cacher — French conjugation

to hide

Frequency#246RegularReflexivese cacher — to hide 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
jecacheI hide
tucachesyou hide
il/ellecachehe/she/it hides
nouscachonswe hide
vouscachezyou (pl.) hide
ils/ellescachentthey hide

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
jecachaiI hid
tucachasyou hid
il/ellecachahe/she/it hid
nouscachâmeswe hid
vouscachâtesyou (pl.) hid
ils/ellescachèrentthey hid

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
jecachais
tucachais
il/ellecachait
nouscachions
vouscachiez
ils/ellescachaient

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
jecacheraisI would hide
tucacheraisyou would hide
il/ellecacheraithe/she/it would hide
nouscacherionswe would hide
vouscacheriezyou (pl.) would hide
ils/ellescacheraientthey would hide

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
jecacheraiI will hide
tucacherasyou will hide
il/ellecacherahe/she/it will hide
nouscacheronswe will hide
vouscacherezyou (pl.) will hide
ils/ellescacherontthey will hide

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 cachéI have hidden
tutu as cachéyou have hidden
il/elleil/elle a cachéhe/she/it has hidden
nousnous avons cachéwe have hidden
vousvous avez cachéyou (pl.) have hidden
ils/ellesils/elles ont cachéthey have hidden

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 cachéI had hidden
tutu avais cachéyou had hidden
il/elleil/elle avait cachéhe/she/it had hidden
nousnous avions cachéwe had hidden
vousvous aviez cachéyou (pl.) had hidden
ils/ellesils/elles avaient cachéthey had hidden

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

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 cachéI will have hidden
tutu auras cachéyou will have hidden
il/elleil/elle aura cachéhe/she/it will have hidden
nousnous aurons cachéwe will have hidden
vousvous aurez cachéyou (pl.) will have hidden
ils/ellesils/elles auront cachéthey will have hidden

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
jecache
tucaches
il/ellecache
nouscachions
vouscachiez
ils/ellescachent

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
jecachasse
tucachasses
il/ellecachât
nouscachassions
vouscachassiez
ils/ellescachassent

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
tucache
nouscachons
vouscachez