aboyer — French conjugation

to bark

Frequency#853Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

Use the présent for habits, what is true now, and what is about to happen soon. A single set of endings covers what English often splits into “I speak” and “I am speaking”.

Elle parle arabe et français.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeaboieI bark
tuaboiesyou bark
il/elleaboiehe/she/it barks
nousaboyonswe bark
vousaboyezyou (pl.) bark
ils/ellesaboientthey bark

Simple past (Passé simple) Regular

The passé simple narrates completed past events in a literary or very formal style. In everyday conversation people use the passé composé instead, so you mostly meet this form in books and journalism.

Ils virent le roi s'approcher.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeaboyaiI barked
tuaboyasyou barked
il/elleaboyahe/she/it barked
nousaboyâmeswe barked
vousaboyâtesyou (pl.) barked
ils/ellesaboyèrentthey barked

Imperfect (Imparfait) Regular

The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions and sets the background — how things were, what used to happen, weather, feelings. The passé composé, by contrast, marks single completed events.

Quand j'étais petit, j'allais souvent à la piscine.

PronounFrench
jeaboyais
tuaboyais
il/elleaboyait
nousaboyions
vousaboyiez
ils/ellesaboyaient

Conditional (Conditionnel) Irregular

The conditionnel is for polite questions and requests, “would”-type hypotheticals, and what someone said would happen. It is also the usual consequent clause in si + imparfait → conditionnel patterns.

Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeaboieraisI would bark
tuaboieraisyou would bark
il/elleaboieraithe/she/it would bark
nousaboierionswe would bark
vousaboieriezyou (pl.) would bark
ils/ellesaboieraientthey would bark

Future (Futur) Irregular

The futur is for future plans and objective predictions. In speech, aller + infinitive is often clearer for the immediate future, while the simple future is common for facts further ahead or in writing.

Demain, nous dînerons chez eux.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeaboieraiI will bark
tuaboierasyou will bark
il/elleaboierahe/she/it will bark
nousaboieronswe will bark
vousaboierezyou (pl.) will bark
ils/ellesaboierontthey will bark

Present perfect (Passé composé) Regular

The passé composé is the main spoken past for completed, bounded actions (often with a time adverb). Use avoir with most verbs; être is required for a fixed group of motion/inchange and all pronominal verbs, with participle agreement when necessary.

Elle est venue tôt, puis elle a téléphoné.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'ai aboyéI have barked
tutu as aboyéyou have barked
il/elleil/elle a aboyéhe/she/it has barked
nousnous avons aboyéwe have barked
vousvous avez aboyéyou (pl.) have barked
ils/ellesils/elles ont aboyéthey have barked

Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) Regular

The plus-que-parfait is the “earlier past”: one action was already over before another past moment. It answers “had already” when a story is anchored in a past time.

Déjà, il avait fini quand je suis arrivé.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'avais aboyéI had barked
tutu avais aboyéyou had barked
il/elleil/elle avait aboyéhe/she/it had barked
nousnous avions aboyéwe had barked
vousvous aviez aboyéyou (pl.) had barked
ils/ellesils/elles avaient aboyéthey had barked

Conditional perfect (Conditionnel passé) Regular

The conditionnel passé states what would have been true, plans that failed, and unreal past if-clauses (often with si + plus-que-parfait in the apodose).

J'aurais dit oui, mais c'était impossible.

PronounFrench
jej'aurais aboyé
tutu aurais aboyé
il/elleil/elle aurait aboyé
nousnous aurions aboyé
vousvous auriez aboyé
ils/ellesils/elles auraient aboyé

Future perfect (Futur antérieur) Regular

The futur antérieur marks an action that will be finished before a later future moment (by then I will have…). It can also suggest a conjecture about a recent past fact in formal or literary use.

D'ici samedi, j'aurai lu le rapport.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'aurai aboyéI will have barked
tutu auras aboyéyou will have barked
il/elleil/elle aura aboyéhe/she/it will have barked
nousnous aurons aboyéwe will have barked
vousvous aurez aboyéyou (pl.) will have barked
ils/ellesils/elles auront aboyéthey will have barked

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

The present subjunctive appears in subordinate clauses after desire, doubt, fear, need, and many impersonals, usually when the subject of the subordinate is different. Learn common triggers: il faut que, je veux que, je doute que…

Il faut qu'il parte avant midi.

PronounFrench
jeaboie
tuaboies
il/elleaboie
nousaboyions
vousaboyiez
ils/ellesaboient

Imperfect subjunctive (Subjonctif imparfait) Regular

The imparfait du subjonctif is a literary and formal past subjunctive. In modern speech, the present subjunctive usually replaces it for the same meaning.

Bien qu'il fût fatigué, il continua.

PronounFrench
jeaboyasse
tuaboyasses
il/elleaboyât
nousaboyassions
vousaboyassiez
ils/ellesaboyassent

Other forms

Imperative (Impératif) Regular

The imperative is for direct orders and advice to tu, nous, and vous. For many -er verbs, the tu form drops the final -s of the present (parle!); negatives use the subjunctive-like forms in practice.

Fermons la porte, s'il vous plaît !

PronounFrench
tuaboie
nousaboyons
vousaboyez