cravater — French conjugation

to tie a tie

Frequency#1322Regular

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
jecravate
tucravates
il/ellecravate
nouscravatons
vouscravatez
ils/ellescravatent

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
jecravatai
tucravatas
il/ellecravata
nouscravatâmes
vouscravatâtes
ils/ellescravatèrent

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
jecravatais
tucravatais
il/ellecravatait
nouscravations
vouscravatiez
ils/ellescravataient

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
jecravaterais
tucravaterais
il/ellecravaterait
nouscravaterions
vouscravateriez
ils/ellescravateraient

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
jecravaterai
tucravateras
il/ellecravatera
nouscravaterons
vouscravaterez
ils/ellescravateront

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

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

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

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

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
jecravate
tucravates
il/ellecravate
nouscravations
vouscravatiez
ils/ellescravatent

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
jecravatasse
tucravatasses
il/ellecravatât
nouscravatassions
vouscravatassiez
ils/ellescravatassent

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
tucravate
nouscravatons
vouscravatez