remplir

Remplir is a French verb meaning to make something full by putting substance into it, or to cause something to be filled to a required level. It is primarily transitive and used with a direct object: remplir une bouteille, remplir un formulaire, remplir une place. The sense can also be metaphorical, as in remplir une fonction, remplir une mission, remplir les conditions, remplir les chiffres.

Etymology: the verb derives from a combination of the prefix re- (again, or to completeness) with a root related to plein, meaning full. It traces back through Old French remplier and Latin roots connected with filling or completing.

Conjugation and form: in the present indicative the forms are remplis, remplis, remplit, remplissons, remplissez, remplissent. The past participle is rempli and the auxiliary is avoir, as in j'ai rempli le formulaire. The imperfect is remplissais/remplissait, the future is remplirai, and the conditional is remplirais. The subjunctive present takes remplisse, remplisses, remplisse, remplissions, remplissiez, remplissent. The imperative is remplis, remplissons, remplissez. The past participle and the adjective form rempli are used in various tenses and as an adjective meaning “full.”

Usage notes: remplir requires a direct object. Common usages include remplir un formulaire (to fill out a form), remplir un verre d'eau (to fill a glass with water), remplir une condition (to meet a condition), and remplir une mission (to fulfill a mission). The reflexive se remplir can mean to become full or satisfied, as in se remplir le ventre.

Related terms: remplissage (the act or result of filling), rempli (adjective meaning full).