dégrader — French conjugation

to degrade

Frequency#1347Regular

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
jedégradeI degrade
tudégradesyou degrade
il/elledégradehe/she/it degrades
nousdégradonswe degrade
vousdégradezyou (pl.) degrade
ils/ellesdégradentthey degrade

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
jedégradaiI degraded
tudégradasyou degraded
il/elledégradahe/she/it degraded
nousdégradâmeswe degraded
vousdégradâtesyou (pl.) degraded
ils/ellesdégradèrentthey degraded

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
jedégradais
tudégradais
il/elledégradait
nousdégradions
vousdégradiez
ils/ellesdégradaient

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
jedégraderaisI would degrade
tudégraderaisyou would degrade
il/elledégraderaithe/she/it would degrade
nousdégraderionswe would degrade
vousdégraderiezyou (pl.) would degrade
ils/ellesdégraderaientthey would degrade

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
jedégraderaiI will degrade
tudégraderasyou will degrade
il/elledégraderahe/she/it will degrade
nousdégraderonswe will degrade
vousdégraderezyou (pl.) will degrade
ils/ellesdégraderontthey will degrade

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 dégradéI have degraded
tutu as dégradéyou have degraded
il/elleil/elle a dégradéhe/she/it has degraded
nousnous avons dégradéwe have degraded
vousvous avez dégradéyou (pl.) have degraded
ils/ellesils/elles ont dégradéthey have degraded

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 dégradéI had degraded
tutu avais dégradéyou had degraded
il/elleil/elle avait dégradéhe/she/it had degraded
nousnous avions dégradéwe had degraded
vousvous aviez dégradéyou (pl.) had degraded
ils/ellesils/elles avaient dégradéthey had degraded

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

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 dégradéI will have degraded
tutu auras dégradéyou will have degraded
il/elleil/elle aura dégradéhe/she/it will have degraded
nousnous aurons dégradéwe will have degraded
vousvous aurez dégradéyou (pl.) will have degraded
ils/ellesils/elles auront dégradéthey will have degraded

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
jedégrade
tudégrades
il/elledégrade
nousdégradions
vousdégradiez
ils/ellesdégradent

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
jedégradasse
tudégradasses
il/elledégradât
nousdégradassions
vousdégradassiez
ils/ellesdégradassent

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
tudégrade
nousdégradons
vousdégradez