diplômer — French conjugation

to graduate

Frequency#522Regular

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
jediplômeI graduate
tudiplômesyou graduate
il/ellediplômehe/she/it graduates
nousdiplômonswe graduate
vousdiplômezyou (pl.) graduate
ils/ellesdiplômentthey graduate

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
jediplômaiI graduated
tudiplômasyou graduated
il/ellediplômahe/she/it graduated
nousdiplômâmeswe graduated
vousdiplômâtesyou (pl.) graduated
ils/ellesdiplômèrentthey graduated

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
jediplômais
tudiplômais
il/ellediplômait
nousdiplômions
vousdiplômiez
ils/ellesdiplômaient

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
jediplômeraisI would graduate
tudiplômeraisyou would graduate
il/ellediplômeraithe/she/it would graduate
nousdiplômerionswe would graduate
vousdiplômeriezyou (pl.) would graduate
ils/ellesdiplômeraientthey would graduate

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
jediplômeraiI will graduate
tudiplômerasyou will graduate
il/ellediplômerahe/she/it will graduate
nousdiplômeronswe will graduate
vousdiplômerezyou (pl.) will graduate
ils/ellesdiplômerontthey will graduate

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 diplôméI have graduated
tutu as diplôméyou have graduated
il/elleil/elle a diplôméhe/she/it has graduated
nousnous avons diplôméwe have graduated
vousvous avez diplôméyou (pl.) have graduated
ils/ellesils/elles ont diplôméthey have graduated

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 diplôméI had graduated
tutu avais diplôméyou had graduated
il/elleil/elle avait diplôméhe/she/it had graduated
nousnous avions diplôméwe had graduated
vousvous aviez diplôméyou (pl.) had graduated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient diplôméthey had graduated

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

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 diplôméI will have graduated
tutu auras diplôméyou will have graduated
il/elleil/elle aura diplôméhe/she/it will have graduated
nousnous aurons diplôméwe will have graduated
vousvous aurez diplôméyou (pl.) will have graduated
ils/ellesils/elles auront diplôméthey will have graduated

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
jediplôme
tudiplômes
il/ellediplôme
nousdiplômions
vousdiplômiez
ils/ellesdiplôment

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
jediplômasse
tudiplômasses
il/ellediplômât
nousdiplômassions
vousdiplômassiez
ils/ellesdiplômassent

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
tudiplôme
nousdiplômons
vousdiplômez