How to Conjugate the Irregular French Verb 'Permettre' ('to Allow,' 'Permit')

Permettre, "to permit," is an irregular French -re verb. Below are the simple conjugations of the verb; they do not include the compound tenses, which consist of a form of the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle promis.

The verb permettre falls into one of five patterns in conjugating irregular -re verbs. These center around prendre, battre, mettre, rompre, and verbs that end in -aindre, -eindre and -oindre.

Permettre belongs to a group related to mettre ("to put") and its derivatives. These verbs are conjugated like battre, except in the passé simple, the imperfect subjunctive, and the past participle. Note in the table below that the first three groups take the same present tense verb endings.

Other Verbs Ending In '-mettre'

Permettre, like all irregular -re verbs ending in -mettre, are conjugated like the verb mettre. In addition to permettre, the following are also common mettre derivatives:

• admettre > to admit
• commettre > to commit
• compromettre > to compromise
• promettre > to promise
• soumettre > to submit
• transmettre > to transmit

Uses and Meanings of 'Per-mettre'

Permettre is quite often about constructing a polite rebuttal or course correction, even under unpleasant circumstances, with varying degrees of formality and informality. For the most part, permettre means "to allow" and "permit," but, depending on the context, it can also mean "to enable" and "to make possible." It functions as a transitive verb that takes a direct object, and it is also used in the pronominal forms se permettre ("to allow or permit oneself," "to dare") and se permettre de (to take the liberty of).

Expressions and Examples With 'Per-mettre'

• permettre à quelqu'un de faire > to allow someone to do  
• permettre quelque chose à quelqu'un > to allow someone something  
• comme la loi le permet > as allowed by law  
• Permettez-moi de vous contredire sur ce point. > if I may contradict you on this point.  
• J'ajouterai une dernière remarque si vous me le permettez. > I would like to add one last comment, if I may.  
• Permettez ! > excuse me!  
• C'est permis ? > Is it allowed / permitted ?
• Vous permettez ? (a polite intervention) > Will you allow me?
• Nous pensons pique-niquer si le temps le permet. > We're planning to have a picnic, weather permitting.  
• Je ne vous permets pas de me parler sur ce ton. > I won't allow you to speak to me in that tone of voice
• Il ne permettra pas qu'on insulte son frère. > He won't allow his brother to be insulted.
• Le train à grande vitesse permettra d'y aller en moins de deux heures. > The high-speed train will make it possible to get there in under two hours.
• Sa lettre permet toutes les craintes. > Her letter gives cause for concern. 
• Ce document permet d'entrer dans le secteur turc de Chypre. > This document entitles you to enter the Turkish sector of Cyprus.
• Votre mission ne permet pas d'erreur. > Your mission leaves no room for error.
• Si sa santé le permet. > Her health permitting
• Il reste un sandwich, vous permettez ? > May I have the last sandwich ?
• Si vous me permettez l'expression > If I you don't mind me saying so
• Permettez-moi de ne pas partager votre avis. > I beg to differ.
• Il n'est pas / Il est permis de boire de l'alcool. > Drinking is not / Drinking is allowed / permitted
• Autant qu'il est permis d'en juger > as far as it's possible to judge
• Est-il permis d'être aussi mal élevé ? > How can anyone be so rude ?
• Elle est belle / insolente comme c'est pas permis. > She's outrageously beautiful / cheeky.
• Un tel mauvais goût, c'est pas permis. > There should be a law against such bad taste.
• Il se permet de petites entorses au règlement. > He's not averse to bending the rules now and then.
• Elle se permettait n'importe quoi. > She thought she could get away with anything.
• Des critiques, oh mais je ne me permettrais pas ! (ironic) > Criticize ? I wouldn't dare !
• Si je peux me permettre, je ne pense pas que ce soit une bonne idée. > If you don't mind my saying so, I don't think it's a very good idea.
• se permettre de faire quelque chose > to take the liberty of doing something   
• Puis-je me permettre de vous rappeler mon nom / nos accords signés ? > May I remind you of my name/our binding agreements ?

Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French '-re' Verb 'Permettre'