Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Introduction to the verb saper
The English translation of the French verb saper is “to undermine.” It is pronounced as “sah-pey.”
Saper comes from the Latin word “sapa” meaning “sand” or “gravel,” which evolved into the Old French word “sape” meaning “dirt” or “earth.” In everyday French, saper is most often used to mean “to weaken” or “to subvert.”
Examples:
- Il essaie de saper la confiance de son collègue. (He is trying to undermine his colleague’s confidence.)
- Les critiques constantes de son patron ont sapé sa motivation. (The constant criticism from his boss has undermined his motivation.)
- La corruption a sappé les fondements de l’économie du pays. (Corruption has undermined the foundations of the country’s economy.)
Saper – About the French Present Tense
To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Common Everyday Usage Patterns For Le Present
Interactions with Other Tenses
Table of the Present Tense Conjugation of saper
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation
je | sape | Je sape le bois. | I dig the wood.
tu | sapes | Tu sapes le sol. | You dig the ground.
il | sape | Il sape la route. | He digs the road.
elle | sape | Elle sape son jardin. | She digs her garden.
on | sape | On sape les fondations. | We dig the foundations.
nous | sapons | Nous sapons la terre. | We dig the earth.
vous | sapez | Vous sapez la carrière. | You dig the quarry.
ils | sapent | Ils sapent le chemin. | They dig the path.
elles | sapent | Elles sapent la montagne. | They dig the mountain.
Other Conjugations for Saper.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb saper (this article)
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb saper
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