élucider — French conjugation

to elucidate

Frequency#71Regular

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
jeélucideI elucidate
tuélucidesyou elucidate
il/elleélucidehe/she/it elucidates
nousélucidonswe elucidate
vousélucidezyou (pl.) elucidate
ils/ellesélucidentthey elucidate

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
jeélucidaiI elucidated
tuélucidasyou elucidated
il/elleélucidahe/she/it elucidated
nousélucidâmeswe elucidated
vousélucidâtesyou (pl.) elucidated
ils/ellesélucidèrentthey elucidated

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
jeélucidais
tuélucidais
il/elleélucidait
nousélucidions
vousélucidiez
ils/ellesélucidaient

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
jeélucideraisI would elucidate
tuélucideraisyou would elucidate
il/elleélucideraithe/she/it would elucidate
nouséluciderionswe would elucidate
vousélucideriezyou (pl.) would elucidate
ils/ellesélucideraientthey would elucidate

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
jeélucideraiI will elucidate
tuéluciderasyou will elucidate
il/elleéluciderahe/she/it will elucidate
nousélucideronswe will elucidate
vouséluciderezyou (pl.) will elucidate
ils/elleséluciderontthey will elucidate

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 élucidéI have elucidated
tutu as élucidéyou have elucidated
il/elleil/elle a élucidéhe/she/it has elucidated
nousnous avons élucidéwe have elucidated
vousvous avez élucidéyou (pl.) have elucidated
ils/ellesils/elles ont élucidéthey have elucidated

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 élucidéI had elucidated
tutu avais élucidéyou had elucidated
il/elleil/elle avait élucidéhe/she/it had elucidated
nousnous avions élucidéwe had elucidated
vousvous aviez élucidéyou (pl.) had elucidated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient élucidéthey had elucidated

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

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 élucidéI will have elucidated
tutu auras élucidéyou will have elucidated
il/elleil/elle aura élucidéhe/she/it will have elucidated
nousnous aurons élucidéwe will have elucidated
vousvous aurez élucidéyou (pl.) will have elucidated
ils/ellesils/elles auront élucidéthey will have elucidated

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
jeélucide
tuélucides
il/elleélucide
nousélucidions
vousélucidiez
ils/ellesélucident

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
jeélucidasse
tuélucidasses
il/elleélucidât
nousélucidassions
vousélucidassiez
ils/ellesélucidassent

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
tuélucide
nousélucidons
vousélucidez