French word

faillir

Pronunciation

IPA/fajiʁ/

Meaning

  • verbalmost

Example

Il a failli tomber.

He nearly fell.

Illustration for faillir (almost)

More examples

J'ai failli rater le train.

I almost missed the train.

Core concept

A person reaches the edge of an event, but the event stops just short of happening.

Common phrases

  • faillir + infinitif

    almost ___

  • faillir tomber

    almost fall

  • faillir rater le train

    almost miss the train

Similar words

manquer: To nearly do something but not quite.
risquer: To have a possibility of producing a particular result.

Definition in French

Manquer de peu d'accomplir une action; s'emploie pour indiquer qu'une situation a failli aboutir sans se produire réellement.

Word origin

French faillir comes through Old French from Latin fallere, with its historical sense developing from failing or missing to narrowly coming close to an event.

Usage tips

  • With an infinitive, faillir means nearly doing something, while faillir a plus a noun means failing to meet a duty or requirement.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word