expliciter — French conjugation

to explicate

Frequency#446Regular

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
jeexpliciteI explicate
tuexplicitesyou explicate
il/elleexplicitehe/she/it explicates
nousexplicitonswe explicate
vousexplicitezyou (pl.) explicate
ils/ellesexplicitentthey explicate

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
jeexplicitaiI explicated
tuexplicitasyou explicated
il/elleexplicitahe/she/it explicated
nousexplicitâmeswe explicated
vousexplicitâtesyou (pl.) explicated
ils/ellesexplicitèrentthey explicated

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
jeexplicitais
tuexplicitais
il/elleexplicitait
nousexplicitions
vousexplicitiez
ils/ellesexplicitaient

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
jeexpliciteraisI would explicate
tuexpliciteraisyou would explicate
il/elleexpliciteraithe/she/it would explicate
nousexpliciterionswe would explicate
vousexpliciteriezyou (pl.) would explicate
ils/ellesexpliciteraientthey would explicate

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
jeexpliciteraiI will explicate
tuexpliciterasyou will explicate
il/elleexpliciterahe/she/it will explicate
nousexpliciteronswe will explicate
vousexpliciterezyou (pl.) will explicate
ils/ellesexpliciterontthey will explicate

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 explicitéI have explicated
tutu as explicitéyou have explicated
il/elleil/elle a explicitéhe/she/it has explicated
nousnous avons explicitéwe have explicated
vousvous avez explicitéyou (pl.) have explicated
ils/ellesils/elles ont explicitéthey have explicated

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 explicitéI had explicated
tutu avais explicitéyou had explicated
il/elleil/elle avait explicitéhe/she/it had explicated
nousnous avions explicitéwe had explicated
vousvous aviez explicitéyou (pl.) had explicated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient explicitéthey had explicated

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

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 explicitéI will have explicated
tutu auras explicitéyou will have explicated
il/elleil/elle aura explicitéhe/she/it will have explicated
nousnous aurons explicitéwe will have explicated
vousvous aurez explicitéyou (pl.) will have explicated
ils/ellesils/elles auront explicitéthey will have explicated

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
jeexplicite
tuexplicites
il/elleexplicite
nousexplicitions
vousexplicitiez
ils/ellesexplicitent

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
jeexplicitasse
tuexplicitasses
il/elleexplicitât
nousexplicitassions
vousexplicitassiez
ils/ellesexplicitassent

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
tuexplicite
nousexplicitons
vousexplicitez