conférer — French conjugation

to confer

Frequency#1092Irregular

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
jeconfèreI confer
tuconfèresyou confer
il/elleconfèrehe/she/it confers
nousconféronswe confer
vousconférezyou (pl.) confer
ils/ellesconfèrentthey confer

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
jeconféraiI conferred
tuconférasyou conferred
il/elleconférahe/she/it conferred
nousconférâmeswe conferred
vousconférâtesyou (pl.) conferred
ils/ellesconférèrentthey conferred

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
jeconférais
tuconférais
il/elleconférait
nousconférions
vousconfériez
ils/ellesconféraient

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
jeconféreraisI would confer
tuconféreraisyou would confer
il/elleconféreraithe/she/it would confer
nousconférerionswe would confer
vousconféreriezyou (pl.) would confer
ils/ellesconféreraientthey would confer

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
jeconféreraiI will confer
tuconférerasyou will confer
il/elleconférerahe/she/it will confer
nousconféreronswe will confer
vousconférerezyou (pl.) will confer
ils/ellesconférerontthey will confer

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 conféréI have conferred
tutu as conféréyou have conferred
il/elleil/elle a conféréhe/she/it has conferred
nousnous avons conféréwe have conferred
vousvous avez conféréyou (pl.) have conferred
ils/ellesils/elles ont conféréthey have conferred

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 conféréI had conferred
tutu avais conféréyou had conferred
il/elleil/elle avait conféréhe/she/it had conferred
nousnous avions conféréwe had conferred
vousvous aviez conféréyou (pl.) had conferred
ils/ellesils/elles avaient conféréthey had conferred

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

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 conféréI will have conferred
tutu auras conféréyou will have conferred
il/elleil/elle aura conféréhe/she/it will have conferred
nousnous aurons conféréwe will have conferred
vousvous aurez conféréyou (pl.) will have conferred
ils/ellesils/elles auront conféréthey will have conferred

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

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
jeconfère
tuconfères
il/elleconfère
nousconférions
vousconfériez
ils/ellesconfèrent

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
jeconférasse
tuconférasses
il/elleconférât
nousconférassions
vousconférassiez
ils/ellesconférassent

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
tuconfère
nousconférons
vousconférez