How to conjugate verbs in French grammar
Overview of French Tenses
The table below presents an overview of the different tenses in French grammar. It explains how to use these tenses and how to conjugate them for regular and irregular verbs. To learn more about a particular tense or to do practice exercises, click on the name of the tense to go to its designated page.
To conjugate any French verb in all tenses, go to Lingolia’s verb conjugator.
Tense/Usage | Person | Construction er-verbs aimer |
Construction ir-verbs finir* |
Construction ir-verbs dormir** |
Construction re-verbs vendre |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
current situations or facts that occur at the moment of speaking actions that are in progress or repeated actions ideas or actions that are generally valid planned future actions or future actions that will occur soon |
je/j’ | aime | finis | dors | vends |
tu | aimes | finis | dors | vends | |
il/elle/on | aime | finit | dort | vend | |
nous | aimons | finissons | dormons | vendons | |
vous | aimez | finissez | dormez | vendez | |
ils/elles | aiment | finissent | dorment | vendent | |
completed actions that took place in the past generally preferred in spoken language |
je/j’ | ai aimé | ai fini | ai dormi | ai vendu |
tu | as aimé | as fini | as dormi | as vendu | |
il/elle/on | a aimé | a fini | a dormi | a vendu | |
nous | avons aimé | avons fini | avons dormi | avons vendu | |
vous | avez aimé | avez fini | avez dormi | avez vendu | |
ils/elles | ont aimé | ont fini | ont dormi | ont vendu | |
actions or situations that were in progress in the past repeated past actions |
je/j’ | aimais | finissais | dormais | vendais |
tu | aimais | finissais | dormais | vendais | |
il/elle/on | aimait | finissait | dormait | vendait | |
nous | aimions | finissions | dormions | vendions | |
vous | aimiez | finissiez | dormiez | vendiez | |
ils/elles | aimaient | finissaient | dormaient | vendaient | |
something that has just been done or has just happened if we refer to the present moment, venir is conjugated in the present |
je/j’ | viens d’aimer | viens de finir | viens de dormir | viens de vendre |
tu | viens d’aimer | viens de finir | viens de dormir | viens de vendre | |
il/elle/on | vient d’aimer | vient de finir | vient de dormir | vient de vendre | |
nous | venons d’aimer | venons de finir | venons de dormir | venons de vendre | |
vous | venez d’aimer | venez de finir | venez de dormir | venez de vendre | |
ils/elles | viennent d’aimer | viennent de finir | viennent de dormir | viennent de vendre | |
something that has just been done or has just happened if we refer to a moment in the past, venir is conjugated in the imparfait |
je/j’ | venais d’aimer | venais de finir | venais de dormir | venais de vendre |
tu | venais d’aimer | venais de finir | venais de dormir | venais de vendre | |
il/elle/on | venait d’aimer | venait de finir | venait de dormir | venait de vendre | |
nous | venions d’aimer | venions de finir | venions de dormir | venions de vendre | |
vous | veniez d’aimer | veniez de finir | veniez de dormir | veniez de vendre | |
ils/elles | venaient d’aimer | venaient de finir | venaient de dormir | venaient de vendre | |
actions that took place at a specified time used in narrative and literary texts |
je/j’ | aimai | finis | dormis | vendis |
tu | aimas | finis | dormis | vendis | |
il/elle/on | aima | finit | dormit | vendit | |
nous | aimâmes | finîmes | dormîmes | vendîmes | |
vous | aimâtes | finîtes | dormîtes | vendîtes | |
ils/elles | aimèrent | finirent | dormirent | vendirent | |
action that took place before another action in the past (past anterior) |
je/j’ | avais aimé | avais fini | avais dormi | avais vendu |
tu | avais aimé | avais fini | avais dormi | avais vendu | |
il/elle/on | avait aimé | avait fini | avait dormi | avait vendu | |
nous | avions aimé | avions fini | avions dormi | avions vendu | |
vous | aviez aimé | aviez fini | aviez dormi | aviez vendu | |
ils/elles | avaient aimé | avaient fini | avaient dormi | avaient vendu | |
past action that had occured directly before another action (passé simple) occured in the past we mostly find it in literary texts |
je/j’ | eus aimé | eus fini | eus dormi | eus vendu |
tu | eus aimé | eus fini | eus dormi | eus vendu | |
il/elle/on | eut aimé | eut fini | eut dormi | eut vendu | |
nous | eûmes aimé | eûmes fini | eûmes dormi | eûmes vendu | |
vous | eûtes aimé | eûtes fini | eûtes dormi | eûtes vendu | |
ils/elles | eurent aimé | eurent fini | eurent dormi | eurent vendu | |
actions that are about to take place actions for which an intention or plan already exists |
je/j’ | vais aimer | vais finir | vais dormir | vais vendre |
tu | vas aimer | vas finir | vas dormir | vas vendre | |
il/elle/on | va aimer | va finir | va dormir | va vendre | |
nous | allons aimer | allons finir | allons dormir | allons vendre | |
vous | allez aimer | allez finir | allez dormir | allez vendre | |
ils/elles | vont aimer | vont finir | vont dormir | vont vendre | |
actions that should or will take place in the future also a polite form |
je/j’ | aimerai | finirai | dormirai | vendrai |
tu | aimeras | finiras | dormiras | vendras | |
il/elle/on | aimera | finira | dormira | vendra | |
nous | aimerons | finirons | dormirons | vendrons | |
vous | aimerez | finirez | dormirez | vendrez | |
ils/elles | aimeront | finiront | dormiront | vendront | |
supposition about an action in the past supposition or hope that an action will have been completed by a specified point in the future |
je/j’ | aurai aimé | aurai fini | aurai dormi | aurai vendu |
tu | auras aimé | auras fini | auras dormi | auras vendu | |
il/elle/on | aura aimé | aura fini | aura dormi | aura vendu | |
nous | aurons aimé | aurons fini | aurons dormi | aurons vendu | |
vous | aurez aimé | aurez fini | aurez dormi | aurez vendu | |
ils/elles | auront aimé | auront fini | auront dormi | auront vendu | |
wish, possibility, or hypothesis in the present or the future talking about the future from a past point of view polite requests |
je /j’ | aimerais | finirais | dormirais | vendrais |
tu | aimerais | finirais | dormirais | vendrais | |
il/elle/on | aimerait | finirait | dormirait | vendrait | |
nous | aimerions | finirions | dormirions | vendrions | |
vous | aimeriez | finiriez | dormiriez | vendriez | |
ils/elles | aimeraient | finiraient | dormiraient | vendraient | |
wish, possibility, or hypothesis in the past |
je/j’ | aurais aimé | aurais fini | aurais dormi | aurais vendu |
tu | aurais aimé | aurais fini | aurais dormi | aurais vendu | |
il/elle/on | aurait aimé | aurait fini | aurait dormi | aurait vendu | |
nous | aurions aimé | aurions fini | aurions dormi | aurions vendu | |
vous | auriez aimé | auriez fini | auriez dormi | auriez vendu | |
ils/elles | auraient aimé | auraient fini | auraient dormi | auraient vendu |
* Most ir-verbs are conjugated like finir. Choisir, réagir, réfléchir and réussir belong to this group. Here we add an -iss- to the word stem in the plural forms.
** Most ir-verbs that are not conjugated like finir, are conjugated like dormir. Mentir, partir and sentir are part of this group. We don't add -iss- to form the plural.