appliquer — French conjugation

to apply

Frequency#794RegularReflexives'appliquer — to apply oneself

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
jeappliqueI apply
tuappliquesyou apply
il/elleappliquehe/she/it applies
nousappliquonswe apply
vousappliquezyou (pl.) apply
ils/ellesappliquentthey apply

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
jeappliquaiI applied
tuappliquasyou applied
il/elleappliquahe/she/it applied
nousappliquâmeswe applied
vousappliquâtesyou (pl.) applied
ils/ellesappliquèrentthey applied

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
jeappliquais
tuappliquais
il/elleappliquait
nousappliquions
vousappliquiez
ils/ellesappliquaient

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
jeappliqueraisI would apply
tuappliqueraisyou would apply
il/elleappliqueraithe/she/it would apply
nousappliquerionswe would apply
vousappliqueriezyou (pl.) would apply
ils/ellesappliqueraientthey would apply

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
jeappliqueraiI will apply
tuappliquerasyou will apply
il/elleappliquerahe/she/it will apply
nousappliqueronswe will apply
vousappliquerezyou (pl.) will apply
ils/ellesappliquerontthey will apply

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 appliquéI have applied
tutu as appliquéyou have applied
il/elleil/elle a appliquéhe/she/it has applied
nousnous avons appliquéwe have applied
vousvous avez appliquéyou (pl.) have applied
ils/ellesils/elles ont appliquéthey have applied

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 appliquéI had applied
tutu avais appliquéyou had applied
il/elleil/elle avait appliquéhe/she/it had applied
nousnous avions appliquéwe had applied
vousvous aviez appliquéyou (pl.) had applied
ils/ellesils/elles avaient appliquéthey had applied

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

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 appliquéI will have applied
tutu auras appliquéyou will have applied
il/elleil/elle aura appliquéhe/she/it will have applied
nousnous aurons appliquéwe will have applied
vousvous aurez appliquéyou (pl.) will have applied
ils/ellesils/elles auront appliquéthey will have applied

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
jeapplique
tuappliques
il/elleapplique
nousappliquions
vousappliquiez
ils/ellesappliquent

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
jeappliquasse
tuappliquasses
il/elleappliquât
nousappliquassions
vousappliquassiez
ils/ellesappliquassent

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
tuapplique
nousappliquons
vousappliquez