commémorer — French conjugation

to commemorate

Frequency#1050Regular

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
jecommémoreI commemorate
tucommémoresyou commemorate
il/ellecommémorehe/she/it commemorates
nouscommémoronswe commemorate
vouscommémorezyou (pl.) commemorate
ils/ellescommémorentthey commemorate

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
jecommémoraiI commemorated
tucommémorasyou commemorated
il/ellecommémorahe/she/it commemorated
nouscommémorâmeswe commemorated
vouscommémorâtesyou (pl.) commemorated
ils/ellescommémorèrentthey commemorated

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
jecommémorais
tucommémorais
il/ellecommémorait
nouscommémorions
vouscommémoriez
ils/ellescommémoraient

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
jecommémoreraisI would commemorate
tucommémoreraisyou would commemorate
il/ellecommémoreraithe/she/it would commemorate
nouscommémorerionswe would commemorate
vouscommémoreriezyou (pl.) would commemorate
ils/ellescommémoreraientthey would commemorate

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
jecommémoreraiI will commemorate
tucommémorerasyou will commemorate
il/ellecommémorerahe/she/it will commemorate
nouscommémoreronswe will commemorate
vouscommémorerezyou (pl.) will commemorate
ils/ellescommémorerontthey will commemorate

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 commémoréI have commemorated
tutu as commémoréyou have commemorated
il/elleil/elle a commémoréhe/she/it has commemorated
nousnous avons commémoréwe have commemorated
vousvous avez commémoréyou (pl.) have commemorated
ils/ellesils/elles ont commémoréthey have commemorated

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 commémoréI had commemorated
tutu avais commémoréyou had commemorated
il/elleil/elle avait commémoréhe/she/it had commemorated
nousnous avions commémoréwe had commemorated
vousvous aviez commémoréyou (pl.) had commemorated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient commémoréthey had commemorated

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

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 commémoréI will have commemorated
tutu auras commémoréyou will have commemorated
il/elleil/elle aura commémoréhe/she/it will have commemorated
nousnous aurons commémoréwe will have commemorated
vousvous aurez commémoréyou (pl.) will have commemorated
ils/ellesils/elles auront commémoréthey will have commemorated

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
jecommémore
tucommémores
il/ellecommémore
nouscommémorions
vouscommémoriez
ils/ellescommémorent

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
jecommémorasse
tucommémorasses
il/ellecommémorât
nouscommémorassions
vouscommémorassiez
ils/ellescommémorassent

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
tucommémore
nouscommémorons
vouscommémorez