commettre — French conjugation

to commit

Frequency#184Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

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
jecommetsI commit
tucommetsyou commit
il/ellecommethe/she/it commits
nouscommettonswe commit
vouscommettezyou (pl.) commit
ils/ellescommettentthey commit

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

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
jecommisI committed
tucommisyou committed
il/ellecommithe/she/it committed
nouscommîmeswe committed
vouscommîtesyou (pl.) committed
ils/ellescommirentthey committed

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
jecommettais
tucommettais
il/ellecommettait
nouscommettions
vouscommettiez
ils/ellescommettaient

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
jecommettraisI would commit
tucommettraisyou would commit
il/ellecommettraithe/she/it would commit
nouscommettrionswe would commit
vouscommettriezyou (pl.) would commit
ils/ellescommettraientthey would commit

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
jecommettraiI will commit
tucommettrasyou will commit
il/ellecommettrahe/she/it will commit
nouscommettronswe will commit
vouscommettrezyou (pl.) will commit
ils/ellescommettrontthey will commit

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 commisI have committed
tutu as commisyou have committed
il/elleil/elle a commishe/she/it has committed
nousnous avons commiswe have committed
vousvous avez commisyou (pl.) have committed
ils/ellesils/elles ont commisthey have committed

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 commisI had committed
tutu avais commisyou had committed
il/elleil/elle avait commishe/she/it had committed
nousnous avions commiswe had committed
vousvous aviez commisyou (pl.) had committed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient commisthey had committed

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

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 commisI will have committed
tutu auras commisyou will have committed
il/elleil/elle aura commishe/she/it will have committed
nousnous aurons commiswe will have committed
vousvous aurez commisyou (pl.) will have committed
ils/ellesils/elles auront commisthey will have committed

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
jecommette
tucommettes
il/ellecommette
nouscommettions
vouscommettiez
ils/ellescommettent

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
jecommisse
tucommisses
il/ellecommît
nouscommissions
vouscommissiez
ils/ellescommissent

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
tucommets
nouscommettons
vouscommettez