bourdonner — French conjugation
to buzz
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | bourdonne | I buzz |
| tu | bourdonnes | you buzz |
| il/elle | bourdonne | he/she/it buzzes |
| nous | bourdonnons | we buzz |
| vous | bourdonnez | you (pl.) buzz |
| ils/elles | bourdonnent | they buzz |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | bourdonnai | I buzzed |
| tu | bourdonnas | you buzzed |
| il/elle | bourdonna | he/she/it buzzed |
| nous | bourdonnâmes | we buzzed |
| vous | bourdonnâtes | you (pl.) buzzed |
| ils/elles | bourdonnèrent | they buzzed |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | bourdonnais |
| tu | bourdonnais |
| il/elle | bourdonnait |
| nous | bourdonnions |
| vous | bourdonniez |
| ils/elles | bourdonnaient |
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | bourdonnerais | I would buzz |
| tu | bourdonnerais | you would buzz |
| il/elle | bourdonnerait | he/she/it would buzz |
| nous | bourdonnerions | we would buzz |
| vous | bourdonneriez | you (pl.) would buzz |
| ils/elles | bourdonneraient | they would buzz |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | bourdonnerai | I will buzz |
| tu | bourdonneras | you will buzz |
| il/elle | bourdonnera | he/she/it will buzz |
| nous | bourdonnerons | we will buzz |
| vous | bourdonnerez | you (pl.) will buzz |
| ils/elles | bourdonneront | they will buzz |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai bourdonné | I have buzzed |
| tu | tu as bourdonné | you have buzzed |
| il/elle | il/elle a bourdonné | he/she/it has buzzed |
| nous | nous avons bourdonné | we have buzzed |
| vous | vous avez bourdonné | you (pl.) have buzzed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont bourdonné | they have buzzed |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais bourdonné | I had buzzed |
| tu | tu avais bourdonné | you had buzzed |
| il/elle | il/elle avait bourdonné | he/she/it had buzzed |
| nous | nous avions bourdonné | we had buzzed |
| vous | vous aviez bourdonné | you (pl.) had buzzed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient bourdonné | they had buzzed |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais bourdonné |
| tu | tu aurais bourdonné |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait bourdonné |
| nous | nous aurions bourdonné |
| vous | vous auriez bourdonné |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient bourdonné |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai bourdonné | I will have buzzed |
| tu | tu auras bourdonné | you will have buzzed |
| il/elle | il/elle aura bourdonné | he/she/it will have buzzed |
| nous | nous aurons bourdonné | we will have buzzed |
| vous | vous aurez bourdonné | you (pl.) will have buzzed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront bourdonné | they will have buzzed |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | bourdonne |
| tu | bourdonnes |
| il/elle | bourdonne |
| nous | bourdonnions |
| vous | bourdonniez |
| ils/elles | bourdonnent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | bourdonnasse |
| tu | bourdonnasses |
| il/elle | bourdonnât |
| nous | bourdonnassions |
| vous | bourdonnassiez |
| ils/elles | bourdonnassent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | bourdonne |
| nous | bourdonnons |
| vous | bourdonnez |