déchirer — French conjugation

to tear

Frequency#580Regular

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
jedéchireI tear
tudéchiresyou tear
il/elledéchirehe/she/it tears
nousdéchironswe tear
vousdéchirezyou (pl.) tear
ils/ellesdéchirentthey tear

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
jedéchiraiI tore
tudéchirasyou tore
il/elledéchirahe/she/it tore
nousdéchirâmeswe tore
vousdéchirâtesyou (pl.) tore
ils/ellesdéchirèrentthey tore

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
jedéchirais
tudéchirais
il/elledéchirait
nousdéchirions
vousdéchiriez
ils/ellesdéchiraient

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
jedéchireraisI would tear
tudéchireraisyou would tear
il/elledéchireraithe/she/it would tear
nousdéchirerionswe would tear
vousdéchireriezyou (pl.) would tear
ils/ellesdéchireraientthey would tear

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
jedéchireraiI will tear
tudéchirerasyou will tear
il/elledéchirerahe/she/it will tear
nousdéchireronswe will tear
vousdéchirerezyou (pl.) will tear
ils/ellesdéchirerontthey will tear

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 déchiréI have torn
tutu as déchiréyou have torn
il/elleil/elle a déchiréhe/she/it has torn
nousnous avons déchiréwe have torn
vousvous avez déchiréyou (pl.) have torn
ils/ellesils/elles ont déchiréthey have torn

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 déchiréI had torn
tutu avais déchiréyou had torn
il/elleil/elle avait déchiréhe/she/it had torn
nousnous avions déchiréwe had torn
vousvous aviez déchiréyou (pl.) had torn
ils/ellesils/elles avaient déchiréthey had torn

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

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 déchiréI will have torn
tutu auras déchiréyou will have torn
il/elleil/elle aura déchiréhe/she/it will have torn
nousnous aurons déchiréwe will have torn
vousvous aurez déchiréyou (pl.) will have torn
ils/ellesils/elles auront déchiréthey will have torn

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
jedéchire
tudéchires
il/elledéchire
nousdéchirions
vousdéchiriez
ils/ellesdéchirent

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
jedéchirasse
tudéchirasses
il/elledéchirât
nousdéchirassions
vousdéchirassiez
ils/ellesdéchirassent

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
tudéchire
nousdéchirons
vousdéchirez