éclates

Éclates is the second-person singular present indicative form of the French verb éclater. The verb éclater means to burst, explode, or to break out suddenly, and its uses cover physical ruptures as well as figurative bursts of emotion or actions. In addition to the indicative, éclater also appears in the present subjunctive forms, including que tu éclates.

In everyday French, éclater is used in expressions such as éclater de rire (to burst into laughter), éclater en sanglots (to break into sobs), or to describe a balloon or bomb bursting: le ballon éclate when it pops. The form éclates specifically corresponds to the subject “tu,” as in Tu éclates de rire à chaque blague, meaning “You burst out laughing at every joke.” The pronunciation retains the acute accent on the é, and the final -es signals the second-person singular.

Éclates should not be confused with the noun éclat, which can mean a flash, brilliance, or a shard, and whose plural is éclats. The noun and the verb share a common root but function differently in sentences.

Etymology traces éclater to Latin explodere, through Old French developments, with senses extending from breaking apart to sudden outward expression. The term remains common in French prose and speech, especially in descriptions of lively reactions or sudden ruptures, whether literal or metaphorical.