taire

Taire is a French verb meaning “to keep quiet” or “to remain silent.” It belongs to the third group of verbs with the infinitive ending in –re. Taire is used primarily in more formal or literary contexts; in everyday speech speakers often use the less formal tét. The verb is irregular: in the present tense it is ia, e, et, e, amons, ant, ent. The past participle is tété and the past simple (passé simple) is tê, tê, tî, tî, tîmes, tîrent. In modern French, the passé composé is usually formed with the auxiliary être rather than avoir, e.g., il a tété.

Taire can be used in reflexive or reciprocal constructions, such as “Ils se taient mutuellement,” meaning they kept each other quiet. The verb is also found in idiomatic expressions: “taire ses sentiments” (to hide one’s feelings) and “au tître” (“for keeping silence” in an archaic sense).

The origin of taire can be traced to the Latin verb tateri, meaning “to make quiet” or “to silence.” This Latin root gave rise to several Romance language derivatives; for instance, Italian to“taci” and Spanish to“callar.” In French literature, taire has been employed by writers such as Victor Hugo (“J’ai été téré par la tempête”) and Jean de La Fontaine in fables where silences convey moral or ironic constraints.

Although largely replaced by tét in casual speech, the verb remains in legal, formal, and literary registers, often signaling dignity or solemnity in the act of silence.