ajouter — French conjugation

to add

Frequency#153Regular

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.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeajouteI add
tuajoutesyou add
il/elleajoutehe/she/it adds
nousajoutonswe add
vousajoutezyou (pl.) add
ils/ellesajoutentthey add

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
jeajoutaiI added
tuajoutasyou added
il/elleajoutahe/she/it added
nousajoutâmeswe added
vousajoutâtesyou (pl.) added
ils/ellesajoutèrentthey added

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
jeajoutais
tuajoutais
il/elleajoutait
nousajoutions
vousajoutiez
ils/ellesajoutaient

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 ?

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeajouteraisI would add
tuajouteraisyou would add
il/elleajouteraithe/she/it would add
nousajouterionswe would add
vousajouteriezyou (pl.) would add
ils/ellesajouteraientthey would add

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.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeajouteraiI will add
tuajouterasyou will add
il/elleajouterahe/she/it will add
nousajouteronswe will add
vousajouterezyou (pl.) will add
ils/ellesajouterontthey will add

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 ajoutéI have added
tutu as ajoutéyou have added
il/elleil/elle a ajoutéhe/she/it has added
nousnous avons ajoutéwe have added
vousvous avez ajoutéyou (pl.) have added
ils/ellesils/elles ont ajoutéthey have added

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 ajoutéI had added
tutu avais ajoutéyou had added
il/elleil/elle avait ajoutéhe/she/it had added
nousnous avions ajoutéwe had added
vousvous aviez ajoutéyou (pl.) had added
ils/ellesils/elles avaient ajoutéthey had added

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 ajouté
tutu aurais ajouté
il/elleil/elle aurait ajouté
nousnous aurions ajouté
vousvous auriez ajouté
ils/ellesils/elles auraient ajouté

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 ajoutéI will have added
tutu auras ajoutéyou will have added
il/elleil/elle aura ajoutéhe/she/it will have added
nousnous aurons ajoutéwe will have added
vousvous aurez ajoutéyou (pl.) will have added
ils/ellesils/elles auront ajoutéthey will have added

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.

PronounFrench
jeajoute
tuajoutes
il/elleajoute
nousajoutions
vousajoutiez
ils/ellesajoutent

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
jeajoutasse
tuajoutasses
il/elleajoutât
nousajoutassions
vousajoutassiez
ils/ellesajoutassent

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
tuajoute
nousajoutons
vousajoutez