braver — French conjugation

to challenge

Frequency#1197Regular

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
jebraveI challenge
tubravesyou challenge
il/ellebravehe/she/it challenges
nousbravonswe challenge
vousbravezyou (pl.) challenge
ils/ellesbraventthey challenge

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
jebravaiI challenged
tubravasyou challenged
il/ellebravahe/she/it challenged
nousbravâmeswe challenged
vousbravâtesyou (pl.) challenged
ils/ellesbravèrentthey challenged

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
jebravais
tubravais
il/ellebravait
nousbravions
vousbraviez
ils/ellesbravaient

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
jebraveraisI would challenge
tubraveraisyou would challenge
il/ellebraveraithe/she/it would challenge
nousbraverionswe would challenge
vousbraveriezyou (pl.) would challenge
ils/ellesbraveraientthey would challenge

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
jebraveraiI will challenge
tubraverasyou will challenge
il/ellebraverahe/she/it will challenge
nousbraveronswe will challenge
vousbraverezyou (pl.) will challenge
ils/ellesbraverontthey will challenge

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 bravéI have challenged
tutu as bravéyou have challenged
il/elleil/elle a bravéhe/she/it has challenged
nousnous avons bravéwe have challenged
vousvous avez bravéyou (pl.) have challenged
ils/ellesils/elles ont bravéthey have challenged

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 bravéI had challenged
tutu avais bravéyou had challenged
il/elleil/elle avait bravéhe/she/it had challenged
nousnous avions bravéwe had challenged
vousvous aviez bravéyou (pl.) had challenged
ils/ellesils/elles avaient bravéthey had challenged

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

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 bravéI will have challenged
tutu auras bravéyou will have challenged
il/elleil/elle aura bravéhe/she/it will have challenged
nousnous aurons bravéwe will have challenged
vousvous aurez bravéyou (pl.) will have challenged
ils/ellesils/elles auront bravéthey will have challenged

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
jebrave
tubraves
il/ellebrave
nousbravions
vousbraviez
ils/ellesbravent

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
jebravasse
tubravasses
il/ellebravât
nousbravassions
vousbravassiez
ils/ellesbravassent

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
tubrave
nousbravons
vousbravez