élaborer — French conjugation

to elaborate

Frequency#425Regular

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
jeélaboreI elaborate
tuélaboresyou elaborate
il/elleélaborehe/she/it elaborates
nousélaboronswe elaborate
vousélaborezyou (pl.) elaborate
ils/ellesélaborentthey elaborate

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
jeélaboraiI elaborated
tuélaborasyou elaborated
il/elleélaborahe/she/it elaborated
nousélaborâmeswe elaborated
vousélaborâtesyou (pl.) elaborated
ils/ellesélaborèrentthey elaborated

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
jeélaborais
tuélaborais
il/elleélaborait
nousélaborions
vousélaboriez
ils/ellesélaboraient

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
jeélaboreraisI would elaborate
tuélaboreraisyou would elaborate
il/elleélaboreraithe/she/it would elaborate
nousélaborerionswe would elaborate
vousélaboreriezyou (pl.) would elaborate
ils/ellesélaboreraientthey would elaborate

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
jeélaboreraiI will elaborate
tuélaborerasyou will elaborate
il/elleélaborerahe/she/it will elaborate
nousélaboreronswe will elaborate
vousélaborerezyou (pl.) will elaborate
ils/ellesélaborerontthey will elaborate

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 élaboréI have elaborated
tutu as élaboréyou have elaborated
il/elleil/elle a élaboréhe/she/it has elaborated
nousnous avons élaboréwe have elaborated
vousvous avez élaboréyou (pl.) have elaborated
ils/ellesils/elles ont élaboréthey have elaborated

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 élaboréI had elaborated
tutu avais élaboréyou had elaborated
il/elleil/elle avait élaboréhe/she/it had elaborated
nousnous avions élaboréwe had elaborated
vousvous aviez élaboréyou (pl.) had elaborated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient élaboréthey had elaborated

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

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 élaboréI will have elaborated
tutu auras élaboréyou will have elaborated
il/elleil/elle aura élaboréhe/she/it will have elaborated
nousnous aurons élaboréwe will have elaborated
vousvous aurez élaboréyou (pl.) will have elaborated
ils/ellesils/elles auront élaboréthey will have elaborated

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
jeélabore
tuélabores
il/elleélabore
nousélaborions
vousélaboriez
ils/ellesélaborent

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
jeélaborasse
tuélaborasses
il/elleélaborât
nousélaborassions
vousélaborassiez
ils/ellesélaborassent

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
tuélabore
nousélaborons
vousélaborez