identifier — French conjugation

to identify

Frequency#290Regular

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
jeidentifieI identify
tuidentifiesyou identify
il/elleidentifiehe/she/it identifies
nousidentifionswe identify
vousidentifiezyou (pl.) identify
ils/ellesidentifientthey identify

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
jeidentifiaiI identified
tuidentifiasyou identified
il/elleidentifiahe/she/it identified
nousidentifiâmeswe identified
vousidentifiâtesyou (pl.) identified
ils/ellesidentifièrentthey identified

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
jeidentifiais
tuidentifiais
il/elleidentifiait
nousidentifiions
vousidentifiiez
ils/ellesidentifiaient

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
jeidentifieraisI would identify
tuidentifieraisyou would identify
il/elleidentifieraithe/she/it would identify
nousidentifierionswe would identify
vousidentifieriezyou (pl.) would identify
ils/ellesidentifieraientthey would identify

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
jeidentifieraiI will identify
tuidentifierasyou will identify
il/elleidentifierahe/she/it will identify
nousidentifieronswe will identify
vousidentifierezyou (pl.) will identify
ils/ellesidentifierontthey will identify

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 identifiéI have identified
tutu as identifiéyou have identified
il/elleil/elle a identifiéhe/she/it has identified
nousnous avons identifiéwe have identified
vousvous avez identifiéyou (pl.) have identified
ils/ellesils/elles ont identifiéthey have identified

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 identifiéI had identified
tutu avais identifiéyou had identified
il/elleil/elle avait identifiéhe/she/it had identified
nousnous avions identifiéwe had identified
vousvous aviez identifiéyou (pl.) had identified
ils/ellesils/elles avaient identifiéthey had identified

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

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 identifiéI will have identified
tutu auras identifiéyou will have identified
il/elleil/elle aura identifiéhe/she/it will have identified
nousnous aurons identifiéwe will have identified
vousvous aurez identifiéyou (pl.) will have identified
ils/ellesils/elles auront identifiéthey will have identified

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
jeidentifie
tuidentifies
il/elleidentifie
nousidentifiions
vousidentifiiez
ils/ellesidentifient

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
jeidentifiasse
tuidentifiasses
il/elleidentifiât
nousidentifiassions
vousidentifiassiez
ils/ellesidentifiassent

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
tuidentifie
nousidentifions
vousidentifiez