dispenser — French conjugation

to dispense

Frequency#482Regular

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
jedispenseI dispense
tudispensesyou dispense
il/elledispensehe/she/it dispenses
nousdispensonswe dispense
vousdispensezyou (pl.) dispense
ils/ellesdispensentthey dispense

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
jedispensaiI dispensed
tudispensasyou dispensed
il/elledispensahe/she/it dispensed
nousdispensâmeswe dispensed
vousdispensâtesyou (pl.) dispensed
ils/ellesdispensèrentthey dispensed

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
jedispensais
tudispensais
il/elledispensait
nousdispensions
vousdispensiez
ils/ellesdispensaient

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
jedispenseraisI would dispense
tudispenseraisyou would dispense
il/elledispenseraithe/she/it would dispense
nousdispenserionswe would dispense
vousdispenseriezyou (pl.) would dispense
ils/ellesdispenseraientthey would dispense

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
jedispenseraiI will dispense
tudispenserasyou will dispense
il/elledispenserahe/she/it will dispense
nousdispenseronswe will dispense
vousdispenserezyou (pl.) will dispense
ils/ellesdispenserontthey will dispense

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 dispenséI have dispensed
tutu as dispenséyou have dispensed
il/elleil/elle a dispenséhe/she/it has dispensed
nousnous avons dispenséwe have dispensed
vousvous avez dispenséyou (pl.) have dispensed
ils/ellesils/elles ont dispenséthey have dispensed

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 dispenséI had dispensed
tutu avais dispenséyou had dispensed
il/elleil/elle avait dispenséhe/she/it had dispensed
nousnous avions dispenséwe had dispensed
vousvous aviez dispenséyou (pl.) had dispensed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient dispenséthey had dispensed

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

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 dispenséI will have dispensed
tutu auras dispenséyou will have dispensed
il/elleil/elle aura dispenséhe/she/it will have dispensed
nousnous aurons dispenséwe will have dispensed
vousvous aurez dispenséyou (pl.) will have dispensed
ils/ellesils/elles auront dispenséthey will have dispensed

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
jedispense
tudispenses
il/elledispense
nousdispensions
vousdispensiez
ils/ellesdispensent

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
jedispensasse
tudispensasses
il/elledispensât
nousdispensassions
vousdispensassiez
ils/ellesdispensassent

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
tudispense
nousdispensons
vousdispensez