comporter — French conjugation

to include

Frequency#604RegularReflexivese comporter — to behave oneself

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
jecomporteI include
tucomportesyou include
il/ellecomportehe/she/it includes
nouscomportonswe include
vouscomportezyou (pl.) include
ils/ellescomportentthey include

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
jecomportaiI included
tucomportasyou included
il/ellecomportahe/she/it included
nouscomportâmeswe included
vouscomportâtesyou (pl.) included
ils/ellescomportèrentthey included

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
jecomportais
tucomportais
il/ellecomportait
nouscomportions
vouscomportiez
ils/ellescomportaient

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
jecomporteraisI would include
tucomporteraisyou would include
il/ellecomporteraithe/she/it would include
nouscomporterionswe would include
vouscomporteriezyou (pl.) would include
ils/ellescomporteraientthey would include

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
jecomporteraiI will include
tucomporterasyou will include
il/ellecomporterahe/she/it will include
nouscomporteronswe will include
vouscomporterezyou (pl.) will include
ils/ellescomporterontthey will include

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 comportéI have included
tutu as comportéyou have included
il/elleil/elle a comportéhe/she/it has included
nousnous avons comportéwe have included
vousvous avez comportéyou (pl.) have included
ils/ellesils/elles ont comportéthey have included

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 comportéI had included
tutu avais comportéyou had included
il/elleil/elle avait comportéhe/she/it had included
nousnous avions comportéwe had included
vousvous aviez comportéyou (pl.) had included
ils/ellesils/elles avaient comportéthey had included

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

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 comportéI will have included
tutu auras comportéyou will have included
il/elleil/elle aura comportéhe/she/it will have included
nousnous aurons comportéwe will have included
vousvous aurez comportéyou (pl.) will have included
ils/ellesils/elles auront comportéthey will have included

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
jecomporte
tucomportes
il/ellecomporte
nouscomportions
vouscomportiez
ils/ellescomportent

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
jecomportasse
tucomportasses
il/ellecomportât
nouscomportassions
vouscomportassiez
ils/ellescomportassent

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
tucomporte
nouscomportons
vouscomportez