cribler — French conjugation

to perforate

Frequency#124Regular

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
jecribleI perforate
tucriblesyou perforate
il/ellecriblehe/she/it perforates
nouscriblonswe perforate
vouscriblezyou (pl.) perforate
ils/ellescriblentthey perforate

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
jecriblaiI perforated
tucriblasyou perforated
il/ellecriblahe/she/it perforated
nouscriblâmeswe perforated
vouscriblâtesyou (pl.) perforated
ils/ellescriblèrentthey perforated

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
jecriblais
tucriblais
il/ellecriblait
nouscriblions
vouscribliez
ils/ellescriblaient

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
jecribleraisI would perforate
tucribleraisyou would perforate
il/ellecribleraithe/she/it would perforate
nouscriblerionswe would perforate
vouscribleriezyou (pl.) would perforate
ils/ellescribleraientthey would perforate

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
jecribleraiI will perforate
tucriblerasyou will perforate
il/ellecriblerahe/she/it will perforate
nouscribleronswe will perforate
vouscriblerezyou (pl.) will perforate
ils/ellescriblerontthey will perforate

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 cribléI have perforated
tutu as cribléyou have perforated
il/elleil/elle a cribléhe/she/it has perforated
nousnous avons cribléwe have perforated
vousvous avez cribléyou (pl.) have perforated
ils/ellesils/elles ont cribléthey have perforated

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 cribléI had perforated
tutu avais cribléyou had perforated
il/elleil/elle avait cribléhe/she/it had perforated
nousnous avions cribléwe had perforated
vousvous aviez cribléyou (pl.) had perforated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient cribléthey had perforated

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

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 cribléI will have perforated
tutu auras cribléyou will have perforated
il/elleil/elle aura cribléhe/she/it will have perforated
nousnous aurons cribléwe will have perforated
vousvous aurez cribléyou (pl.) will have perforated
ils/ellesils/elles auront cribléthey will have perforated

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
jecrible
tucribles
il/ellecrible
nouscriblions
vouscribliez
ils/ellescriblent

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
jecriblasse
tucriblasses
il/ellecriblât
nouscriblassions
vouscriblassiez
ils/ellescriblassent

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
tucrible
nouscriblons
vouscriblez