étonnent

Étonnent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb étonner, meaning to astonish or surprise. It is used to say that something or some people cause astonishment or surprise, for example, “Les résultats étonnent les analystes” (The results astonish the analysts).

Origin and related forms: Étonner comes from Old French estonner, with the noun étonnement meaning astonishment. The exact historical root is uncertain, but the verb and its noun share the same semantic base of causing wonder or surprise.

Conjugation and pronunciation: Étonner is a regular -er verb. Its present tense forms are: j’étonne, tu étonnes, il étonne, nous étonnons, vous étonnez, ils étonnent. The form « étonnent » is the third-person plural ending. Pronunciation is approximately [e.tɔ.nɔ̃] in standard French.

Usage notes: Étonner is transitive and typically takes a direct object: “étonner qqn” (to astonish someone). It can also appear in impersonal or existential constructions, or with de to express surprise about something: “Cela m’étonne de vous voir ici.” The pronominal form s’étonner (to be surprised) is common as well, often followed by de or que: “Je m’étonne de votre décision” or “Cela m’étonne que…”.

In usage, é tonner covers a range from mild surprise to strong astonishment, and is commonly found in journalism, literature, and everyday speech. Related terms include étonnement (astonishment) and étonnant (astonishing).