dégager — French conjugation

to release

Frequency#555Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

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
jedégageI release
tudégagesyou release
il/elledégagehe/she/it releases
nousdégageonswe release
vousdégagezyou (pl.) release
ils/ellesdégagentthey release

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

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
jedégageaiI released
tudégageasyou released
il/elledégageahe/she/it released
nousdégageâmeswe released
vousdégageâtesyou (pl.) released
ils/ellesdégagèrentthey released

Imperfect (Imparfait) Irregular

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
jedégageais
tudégageais
il/elledégageait
nousdégagions
vousdégagiez
ils/ellesdégageaient

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
jedégageraisI would release
tudégageraisyou would release
il/elledégageraithe/she/it would release
nousdégagerionswe would release
vousdégageriezyou (pl.) would release
ils/ellesdégageraientthey would release

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
jedégageraiI will release
tudégagerasyou will release
il/elledégagerahe/she/it will release
nousdégageronswe will release
vousdégagerezyou (pl.) will release
ils/ellesdégagerontthey will release

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 dégagéI have released
tutu as dégagéyou have released
il/elleil/elle a dégagéhe/she/it has released
nousnous avons dégagéwe have released
vousvous avez dégagéyou (pl.) have released
ils/ellesils/elles ont dégagéthey have released

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 dégagéI had released
tutu avais dégagéyou had released
il/elleil/elle avait dégagéhe/she/it had released
nousnous avions dégagéwe had released
vousvous aviez dégagéyou (pl.) had released
ils/ellesils/elles avaient dégagéthey had released

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

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 dégagéI will have released
tutu auras dégagéyou will have released
il/elleil/elle aura dégagéhe/she/it will have released
nousnous aurons dégagéwe will have released
vousvous aurez dégagéyou (pl.) will have released
ils/ellesils/elles auront dégagéthey will have released

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
jedégage
tudégages
il/elledégage
nousdégagions
vousdégagiez
ils/ellesdégagent

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
jedégageasse
tudégageasses
il/elledégageât
nousdégageassions
vousdégageassiez
ils/ellesdégageassent

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
tudégage
nousdégageons
vousdégagez