doubler — French conjugation

to double

Frequency#1084Regular

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
jedoubleI double
tudoublesyou double
il/elledoublehe/she/it doubles
nousdoublonswe double
vousdoublezyou (pl.) double
ils/ellesdoublentthey double

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
jedoublaiI doubled
tudoublasyou doubled
il/elledoublahe/she/it doubled
nousdoublâmeswe doubled
vousdoublâtesyou (pl.) doubled
ils/ellesdoublèrentthey doubled

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
jedoublais
tudoublais
il/elledoublait
nousdoublions
vousdoubliez
ils/ellesdoublaient

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
jedoubleraisI would double
tudoubleraisyou would double
il/elledoubleraithe/she/it would double
nousdoublerionswe would double
vousdoubleriezyou (pl.) would double
ils/ellesdoubleraientthey would double

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
jedoubleraiI will double
tudoublerasyou will double
il/elledoublerahe/she/it will double
nousdoubleronswe will double
vousdoublerezyou (pl.) will double
ils/ellesdoublerontthey will double

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 doubléI have doubled
tutu as doubléyou have doubled
il/elleil/elle a doubléhe/she/it has doubled
nousnous avons doubléwe have doubled
vousvous avez doubléyou (pl.) have doubled
ils/ellesils/elles ont doubléthey have doubled

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 doubléI had doubled
tutu avais doubléyou had doubled
il/elleil/elle avait doubléhe/she/it had doubled
nousnous avions doubléwe had doubled
vousvous aviez doubléyou (pl.) had doubled
ils/ellesils/elles avaient doubléthey had doubled

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

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 doubléI will have doubled
tutu auras doubléyou will have doubled
il/elleil/elle aura doubléhe/she/it will have doubled
nousnous aurons doubléwe will have doubled
vousvous aurez doubléyou (pl.) will have doubled
ils/ellesils/elles auront doubléthey will have doubled

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
jedouble
tudoubles
il/elledouble
nousdoublions
vousdoubliez
ils/ellesdoublent

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
jedoublasse
tudoublasses
il/elledoublât
nousdoublassions
vousdoublassiez
ils/ellesdoublassent

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
tudouble
nousdoublons
vousdoublez