animer — French conjugation

to animate (give something life)

Frequency#1072RegularReflexives'animer — to come alive

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
jeanimeI animate
tuanimesyou animate
il/elleanimehe/she/it animates
nousanimonswe animate
vousanimezyou (pl.) animate
ils/ellesanimentthey animate

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
jeanimaiI animated
tuanimasyou animated
il/elleanimahe/she/it animated
nousanimâmeswe animated
vousanimâtesyou (pl.) animated
ils/ellesanimèrentthey animated

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
jeanimais
tuanimais
il/elleanimait
nousanimions
vousanimiez
ils/ellesanimaient

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
jeanimeraisI would animate
tuanimeraisyou would animate
il/elleanimeraithe/she/it would animate
nousanimerionswe would animate
vousanimeriezyou (pl.) would animate
ils/ellesanimeraientthey would animate

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
jeanimeraiI will animate
tuanimerasyou will animate
il/elleanimerahe/she/it will animate
nousanimeronswe will animate
vousanimerezyou (pl.) will animate
ils/ellesanimerontthey will animate

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 animéI have animated
tutu as animéyou have animated
il/elleil/elle a animéhe/she/it has animated
nousnous avons animéwe have animated
vousvous avez animéyou (pl.) have animated
ils/ellesils/elles ont animéthey have animated

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 animéI had animated
tutu avais animéyou had animated
il/elleil/elle avait animéhe/she/it had animated
nousnous avions animéwe had animated
vousvous aviez animéyou (pl.) had animated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient animéthey had animated

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

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 animéI will have animated
tutu auras animéyou will have animated
il/elleil/elle aura animéhe/she/it will have animated
nousnous aurons animéwe will have animated
vousvous aurez animéyou (pl.) will have animated
ils/ellesils/elles auront animéthey will have animated

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
jeanime
tuanimes
il/elleanime
nousanimions
vousanimiez
ils/ellesaniment

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
jeanimasse
tuanimasses
il/elleanimât
nousanimassions
vousanimassiez
ils/ellesanimassent

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
tuanime
nousanimons
vousanimez