embellir — French conjugation

to embellish

Frequency#78Regular

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
jeembellisI embellish
tuembellisyou embellish
il/elleembellithe/she/it embellishes
nousembellissonswe embellish
vousembellissezyou (pl.) embellish
ils/ellesembellissentthey embellish

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
jeembellisI embellished
tuembellisyou embellished
il/elleembellithe/she/it embellished
nousembellîmeswe embellished
vousembellîtesyou (pl.) embellished
ils/ellesembellirentthey embellished

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
jeembellissais
tuembellissais
il/elleembellissait
nousembellissions
vousembellissiez
ils/ellesembellissaient

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
jeembelliraisI would embellish
tuembelliraisyou would embellish
il/elleembelliraithe/she/it would embellish
nousembellirionswe would embellish
vousembelliriezyou (pl.) would embellish
ils/ellesembelliraientthey would embellish

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
jeembelliraiI will embellish
tuembellirasyou will embellish
il/elleembellirahe/she/it will embellish
nousembellironswe will embellish
vousembellirezyou (pl.) will embellish
ils/ellesembellirontthey will embellish

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 embelliI have embellished
tutu as embelliyou have embellished
il/elleil/elle a embellihe/she/it has embellished
nousnous avons embelliwe have embellished
vousvous avez embelliyou (pl.) have embellished
ils/ellesils/elles ont embellithey have embellished

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 embelliI had embellished
tutu avais embelliyou had embellished
il/elleil/elle avait embellihe/she/it had embellished
nousnous avions embelliwe had embellished
vousvous aviez embelliyou (pl.) had embellished
ils/ellesils/elles avaient embellithey had embellished

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

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 embelliI will have embellished
tutu auras embelliyou will have embellished
il/elleil/elle aura embellihe/she/it will have embellished
nousnous aurons embelliwe will have embellished
vousvous aurez embelliyou (pl.) will have embellished
ils/ellesils/elles auront embellithey will have embellished

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
jeembellisse
tuembellisses
il/elleembellisse
nousembellissions
vousembellissiez
ils/ellesembellissent

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
jeembellisse
tuembellisses
il/elleembellît
nousembellissions
vousembellissiez
ils/ellesembellissent

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
tuembellis
nousembellissons
vousembellissez