faillir

Senses

1. 1.

   to fail; to falter

   to be unable to do something; to neglect or miss an obligation

2. 2.

   to almost (do something)

   to come close to doing something; nearly or almost + past participle

3. 3.

   to go bankrupt

   to become insolvent; to collapse financially (more common in the related noun 'faillite')

Examples

• "Il a failli tomber dans les escaliers."

  He almost fell down the stairs.

• "Je ne dois pas faillir à mon devoir."

  I must not fail in my duty.

• "L'entreprise a failli pendant la crise économique."

  The company nearly went bankrupt during the economic crisis.

Usage

Faillir is most commonly used in the sense "to almost" with a past participle (il a failli tomber = he almost fell). In formal or literary contexts, it means "to fail in an obligation or duty." The third sense (bankruptcy) is less common in modern usage; "faire faillite" is the preferred expression. Conjugation of faillir is somewhat irregular; the passé composé uses auxiliary "avoir."