feindre

Feindre is a French verb meaning to pretend, to feign, or to simulate something that is not real. It is used to describe acts of deception or deception by appearance, including feigning emotions, intentions, or physical states. In everyday language it can replace synonyms like pretend or simulate, and in literature or formal writing it often conveys deliberate contrivance. It can take direct objects, such as feindre la douleur, as well as the construction feindre de + infinitive, to pretend to do something (for example, feindre de ne pas comprendre).

Etymology and meaning extend to related ideas. The verb derives from Latin fingere through Old French feindre. The sense is linked to shaping or fashioning appearances, hence the idea of shaping a reality that is not true. In addition to general use, feindre appears in sports and combat terminology through the related noun feinte, meaning a feint or deceptive move intended to mislead an opponent.

Conjugation and usage notes. Feindre is irregular in the present tense: je feins, tu feins, il feint, nous feignons, vous feignez, ils feignent. The passé composé is formed with avoir: j'ai feint, tu as feint, il a feint, nous avons feint, vous avez feint, ils ont feint. The imperfect is je feignais; the subjunctive present is que je feigne, que tu feignes, qu'il feigne, que nous feignions, que vous feigniez, qu'ils feignent. The past historic is feignis, feignis, feignit, etc. The present participle is feignant, with the gerund en feignant. In usage, feindre often carries a nuances of intentional deception, better avoided in factual narration where terms like « pretendre » or « simuler » might be more precise.