verb: se plaindre

ByFast French

“Se plaindre” means “to complain,” “to whinge” or “to moan.”

Conjugations in Present Tense and Passé Composé:

Present tense:

  • Je me plains (I complain)
  • Tu te plains (You complain)
  • Il/elle se plaint (He/she complains)
  • Nous nous plaignons (We complain)
  • Vous vous plaignez (You complain)
  • Ils/elles se plaignent (They complain)

Passé composé tense:

  • J’ai me suis plaint(e) (I complained)
  • Tu t’es plaint(e) (You complained)
  • Il/elle s’est plaint(e) (He/she complained)
  • Nous nous sommes plaint(e)s (We complained)
  • Vous vous êtes plaint(e)s (You complained)
  • Ils/elles se sont plaint(e)s (They complained)

Etymology:

The origin of “se plaindre” can be traced back to Latin, where the root “plangere” meant “to lament” or “to beat one’s chest.”

Idiomatic Expressions and Usage:

  1. Se plaindre comme un(e) malade: Literally meaning “to complain like a sick person,” this expression conveys excessive complaining.
  2. Ne pas se plaindre de: Translating to “not to complain about,” this phrase is used to express contentment or satisfaction with a situation.
  3. Se plaindre pour le plaisir de se plaindre: This idiom highlights complaining for the sake of complaining, suggesting a certain enjoyment in expressing dissatisfaction.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • to seem

    ByFast French

    The English verb to seem can be translated into French in several ways. The choice depends on the type of sentence and the tone. The most common forms are sembler, avoir l’air, paraître, and avoir l’impression de. Each has slightly different use and emphasis. 1) sembler sembler is the most direct translation of to seem….

  • Grammar: Possessive Adjectives

    ByFast French

    French possessive adjectives are used to describe to whom something or someone belongs. Their English equivalents are words like “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their.” They replace articles They are used instead of an article. Articles are words like “un,” “une,” “le,” “la,” “l’” (l + apostrophe), “de,” “du,” “de la,” “de l’” (de…

  • arrêter vs s’arrêter

    ByFast French

    arrêter and s’arrêter both relate to stopping, but they are used in different ways. The key point is simple: 1) arrêter meaning “to stop something” arrêter is used when a person causes something else to stop. This includes stopping an activity: You can think of it as acting on something. 2) arrêter meaning “to arrest”…