allumer — French conjugation

to light; to turn on

Frequency#62Regular

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
jeallumeI light
tuallumesyou light
il/elleallumehe/she/it lights
nousallumonswe light
vousallumezyou (pl.) light
ils/ellesallumentthey light

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
jeallumaiI lit
tuallumasyou lit
il/elleallumahe/she/it lit
nousallumâmeswe lit
vousallumâtesyou (pl.) lit
ils/ellesallumèrentthey lit

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
jeallumais
tuallumais
il/elleallumait
nousallumions
vousallumiez
ils/ellesallumaient

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
jeallumeraisI would light
tuallumeraisyou would light
il/elleallumeraithe/she/it would light
nousallumerionswe would light
vousallumeriezyou (pl.) would light
ils/ellesallumeraientthey would light

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
jeallumeraiI will light
tuallumerasyou will light
il/elleallumerahe/she/it will light
nousallumeronswe will light
vousallumerezyou (pl.) will light
ils/ellesallumerontthey will light

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 alluméI have lit
tutu as alluméyou have lit
il/elleil/elle a alluméhe/she/it has lit
nousnous avons alluméwe have lit
vousvous avez alluméyou (pl.) have lit
ils/ellesils/elles ont alluméthey have lit

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 alluméI had lit
tutu avais alluméyou had lit
il/elleil/elle avait alluméhe/she/it had lit
nousnous avions alluméwe had lit
vousvous aviez alluméyou (pl.) had lit
ils/ellesils/elles avaient alluméthey had lit

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

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 alluméI will have lit
tutu auras alluméyou will have lit
il/elleil/elle aura alluméhe/she/it will have lit
nousnous aurons alluméwe will have lit
vousvous aurez alluméyou (pl.) will have lit
ils/ellesils/elles auront alluméthey will have lit

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
jeallume
tuallumes
il/elleallume
nousallumions
vousallumiez
ils/ellesallument

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
jeallumasse
tuallumasses
il/elleallumât
nousallumassions
vousallumassiez
ils/ellesallumassent

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
tuallume
nousallumons
vousallumez