désoler — French conjugation

to distress

Frequency#50Regular

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
jedésoleI distress
tudésolesyou distress
il/elledésolehe/she/it distresses
nousdésolonswe distress
vousdésolezyou (pl.) distress
ils/ellesdésolentthey distress

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
jedésolaiI distressed
tudésolasyou distressed
il/elledésolahe/she/it distressed
nousdésolâmeswe distressed
vousdésolâtesyou (pl.) distressed
ils/ellesdésolèrentthey distressed

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
jedésolais
tudésolais
il/elledésolait
nousdésolions
vousdésoliez
ils/ellesdésolaient

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
jedésoleraisI would distress
tudésoleraisyou would distress
il/elledésoleraithe/she/it would distress
nousdésolerionswe would distress
vousdésoleriezyou (pl.) would distress
ils/ellesdésoleraientthey would distress

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
jedésoleraiI will distress
tudésolerasyou will distress
il/elledésolerahe/she/it will distress
nousdésoleronswe will distress
vousdésolerezyou (pl.) will distress
ils/ellesdésolerontthey will distress

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 désoléI have distressed
tutu as désoléyou have distressed
il/elleil/elle a désoléhe/she/it has distressed
nousnous avons désoléwe have distressed
vousvous avez désoléyou (pl.) have distressed
ils/ellesils/elles ont désoléthey have distressed

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 désoléI had distressed
tutu avais désoléyou had distressed
il/elleil/elle avait désoléhe/she/it had distressed
nousnous avions désoléwe had distressed
vousvous aviez désoléyou (pl.) had distressed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient désoléthey had distressed

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

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 désoléI will have distressed
tutu auras désoléyou will have distressed
il/elleil/elle aura désoléhe/she/it will have distressed
nousnous aurons désoléwe will have distressed
vousvous aurez désoléyou (pl.) will have distressed
ils/ellesils/elles auront désoléthey will have distressed

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
jedésole
tudésoles
il/elledésole
nousdésolions
vousdésoliez
ils/ellesdésolent

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
jedésolasse
tudésolasses
il/elledésolât
nousdésolassions
vousdésolassiez
ils/ellesdésolassent

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
tudésole
nousdésolons
vousdésolez