livrer

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French livrer, inherited from Latin līberāre. Doublet of libérer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.vʁe/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

livrer

1. to deliver (a package, merchandise etc.)
2. to hand over, deliver (someone to an enemy, police, etc.)
3. to betray
4. to give away (a secret etc.); to confide, reveal, drop (a hint)
5. (reflexive) abandon oneself, give oneself over [with à ‘to’]
6. (reflexive) to practise (a sport); be engaged in (a job, research); set up (an enquiry) [with à ‘to’]

Conjugation

Conjugation of livrer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	livrer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	livrant /li.vʁɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		livré /li.vʁe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	livre /livʁ/	livres /livʁ/	livre /livʁ/	livrons /li.vʁɔ̃/	livrez /li.vʁe/	livrent /livʁ/
	imperfect	livrais /li.vʁɛ/	livrais /li.vʁɛ/	livrait /li.vʁɛ/	livrions /li.vʁi.jɔ̃/	livriez /li.vʁi.je/	livraient /li.vʁɛ/
	past historic2	livrai /li.vʁe/	livras /li.vʁa/	livra /li.vʁa/	livrâmes /li.vʁam/	livrâtes /li.vʁat/	livrèrent /li.vʁɛʁ/
	future	livrerai /li.vʁə.ʁe/	livreras /li.vʁə.ʁa/	livrera /li.vʁə.ʁa/	livrerons /li.vʁə.ʁɔ̃/	livrerez /li.vʁə.ʁe/	livreront /li.vʁə.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	livrerais /li.vʁə.ʁɛ/	livrerais /li.vʁə.ʁɛ/	livrerait /li.vʁə.ʁɛ/	livrerions /li.vʁə.ʁjɔ̃/	livreriez /li.vʁə.ʁje/	livreraient /li.vʁə.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	livre /livʁ/	livres /livʁ/	livre /livʁ/	livrions /li.vʁi.jɔ̃/	livriez /li.vʁi.je/	livrent /livʁ/
	imperfect2	livrasse /li.vʁas/	livrasses /li.vʁas/	livrât /li.vʁa/	livrassions /li.vʁa.sjɔ̃/	livrassiez /li.vʁa.sje/	livrassent /li.vʁas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	livre /livʁ/	—	livrons /li.vʁɔ̃/	livrez /li.vʁe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Synonyms

• emmener, transporter, déposer, dénoncer

Derived terms

• livraison
• livrer à soi-même
• livrer bataille
• livreur

Further reading

• “livrer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin līberāre, present active infinitive of līberō.

Verb

livrer

1. to deliver
2. to give birth; to deliver

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of livrer (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		livrer			avoir livré
gerund		en livrant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		livrant
past participle		livré
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	livre	livres	livre	livrons	livrez	livrent
	imperfect	livroie, livreie, livroe, livreve	livroies, livreies, livroes, livreves	livroit, livreit, livrot, livreve	livriiens, livriens	livriiez, livriez	livroient, livreient, livroent, livrevent
	preterite	livrai	livras	livra	livrames	livrastes	livrerent
	future	livrerai	livreras	livrera	livrerons	livreroiz, livrereiz, livrerez	livreront
	conditional	livreroie, livrereie	livreroies, livrereies	livreroit, livrereit	livreriiens, livreriens	livreriiez, livreriez	livreroient, livrereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	livre	livres	livre	livrons	livrez	livrent
	imperfect	livrasse	livrasses	livrast	livrissons, livrissiens	livrissoiz, livrissez, livrissiez	livrassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	livre	—	livrons	livrez	—

Derived terms

• delivrer

Descendants

• French: livrer
• → Middle English: lyveren