faillir
Quizto nearly do something, to almost do something
Past Tense (Passé Composé)
Pluperfect Tense (Plus Que Parfait)
Past Anterior Tense (Passé Antérieur)
Future Perfect Tense (Futur Antérieur)
Subjunctive Past Tense (Subjonctif Passé)
Subjunctive Pluperfect Tense (Subjonctif Plus Que Parfait)
Conditional Past 1st Form (Conditionnel Passé 1ère Forme)
Conditional Past 2nd Form (Conditionnel Passé 2ème Forme)
Common Expressions
faillir + infinitif
to nearly do something, to almost do something
Examples
J'ai failli rater mon train ce matin.
I nearly missed my train this morning.
On a failli avoir un accident.
We nearly had an accident.
Il a failli tomber dans l'escalier.
He nearly fell on the stairs.
Elle a failli oublier son rendez-vous chez le médecin.
She nearly forgot her doctor's appointment.
J'ai failli me faire renverser par un vélo en traversant la rue.
I nearly got knocked over by a bike while crossing the street.
Il avait failli perdre son emploi l'année précédente.
He had nearly lost his job the previous year.
Quand les secours sont arrivés, il avait failli mourir de ses blessures.
When the emergency rescuers arrived, he had nearly died from his injuries.