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FRENCH VERB

gaver

to get on someone's nerves, in spoken French

  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: gavé
  • Present participle: gavant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I get on someone's nerves
  2. tu you get on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on he/she gets on someone's nerves
  4. nous we get on someone's nerves
  5. vous you get on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles they get on someone's nerves

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I got on someone's nerves
  2. tu you got on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on he/she got on someone's nerves
  4. nous we got on someone's nerves
  5. vous you got on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles they got on someone's nerves

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to get on someone's nerves
  2. tu you used to get on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to get on someone's nerves
  4. nous we used to get on someone's nerves
  5. vous you used to get on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles they used to get on someone's nerves

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will get on someone's nerves
  2. tu you will get on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on he/she will get on someone's nerves
  4. nous we will get on someone's nerves
  5. vous you will get on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles they will get on someone's nerves

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would get on someone's nerves
  2. tu you would get on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on he/she would get on someone's nerves
  4. nous we would get on someone's nerves
  5. vous you would get on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles they would get on someone's nerves

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I get on someone's nerves
  2. tu (that) you get on someone's nerves
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she get on someone's nerves
  4. nous (that) we get on someone's nerves
  5. vous (that) you get on someone's nerves
  6. ils, elles (that) they get on someone's nerves

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu get on someone's nerves!
  2. nous get on someone's nerves! (let’s)
  3. vous get on someone's nerves! (plural, or formal)

How to use gaver

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ça me gave, cette pub toutes les cinq minutes.

    This advert every five minutes is doing my head in.

  2. Past

    Le voyage en car m'a gavée, dix heures !

    The coach trip did my head in, ten hours!

  3. Imperfect

    Ses histoires de foot me gavaient déjà au lycée.

    His football stories were already getting on my nerves at school.

  4. Future

    Ça te gavera aussi au bout d'une semaine.

    It'll get on your nerves too after a week.

  5. Conditional

    Un collègue pareil me gaverait vite.

    A colleague like that would soon get on my nerves.

  6. Present subjunctive

    J'ai peur que mes questions te gavent.

    I'm afraid my questions are getting on your nerves.

  7. Imperative

    Ne me gave pas avec tes mails, appelle-moi.

    Don't do my head in with your emails, call me.

Good to know

  • Gaver is to force-feed, geese for foie gras; ça me gave, in spoken French, is it does my head in, and je suis gavé is I'm stuffed.

Where you hear gaver

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Fluency Level 1

  • La paperasse, ça me gave. Paperwork gets on my nerves.
  • Les devoirs de maths m'ont gavé ce week-end. The maths homework got on my nerves this weekend.
  • Ça te gavera aussi, tu verras. It'll get on your nerves too, you'll see.
2
Camille at the Coffee Machine

Fluency Level 1 · Ouais, bon. Ça me gave quand même. C'est toujours pareil en septembre.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.