anticiper — French conjugation

to anticipate

Frequency#365Regular

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
jeanticipeI anticipate
tuanticipesyou anticipate
il/elleanticipehe/she/it anticipates
nousanticiponswe anticipate
vousanticipezyou (pl.) anticipate
ils/ellesanticipentthey anticipate

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
jeanticipaiI anticipated
tuanticipasyou anticipated
il/elleanticipahe/she/it anticipated
nousanticipâmeswe anticipated
vousanticipâtesyou (pl.) anticipated
ils/ellesanticipèrentthey anticipated

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
jeanticipais
tuanticipais
il/elleanticipait
nousanticipions
vousanticipiez
ils/ellesanticipaient

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
jeanticiperaisI would anticipate
tuanticiperaisyou would anticipate
il/elleanticiperaithe/she/it would anticipate
nousanticiperionswe would anticipate
vousanticiperiezyou (pl.) would anticipate
ils/ellesanticiperaientthey would anticipate

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
jeanticiperaiI will anticipate
tuanticiperasyou will anticipate
il/elleanticiperahe/she/it will anticipate
nousanticiperonswe will anticipate
vousanticiperezyou (pl.) will anticipate
ils/ellesanticiperontthey will anticipate

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 anticipéI have anticipated
tutu as anticipéyou have anticipated
il/elleil/elle a anticipéhe/she/it has anticipated
nousnous avons anticipéwe have anticipated
vousvous avez anticipéyou (pl.) have anticipated
ils/ellesils/elles ont anticipéthey have anticipated

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 anticipéI had anticipated
tutu avais anticipéyou had anticipated
il/elleil/elle avait anticipéhe/she/it had anticipated
nousnous avions anticipéwe had anticipated
vousvous aviez anticipéyou (pl.) had anticipated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient anticipéthey had anticipated

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

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 anticipéI will have anticipated
tutu auras anticipéyou will have anticipated
il/elleil/elle aura anticipéhe/she/it will have anticipated
nousnous aurons anticipéwe will have anticipated
vousvous aurez anticipéyou (pl.) will have anticipated
ils/ellesils/elles auront anticipéthey will have anticipated

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
jeanticipe
tuanticipes
il/elleanticipe
nousanticipions
vousanticipiez
ils/ellesanticipent

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
jeanticipasse
tuanticipasses
il/elleanticipât
nousanticipassions
vousanticipassiez
ils/ellesanticipassent

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
tuanticipe
nousanticipons
vousanticipez