaning to try or to attempt. In ordinary speech it is used in the form tu essaies, which translates to you try or you are trying. For example: Tu essaies de comprendre. This form reflects standard French orthography with double s for the stem.

French verb conjugation of this verb in the present tense varies across subjects. Common forms include je essaie (or j’essaie), il/elle essaie, nous essayons, vous essayez, and ils/elles essaient. Note that some forms differ in spelling from the noun forms, such as essayons for nous and essayez for vous, which illustrate the stem changes characteristic of essayer.

Essaies is not a noun in French. The related noun essai means an attempt or a trial, and in literary terms it refers to an essay in the sense of a reflective or exploratory prose work. The plural of the noun is essais. This noun usage is distinct from the verb form and is used in contexts such as “un essai littéraire” or “faire un essai.”

In English, the word essay is a direct loan from French essai, but the current French verb form tu essaies is not used as a noun. Because of the similarity in spelling, learners sometimes confuse essaies with essai(es); the former is a verb form, while the latter is a noun and its plural.

See also: essai, essayers, essayer, essay.