carrer — French conjugation

to run (in a race)

Frequency#208Regular

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
jecarreI run
tucarresyou run
il/ellecarrehe/she/it runs
nouscarronswe run
vouscarrezyou (pl.) run
ils/ellescarrentthey run

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
jecarraiI ran
tucarrasyou ran
il/ellecarrahe/she/it ran
nouscarrâmeswe ran
vouscarrâtesyou (pl.) ran
ils/ellescarrèrentthey ran

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
jecarrais
tucarrais
il/ellecarrait
nouscarrions
vouscarriez
ils/ellescarraient

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
jecarreraisI would run
tucarreraisyou would run
il/ellecarreraithe/she/it would run
nouscarrerionswe would run
vouscarreriezyou (pl.) would run
ils/ellescarreraientthey would run

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
jecarreraiI will run
tucarrerasyou will run
il/ellecarrerahe/she/it will run
nouscarreronswe will run
vouscarrerezyou (pl.) will run
ils/ellescarrerontthey will run

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 carréI have run
tutu as carréyou have run
il/elleil/elle a carréhe/she/it has run
nousnous avons carréwe have run
vousvous avez carréyou (pl.) have run
ils/ellesils/elles ont carréthey have run

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 carréI had run
tutu avais carréyou had run
il/elleil/elle avait carréhe/she/it had run
nousnous avions carréwe had run
vousvous aviez carréyou (pl.) had run
ils/ellesils/elles avaient carréthey had run

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

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 carréI will have run
tutu auras carréyou will have run
il/elleil/elle aura carréhe/she/it will have run
nousnous aurons carréwe will have run
vousvous aurez carréyou (pl.) will have run
ils/ellesils/elles auront carréthey will have run

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
jecarre
tucarres
il/ellecarre
nouscarrions
vouscarriez
ils/ellescarrent

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
jecarrasse
tucarrasses
il/ellecarrât
nouscarrassions
vouscarrassiez
ils/ellescarrassent

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
tucarre
nouscarrons
vouscarrez