flâner — French conjugation

to stroll

Frequency#189Regular

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
jeflâneI stroll
tuflânesyou stroll
il/elleflânehe/she/it strolls
nousflânonswe stroll
vousflânezyou (pl.) stroll
ils/ellesflânentthey stroll

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
jeflânaiI strolled
tuflânasyou strolled
il/elleflânahe/she/it strolled
nousflânâmeswe strolled
vousflânâtesyou (pl.) strolled
ils/ellesflânèrentthey strolled

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
jeflânais
tuflânais
il/elleflânait
nousflânions
vousflâniez
ils/ellesflânaient

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
jeflâneraisI would stroll
tuflâneraisyou would stroll
il/elleflâneraithe/she/it would stroll
nousflânerionswe would stroll
vousflâneriezyou (pl.) would stroll
ils/ellesflâneraientthey would stroll

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
jeflâneraiI will stroll
tuflânerasyou will stroll
il/elleflânerahe/she/it will stroll
nousflâneronswe will stroll
vousflânerezyou (pl.) will stroll
ils/ellesflânerontthey will stroll

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 flânéI have strolled
tutu as flânéyou have strolled
il/elleil/elle a flânéhe/she/it has strolled
nousnous avons flânéwe have strolled
vousvous avez flânéyou (pl.) have strolled
ils/ellesils/elles ont flânéthey have strolled

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 flânéI had strolled
tutu avais flânéyou had strolled
il/elleil/elle avait flânéhe/she/it had strolled
nousnous avions flânéwe had strolled
vousvous aviez flânéyou (pl.) had strolled
ils/ellesils/elles avaient flânéthey had strolled

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

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 flânéI will have strolled
tutu auras flânéyou will have strolled
il/elleil/elle aura flânéhe/she/it will have strolled
nousnous aurons flânéwe will have strolled
vousvous aurez flânéyou (pl.) will have strolled
ils/ellesils/elles auront flânéthey will have strolled

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
jeflâne
tuflânes
il/elleflâne
nousflânions
vousflâniez
ils/ellesflânent

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
jeflânasse
tuflânasses
il/elleflânât
nousflânassions
vousflânassiez
ils/ellesflânassent

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
tuflâne
nousflânons
vousflânez