vibrer

Vibrer is a French verb meaning to vibrate, to tremble, or to resonate. It describes rapid, periodic motion of a body, the propagation of sound waves, or the effect of a stimulus that causes excitement or emotional resonance. Beyond literal motion, it is used metaphorically to express being emotionally moved or deeply affected by something.

Etymology: vibrer comes from Latin vibrāre, related to vibratio, and is cognate with Spanish vibrar and English vibrate. The noun form is la vibration.

Conjugation and forms: Vibrer is a regular -er verb. Present tense forms are: je vibre, tu vibres, il vibre, nous vibrons, vous vibrez, ils vibrent. The past participle is vibré, used with the auxiliary avoir in compound tenses (j'ai vibré). Other tenses follow the standard -er paradigm (imperfect vibrais, future vibrerai, etc.).

Usage: In science and engineering, one talks about an object qui vibre à une certaine fréquence. In music, strings and membranes vibrate to produce sound. In everyday language, expressions such as « faire vibrer quelqu'un » indicate that something moves or excites a person emotionally. The related noun is la vibration; the adjective vibrant exists but can also be confused with its sense of lively or striking in various contexts.