cadrer — French conjugation

to frame

Frequency#324Regular

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
jecadreI frame
tucadresyou frame
il/ellecadrehe/she/it frames
nouscadronswe frame
vouscadrezyou (pl.) frame
ils/ellescadrentthey frame

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
jecadraiI framed
tucadrasyou framed
il/ellecadrahe/she/it framed
nouscadrâmeswe framed
vouscadrâtesyou (pl.) framed
ils/ellescadrèrentthey framed

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
jecadrais
tucadrais
il/ellecadrait
nouscadrions
vouscadriez
ils/ellescadraient

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
jecadreraisI would frame
tucadreraisyou would frame
il/ellecadreraithe/she/it would frame
nouscadrerionswe would frame
vouscadreriezyou (pl.) would frame
ils/ellescadreraientthey would frame

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
jecadreraiI will frame
tucadrerasyou will frame
il/ellecadrerahe/she/it will frame
nouscadreronswe will frame
vouscadrerezyou (pl.) will frame
ils/ellescadrerontthey will frame

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 cadréI have framed
tutu as cadréyou have framed
il/elleil/elle a cadréhe/she/it has framed
nousnous avons cadréwe have framed
vousvous avez cadréyou (pl.) have framed
ils/ellesils/elles ont cadréthey have framed

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 cadréI had framed
tutu avais cadréyou had framed
il/elleil/elle avait cadréhe/she/it had framed
nousnous avions cadréwe had framed
vousvous aviez cadréyou (pl.) had framed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient cadréthey had framed

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

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 cadréI will have framed
tutu auras cadréyou will have framed
il/elleil/elle aura cadréhe/she/it will have framed
nousnous aurons cadréwe will have framed
vousvous aurez cadréyou (pl.) will have framed
ils/ellesils/elles auront cadréthey will have framed

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
jecadre
tucadres
il/ellecadre
nouscadrions
vouscadriez
ils/ellescadrent

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
jecadrasse
tucadrasses
il/ellecadrât
nouscadrassions
vouscadrassiez
ils/ellescadrassent

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
tucadre
nouscadrons
vouscadrez