creuser — French conjugation

to dig.

Frequency#538Regular

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
jecreuse
tucreuses
il/ellecreuse
nouscreusons
vouscreusez
ils/ellescreusent

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
jecreusai
tucreusas
il/ellecreusa
nouscreusâmes
vouscreusâtes
ils/ellescreusèrent

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
jecreusais
tucreusais
il/ellecreusait
nouscreusions
vouscreusiez
ils/ellescreusaient

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
jecreuserais
tucreuserais
il/ellecreuserait
nouscreuserions
vouscreuseriez
ils/ellescreuseraient

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
jecreuserai
tucreuseras
il/ellecreusera
nouscreuserons
vouscreuserez
ils/ellescreuseront

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

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

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

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

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
jecreuse
tucreuses
il/ellecreuse
nouscreusions
vouscreusiez
ils/ellescreusent

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
jecreusasse
tucreusasses
il/ellecreusât
nouscreusassions
vouscreusassiez
ils/ellescreusassent

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
tucreuse
nouscreusons
vouscreusez