adoucir — French conjugation
to soften
Indicative
Present (Présent) Regular
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | adoucis | I soften |
| tu | adoucis | you soften |
| il/elle | adoucit | he/she/it softens |
| nous | adoucissons | we soften |
| vous | adoucissez | you (pl.) soften |
| ils/elles | adoucissent | they soften |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | adoucis | I softened |
| tu | adoucis | you softened |
| il/elle | adoucit | he/she/it softened |
| nous | adoucîmes | we softened |
| vous | adoucîtes | you (pl.) softened |
| ils/elles | adoucirent | they softened |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | adoucissais |
| tu | adoucissais |
| il/elle | adoucissait |
| nous | adoucissions |
| vous | adoucissiez |
| ils/elles | adoucissaient |
Conditional (Conditionnel) Regular
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | adoucirais | I would soften |
| tu | adoucirais | you would soften |
| il/elle | adoucirait | he/she/it would soften |
| nous | adoucirions | we would soften |
| vous | adouciriez | you (pl.) would soften |
| ils/elles | adouciraient | they would soften |
Future (Futur) Regular
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | adoucirai | I will soften |
| tu | adouciras | you will soften |
| il/elle | adoucira | he/she/it will soften |
| nous | adoucirons | we will soften |
| vous | adoucirez | you (pl.) will soften |
| ils/elles | adouciront | they will soften |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai adouci | I have softened |
| tu | tu as adouci | you have softened |
| il/elle | il/elle a adouci | he/she/it has softened |
| nous | nous avons adouci | we have softened |
| vous | vous avez adouci | you (pl.) have softened |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont adouci | they have softened |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais adouci | I had softened |
| tu | tu avais adouci | you had softened |
| il/elle | il/elle avait adouci | he/she/it had softened |
| nous | nous avions adouci | we had softened |
| vous | vous aviez adouci | you (pl.) had softened |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient adouci | they had softened |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais adouci |
| tu | tu aurais adouci |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait adouci |
| nous | nous aurions adouci |
| vous | vous auriez adouci |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient adouci |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai adouci | I will have softened |
| tu | tu auras adouci | you will have softened |
| il/elle | il/elle aura adouci | he/she/it will have softened |
| nous | nous aurons adouci | we will have softened |
| vous | vous aurez adouci | you (pl.) will have softened |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront adouci | they will have softened |
Subjunctive
Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Regular
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | adoucisse |
| tu | adoucisses |
| il/elle | adoucisse |
| nous | adoucissions |
| vous | adoucissiez |
| ils/elles | adoucissent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | adoucisse |
| tu | adoucisses |
| il/elle | adoucît |
| nous | adoucissions |
| vous | adoucissiez |
| ils/elles | adoucissent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | adoucis |
| nous | adoucissons |
| vous | adoucissez |