dresser — French conjugation
to set up
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | dresse | I set up |
| tu | dresses | you set up |
| il/elle | dresse | he/she/it sets up |
| nous | dressons | we set up |
| vous | dressez | you (pl.) set up |
| ils/elles | dressent | they set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | dressai | I set up |
| tu | dressas | you set up |
| il/elle | dressa | he/she/it set up |
| nous | dressâmes | we set up |
| vous | dressâtes | you (pl.) set up |
| ils/elles | dressèrent | they set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | dressais |
| tu | dressais |
| il/elle | dressait |
| nous | dressions |
| vous | dressiez |
| ils/elles | dressaient |
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | dresserais | I would set up |
| tu | dresserais | you would set up |
| il/elle | dresserait | he/she/it would set up |
| nous | dresserions | we would set up |
| vous | dresseriez | you (pl.) would set up |
| ils/elles | dresseraient | they would set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | dresserai | I will set up |
| tu | dresseras | you will set up |
| il/elle | dressera | he/she/it will set up |
| nous | dresserons | we will set up |
| vous | dresserez | you (pl.) will set up |
| ils/elles | dresseront | they will set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai dressé | I have set up |
| tu | tu as dressé | you have set up |
| il/elle | il/elle a dressé | he/she/it has set up |
| nous | nous avons dressé | we have set up |
| vous | vous avez dressé | you (pl.) have set up |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont dressé | they have set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais dressé | I had set up |
| tu | tu avais dressé | you had set up |
| il/elle | il/elle avait dressé | he/she/it had set up |
| nous | nous avions dressé | we had set up |
| vous | vous aviez dressé | you (pl.) had set up |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient dressé | they had set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais dressé |
| tu | tu aurais dressé |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait dressé |
| nous | nous aurions dressé |
| vous | vous auriez dressé |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient dressé |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai dressé | I will have set up |
| tu | tu auras dressé | you will have set up |
| il/elle | il/elle aura dressé | he/she/it will have set up |
| nous | nous aurons dressé | we will have set up |
| vous | vous aurez dressé | you (pl.) will have set up |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront dressé | they will have set up |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | dresse |
| tu | dresses |
| il/elle | dresse |
| nous | dressions |
| vous | dressiez |
| ils/elles | dressent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | dressasse |
| tu | dressasses |
| il/elle | dressât |
| nous | dressassions |
| vous | dressassiez |
| ils/elles | dressassent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | dresse |
| nous | dressons |
| vous | dressez |