commenter — French conjugation

to comment.

Frequency#393Regular

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
jecommente
tucommentes
il/ellecommente
nouscommentons
vouscommentez
ils/ellescommentent

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
jecommentai
tucommentas
il/ellecommenta
nouscommentâmes
vouscommentâtes
ils/ellescommentèrent

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
jecommentais
tucommentais
il/ellecommentait
nouscommentions
vouscommentiez
ils/ellescommentaient

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
jecommenterais
tucommenterais
il/ellecommenterait
nouscommenterions
vouscommenteriez
ils/ellescommenteraient

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
jecommenterai
tucommenteras
il/ellecommentera
nouscommenterons
vouscommenterez
ils/ellescommenteront

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 commenté
tutu as commenté
il/elleil/elle a commenté
nousnous avons commenté
vousvous avez commenté
ils/ellesils/elles ont commenté

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 commenté
tutu avais commenté
il/elleil/elle avait commenté
nousnous avions commenté
vousvous aviez commenté
ils/ellesils/elles avaient commenté

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

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 commenté
tutu auras commenté
il/elleil/elle aura commenté
nousnous aurons commenté
vousvous aurez commenté
ils/ellesils/elles auront commenté

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
jecommente
tucommentes
il/ellecommente
nouscommentions
vouscommentiez
ils/ellescommentent

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
jecommentasse
tucommentasses
il/ellecommentât
nouscommentassions
vouscommentassiez
ils/ellescommentassent

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
tucommente
nouscommentons
vouscommentez