coûter — French conjugation
to cost
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | coûte | I cost |
| tu | coûtes | you cost |
| il/elle | coûte | he/she/it costs |
| nous | coûtons | we cost |
| vous | coûtez | you (pl.) cost |
| ils/elles | coûtent | they cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | coûtai | I cost |
| tu | coûtas | you cost |
| il/elle | coûta | he/she/it cost |
| nous | coûtâmes | we cost |
| vous | coûtâtes | you (pl.) cost |
| ils/elles | coûtèrent | they cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | coûtais |
| tu | coûtais |
| il/elle | coûtait |
| nous | coûtions |
| vous | coûtiez |
| ils/elles | coûtaient |
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | coûterais | I would cost |
| tu | coûterais | you would cost |
| il/elle | coûterait | he/she/it would cost |
| nous | coûterions | we would cost |
| vous | coûteriez | you (pl.) would cost |
| ils/elles | coûteraient | they would cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | coûterai | I will cost |
| tu | coûteras | you will cost |
| il/elle | coûtera | he/she/it will cost |
| nous | coûterons | we will cost |
| vous | coûterez | you (pl.) will cost |
| ils/elles | coûteront | they will cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai coûté | I have cost |
| tu | tu as coûté | you have cost |
| il/elle | il/elle a coûté | he/she/it has cost |
| nous | nous avons coûté | we have cost |
| vous | vous avez coûté | you (pl.) have cost |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont coûté | they have cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais coûté | I had cost |
| tu | tu avais coûté | you had cost |
| il/elle | il/elle avait coûté | he/she/it had cost |
| nous | nous avions coûté | we had cost |
| vous | vous aviez coûté | you (pl.) had cost |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient coûté | they had cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais coûté |
| tu | tu aurais coûté |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait coûté |
| nous | nous aurions coûté |
| vous | vous auriez coûté |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient coûté |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai coûté | I will have cost |
| tu | tu auras coûté | you will have cost |
| il/elle | il/elle aura coûté | he/she/it will have cost |
| nous | nous aurons coûté | we will have cost |
| vous | vous aurez coûté | you (pl.) will have cost |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront coûté | they will have cost |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | coûte |
| tu | coûtes |
| il/elle | coûte |
| nous | coûtions |
| vous | coûtiez |
| ils/elles | coûtent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | coûtasse |
| tu | coûtasses |
| il/elle | coûtât |
| nous | coûtassions |
| vous | coûtassiez |
| ils/elles | coûtassent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | coûte |
| nous | coûtons |
| vous | coûtez |