frôler — French conjugation

to graze, to brush against

Frequency#1089RegularReflexivese frôler — to brush against each other

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
jefrôleI graze
tufrôlesyou graze
il/ellefrôlehe/she/it grazes
nousfrôlonswe graze
vousfrôlezyou (pl.) graze
ils/ellesfrôlentthey graze

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
jefrôlaiI grazed
tufrôlasyou grazed
il/ellefrôlahe/she/it grazed
nousfrôlâmeswe grazed
vousfrôlâtesyou (pl.) grazed
ils/ellesfrôlèrentthey grazed

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
jefrôlais
tufrôlais
il/ellefrôlait
nousfrôlions
vousfrôliez
ils/ellesfrôlaient

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
jefrôleraisI would graze
tufrôleraisyou would graze
il/ellefrôleraithe/she/it would graze
nousfrôlerionswe would graze
vousfrôleriezyou (pl.) would graze
ils/ellesfrôleraientthey would graze

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
jefrôleraiI will graze
tufrôlerasyou will graze
il/ellefrôlerahe/she/it will graze
nousfrôleronswe will graze
vousfrôlerezyou (pl.) will graze
ils/ellesfrôlerontthey will graze

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 frôléI have grazed
tutu as frôléyou have grazed
il/elleil/elle a frôléhe/she/it has grazed
nousnous avons frôléwe have grazed
vousvous avez frôléyou (pl.) have grazed
ils/ellesils/elles ont frôléthey have grazed

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 frôléI had grazed
tutu avais frôléyou had grazed
il/elleil/elle avait frôléhe/she/it had grazed
nousnous avions frôléwe had grazed
vousvous aviez frôléyou (pl.) had grazed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient frôléthey had grazed

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

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 frôléI will have grazed
tutu auras frôléyou will have grazed
il/elleil/elle aura frôléhe/she/it will have grazed
nousnous aurons frôléwe will have grazed
vousvous aurez frôléyou (pl.) will have grazed
ils/ellesils/elles auront frôléthey will have grazed

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
jefrôle
tufrôles
il/ellefrôle
nousfrôlions
vousfrôliez
ils/ellesfrôlent

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
jefrôlasse
tufrôlasses
il/ellefrôlât
nousfrôlassions
vousfrôlassiez
ils/ellesfrôlassent

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
tufrôle
nousfrôlons
vousfrôlez