éloigner — French conjugation

to distance

Frequency#251RegularReflexives'éloigner — to distance oneself

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
jeéloigneI distance
tuéloignesyou distance
il/elleéloignehe/she/it distances
nouséloignonswe distance
vouséloignezyou (pl.) distance
ils/elleséloignentthey distance

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
jeéloignaiI distanced
tuéloignasyou distanced
il/elleéloignahe/she/it distanced
nouséloignâmeswe distanced
vouséloignâtesyou (pl.) distanced
ils/elleséloignèrentthey distanced

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
jeéloignais
tuéloignais
il/elleéloignait
nouséloignions
vouséloigniez
ils/elleséloignaient

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
jeéloigneraisI would distance
tuéloigneraisyou would distance
il/elleéloigneraithe/she/it would distance
nouséloignerionswe would distance
vouséloigneriezyou (pl.) would distance
ils/elleséloigneraientthey would distance

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
jeéloigneraiI will distance
tuéloignerasyou will distance
il/elleéloignerahe/she/it will distance
nouséloigneronswe will distance
vouséloignerezyou (pl.) will distance
ils/elleséloignerontthey will distance

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 éloignéI have distanced
tutu as éloignéyou have distanced
il/elleil/elle a éloignéhe/she/it has distanced
nousnous avons éloignéwe have distanced
vousvous avez éloignéyou (pl.) have distanced
ils/ellesils/elles ont éloignéthey have distanced

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 éloignéI had distanced
tutu avais éloignéyou had distanced
il/elleil/elle avait éloignéhe/she/it had distanced
nousnous avions éloignéwe had distanced
vousvous aviez éloignéyou (pl.) had distanced
ils/ellesils/elles avaient éloignéthey had distanced

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

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 éloignéI will have distanced
tutu auras éloignéyou will have distanced
il/elleil/elle aura éloignéhe/she/it will have distanced
nousnous aurons éloignéwe will have distanced
vousvous aurez éloignéyou (pl.) will have distanced
ils/ellesils/elles auront éloignéthey will have distanced

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
jeéloigne
tuéloignes
il/elleéloigne
nouséloignions
vouséloigniez
ils/elleséloignent

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
jeéloignasse
tuéloignasses
il/elleéloignât
nouséloignassions
vouséloignassiez
ils/elleséloignassent

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
tuéloigne
nouséloignons
vouséloignez