déplaire — French conjugation

to displease

Frequency#1011Irregular

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
jedéplaisI displease
tudéplaisyou displease
il/elledéplaîthe/she/it displeases
nousdéplaisonswe displease
vousdéplaisezyou (pl.) displease
ils/ellesdéplaisentthey displease

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
jedéplusI displeased
tudéplusyou displeased
il/elledépluthe/she/it displeased
nousdéplûmeswe displeased
vousdéplûtesyou (pl.) displeased
ils/ellesdéplurentthey displeased

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
jedéplaisais
tudéplaisais
il/elledéplaisait
nousdéplaisions
vousdéplaisiez
ils/ellesdéplaisaient

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
jedéplairaisI would displease
tudéplairaisyou would displease
il/elledéplairaithe/she/it would displease
nousdéplairionswe would displease
vousdéplairiezyou (pl.) would displease
ils/ellesdéplairaientthey would displease

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
jedéplairaiI will displease
tudéplairasyou will displease
il/elledéplairahe/she/it will displease
nousdéplaironswe will displease
vousdéplairezyou (pl.) will displease
ils/ellesdéplairontthey will displease

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 dépluI have displeased
tutu as dépluyou have displeased
il/elleil/elle a dépluhe/she/it has displeased
nousnous avons dépluwe have displeased
vousvous avez dépluyou (pl.) have displeased
ils/ellesils/elles ont dépluthey have displeased

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 dépluI had displeased
tutu avais dépluyou had displeased
il/elleil/elle avait dépluhe/she/it had displeased
nousnous avions dépluwe had displeased
vousvous aviez dépluyou (pl.) had displeased
ils/ellesils/elles avaient dépluthey had displeased

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

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 dépluI will have displeased
tutu auras dépluyou will have displeased
il/elleil/elle aura dépluhe/she/it will have displeased
nousnous aurons dépluwe will have displeased
vousvous aurez dépluyou (pl.) will have displeased
ils/ellesils/elles auront dépluthey will have displeased

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

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
jedéplaise
tudéplaises
il/elledéplaise
nousdéplaisions
vousdéplaisiez
ils/ellesdéplaisent

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
jedéplusse
tudéplusses
il/elledéplût
nousdéplussions
vousdéplussiez
ils/ellesdéplussent

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
tudéplais
nousdéplaisons
vousdéplaisez