estimer — French conjugation

to estimate, to calculate roughly

Frequency#319Regular

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
jeestimeI estimate
tuestimesyou estimate
il/elleestimehe/she/it estimates
nousestimonswe estimate
vousestimezyou (pl.) estimate
ils/ellesestimentthey estimate

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
jeestimaiI estimated
tuestimasyou estimated
il/elleestimahe/she/it estimated
nousestimâmeswe estimated
vousestimâtesyou (pl.) estimated
ils/ellesestimèrentthey estimated

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
jeestimais
tuestimais
il/elleestimait
nousestimions
vousestimiez
ils/ellesestimaient

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
jeestimeraisI would estimate
tuestimeraisyou would estimate
il/elleestimeraithe/she/it would estimate
nousestimerionswe would estimate
vousestimeriezyou (pl.) would estimate
ils/ellesestimeraientthey would estimate

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
jeestimeraiI will estimate
tuestimerasyou will estimate
il/elleestimerahe/she/it will estimate
nousestimeronswe will estimate
vousestimerezyou (pl.) will estimate
ils/ellesestimerontthey will estimate

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 estiméI have estimated
tutu as estiméyou have estimated
il/elleil/elle a estiméhe/she/it has estimated
nousnous avons estiméwe have estimated
vousvous avez estiméyou (pl.) have estimated
ils/ellesils/elles ont estiméthey have estimated

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 estiméI had estimated
tutu avais estiméyou had estimated
il/elleil/elle avait estiméhe/she/it had estimated
nousnous avions estiméwe had estimated
vousvous aviez estiméyou (pl.) had estimated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient estiméthey had estimated

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

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 estiméI will have estimated
tutu auras estiméyou will have estimated
il/elleil/elle aura estiméhe/she/it will have estimated
nousnous aurons estiméwe will have estimated
vousvous aurez estiméyou (pl.) will have estimated
ils/ellesils/elles auront estiméthey will have estimated

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
jeestime
tuestimes
il/elleestime
nousestimions
vousestimiez
ils/ellesestiment

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
jeestimasse
tuestimasses
il/elleestimât
nousestimassions
vousestimassiez
ils/ellesestimassent

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
tuestime
nousestimons
vousestimez