aligner — French conjugation

to align

Frequency#410Regular

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
jealigneI align
tualignesyou align
il/ellealignehe/she/it aligns
nousalignonswe align
vousalignezyou (pl.) align
ils/ellesalignentthey align

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
jealignaiI aligned
tualignasyou aligned
il/ellealignahe/she/it aligned
nousalignâmeswe aligned
vousalignâtesyou (pl.) aligned
ils/ellesalignèrentthey aligned

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
jealignais
tualignais
il/ellealignait
nousalignions
vousaligniez
ils/ellesalignaient

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
jealigneraisI would align
tualigneraisyou would align
il/ellealigneraithe/she/it would align
nousalignerionswe would align
vousaligneriezyou (pl.) would align
ils/ellesaligneraientthey would align

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
jealigneraiI will align
tualignerasyou will align
il/ellealignerahe/she/it will align
nousaligneronswe will align
vousalignerezyou (pl.) will align
ils/ellesalignerontthey will align

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 alignéI have aligned
tutu as alignéyou have aligned
il/elleil/elle a alignéhe/she/it has aligned
nousnous avons alignéwe have aligned
vousvous avez alignéyou (pl.) have aligned
ils/ellesils/elles ont alignéthey have aligned

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 alignéI had aligned
tutu avais alignéyou had aligned
il/elleil/elle avait alignéhe/she/it had aligned
nousnous avions alignéwe had aligned
vousvous aviez alignéyou (pl.) had aligned
ils/ellesils/elles avaient alignéthey had aligned

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

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 alignéI will have aligned
tutu auras alignéyou will have aligned
il/elleil/elle aura alignéhe/she/it will have aligned
nousnous aurons alignéwe will have aligned
vousvous aurez alignéyou (pl.) will have aligned
ils/ellesils/elles auront alignéthey will have aligned

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
jealigne
tualignes
il/ellealigne
nousalignions
vousaligniez
ils/ellesalignent

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
jealignasse
tualignasses
il/ellealignât
nousalignassions
vousalignassiez
ils/ellesalignassent

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
tualigne
nousalignons
vousalignez