emplir — French conjugation

to fill

Frequency#1369Regular

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
jeemplisI fill
tuemplisyou fill
il/elleemplithe/she/it fills
nousemplissonswe fill
vousemplissezyou (pl.) fill
ils/ellesemplissentthey fill

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
jeemplisI filled
tuemplisyou filled
il/elleemplithe/she/it filled
nousemplîmeswe filled
vousemplîtesyou (pl.) filled
ils/ellesemplirentthey filled

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
jeemplissais
tuemplissais
il/elleemplissait
nousemplissions
vousemplissiez
ils/ellesemplissaient

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
jeempliraisI would fill
tuempliraisyou would fill
il/elleempliraithe/she/it would fill
nousemplirionswe would fill
vousempliriezyou (pl.) would fill
ils/ellesempliraientthey would fill

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
jeempliraiI will fill
tuemplirasyou will fill
il/elleemplirahe/she/it will fill
nousemplironswe will fill
vousemplirezyou (pl.) will fill
ils/ellesemplirontthey will fill

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 empliI have filled
tutu as empliyou have filled
il/elleil/elle a emplihe/she/it has filled
nousnous avons empliwe have filled
vousvous avez empliyou (pl.) have filled
ils/ellesils/elles ont emplithey have filled

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 empliI had filled
tutu avais empliyou had filled
il/elleil/elle avait emplihe/she/it had filled
nousnous avions empliwe had filled
vousvous aviez empliyou (pl.) had filled
ils/ellesils/elles avaient emplithey had filled

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

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 empliI will have filled
tutu auras empliyou will have filled
il/elleil/elle aura emplihe/she/it will have filled
nousnous aurons empliwe will have filled
vousvous aurez empliyou (pl.) will have filled
ils/ellesils/elles auront emplithey will have filled

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
jeemplisse
tuemplisses
il/elleemplisse
nousemplissions
vousemplissiez
ils/ellesemplissent

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
jeemplisse
tuemplisses
il/elleemplît
nousemplissions
vousemplissiez
ils/ellesemplissent

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
tuemplis
nousemplissons
vousemplissez