enfanter — French conjugation

to give birth

Frequency#566Regular

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.

PronounFrench
jeenfante
tuenfantes
il/elleenfante
nousenfantons
vousenfantez
ils/ellesenfantent

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.

PronounFrench
jeenfantai
tuenfantas
il/elleenfanta
nousenfantâmes
vousenfantâtes
ils/ellesenfantèrent

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
jeenfantais
tuenfantais
il/elleenfantait
nousenfantions
vousenfantiez
ils/ellesenfantaient

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 ?

PronounFrench
jeenfanterais
tuenfanterais
il/elleenfanterait
nousenfanterions
vousenfanteriez
ils/ellesenfanteraient

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.

PronounFrench
jeenfanterai
tuenfanteras
il/elleenfantera
nousenfanterons
vousenfanterez
ils/ellesenfanteront

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.

PronounFrench
jej'ai enfanté
tutu as enfanté
il/elleil/elle a enfanté
nousnous avons enfanté
vousvous avez enfanté
ils/ellesils/elles ont enfanté

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.

PronounFrench
jej'avais enfanté
tutu avais enfanté
il/elleil/elle avait enfanté
nousnous avions enfanté
vousvous aviez enfanté
ils/ellesils/elles avaient enfanté

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

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.

PronounFrench
jej'aurai enfanté
tutu auras enfanté
il/elleil/elle aura enfanté
nousnous aurons enfanté
vousvous aurez enfanté
ils/ellesils/elles auront enfanté

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
jeenfante
tuenfantes
il/elleenfante
nousenfantions
vousenfantiez
ils/ellesenfantent

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
jeenfantasse
tuenfantasses
il/elleenfantât
nousenfantassions
vousenfantassiez
ils/ellesenfantassent

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
tuenfante
nousenfantons
vousenfantez