étonnes

Étonnes is the second person singular present indicative form of the French verb étonner. Étonner means to astonish, surprise, or impress someone. The form étonnes is used when addressing someone directly in the present tense, as in “Tu étonnes souvent tes amis avec tes idées.”

Etymology and classification: The verb étonner comes from Old French étoner, with an uncertain ultimate origin. It is a regular -er verb, sharing a basic pattern with other common French verbs in this class.

Conjugation notes: As a regular -er verb, étonner follows standard present-tense endings: j’étonne, tu étonnes, il étonne, nous étonnons, vous étonnez, ils étonnent. The past participle is étonné (étonnée, étonnées, étonnés in gender and number agreement). The present participle is étonnant, giving adjectives like étonnant or étonnante meaning “astonishing.”

Usage: The verb is used to express surprise or admiration regarding information, events, or behavior. It can take a direct object with the person astonished or be used in fixed phrases such as “ça m’étonne” (that surprises me). It can convey positive or negative astonishment depending on context.

Examples: “Cette nouvelle m’étonne.” “Tu étonnes tout le monde avec cette histoire.” The form étonnes signals direct address in the second person singular and is a common component of everyday French speech.