centrer — French conjugation

to centre

Frequency#726Regular

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.

PronounFrench
jecentre
tucentres
il/ellecentre
nouscentrons
vouscentrez
ils/ellescentrent

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.

PronounFrench
jecentrai
tucentras
il/ellecentra
nouscentrâmes
vouscentrâtes
ils/ellescentrèrent

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
jecentrais
tucentrais
il/ellecentrait
nouscentrions
vouscentriez
ils/ellescentraient

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 ?

PronounFrench
jecentrerais
tucentrerais
il/ellecentrerait
nouscentrerions
vouscentreriez
ils/ellescentreraient

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.

PronounFrench
jecentrerai
tucentreras
il/ellecentrera
nouscentrerons
vouscentrerez
ils/ellescentreront

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.

PronounFrench
jej'ai centré
tutu as centré
il/elleil/elle a centré
nousnous avons centré
vousvous avez centré
ils/ellesils/elles ont centré

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.

PronounFrench
jej'avais centré
tutu avais centré
il/elleil/elle avait centré
nousnous avions centré
vousvous aviez centré
ils/ellesils/elles avaient centré

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

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.

PronounFrench
jej'aurai centré
tutu auras centré
il/elleil/elle aura centré
nousnous aurons centré
vousvous aurez centré
ils/ellesils/elles auront centré

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
jecentre
tucentres
il/ellecentre
nouscentrions
vouscentriez
ils/ellescentrent

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
jecentrasse
tucentrasses
il/ellecentrât
nouscentrassions
vouscentrassiez
ils/ellescentrassent

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
tucentre
nouscentrons
vouscentrez