damer — French conjugation

to shape

Frequency#774Regular

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
jedameI shape
tudamesyou shape
il/elledamehe/she/it shapes
nousdamonswe shape
vousdamezyou (pl.) shape
ils/ellesdamentthey shape

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
jedamaiI shaped
tudamasyou shaped
il/elledamahe/she/it shaped
nousdamâmeswe shaped
vousdamâtesyou (pl.) shaped
ils/ellesdamèrentthey shaped

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
jedamais
tudamais
il/elledamait
nousdamions
vousdamiez
ils/ellesdamaient

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
jedameraisI would shape
tudameraisyou would shape
il/elledameraithe/she/it would shape
nousdamerionswe would shape
vousdameriezyou (pl.) would shape
ils/ellesdameraientthey would shape

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
jedameraiI will shape
tudamerasyou will shape
il/elledamerahe/she/it will shape
nousdameronswe will shape
vousdamerezyou (pl.) will shape
ils/ellesdamerontthey will shape

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 daméI have shaped
tutu as daméyou have shaped
il/elleil/elle a daméhe/she/it has shaped
nousnous avons daméwe have shaped
vousvous avez daméyou (pl.) have shaped
ils/ellesils/elles ont daméthey have shaped

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 daméI had shaped
tutu avais daméyou had shaped
il/elleil/elle avait daméhe/she/it had shaped
nousnous avions daméwe had shaped
vousvous aviez daméyou (pl.) had shaped
ils/ellesils/elles avaient daméthey had shaped

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

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 daméI will have shaped
tutu auras daméyou will have shaped
il/elleil/elle aura daméhe/she/it will have shaped
nousnous aurons daméwe will have shaped
vousvous aurez daméyou (pl.) will have shaped
ils/ellesils/elles auront daméthey will have shaped

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
jedame
tudames
il/elledame
nousdamions
vousdamiez
ils/ellesdament

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
jedamasse
tudamasses
il/elledamât
nousdamassions
vousdamassiez
ils/ellesdamassent

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
tudame
nousdamons
vousdamez