déclarer — French conjugation

to declare

Frequency#107Regular

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
jedéclareI declare
tudéclaresyou declare
il/elledéclarehe/she/it declares
nousdéclaronswe declare
vousdéclarezyou (pl.) declare
ils/ellesdéclarentthey declare

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
jedéclaraiI declared
tudéclarasyou declared
il/elledéclarahe/she/it declared
nousdéclarâmeswe declared
vousdéclarâtesyou (pl.) declared
ils/ellesdéclarèrentthey declared

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
jedéclarais
tudéclarais
il/elledéclarait
nousdéclarions
vousdéclariez
ils/ellesdéclaraient

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
jedéclareraisI would declare
tudéclareraisyou would declare
il/elledéclareraithe/she/it would declare
nousdéclarerionswe would declare
vousdéclareriezyou (pl.) would declare
ils/ellesdéclareraientthey would declare

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
jedéclareraiI will declare
tudéclarerasyou will declare
il/elledéclarerahe/she/it will declare
nousdéclareronswe will declare
vousdéclarerezyou (pl.) will declare
ils/ellesdéclarerontthey will declare

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 déclaréI have declared
tutu as déclaréyou have declared
il/elleil/elle a déclaréhe/she/it has declared
nousnous avons déclaréwe have declared
vousvous avez déclaréyou (pl.) have declared
ils/ellesils/elles ont déclaréthey have declared

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 déclaréI had declared
tutu avais déclaréyou had declared
il/elleil/elle avait déclaréhe/she/it had declared
nousnous avions déclaréwe had declared
vousvous aviez déclaréyou (pl.) had declared
ils/ellesils/elles avaient déclaréthey had declared

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

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 déclaréI will have declared
tutu auras déclaréyou will have declared
il/elleil/elle aura déclaréhe/she/it will have declared
nousnous aurons déclaréwe will have declared
vousvous aurez déclaréyou (pl.) will have declared
ils/ellesils/elles auront déclaréthey will have declared

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
jedéclare
tudéclares
il/elledéclare
nousdéclarions
vousdéclariez
ils/ellesdéclarent

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
jedéclarasse
tudéclarasses
il/elledéclarât
nousdéclarassions
vousdéclarassiez
ils/ellesdéclarassent

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
tudéclare
nousdéclarons
vousdéclarez