informer — French conjugation

to inform

Frequency#201Regular

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
jeinformeI inform
tuinformesyou inform
il/elleinformehe/she/it informs
nousinformonswe inform
vousinformezyou (pl.) inform
ils/ellesinformentthey inform

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
jeinformaiI informed
tuinformasyou informed
il/elleinformahe/she/it informed
nousinformâmeswe informed
vousinformâtesyou (pl.) informed
ils/ellesinformèrentthey informed

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
jeinformais
tuinformais
il/elleinformait
nousinformions
vousinformiez
ils/ellesinformaient

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
jeinformeraisI would inform
tuinformeraisyou would inform
il/elleinformeraithe/she/it would inform
nousinformerionswe would inform
vousinformeriezyou (pl.) would inform
ils/ellesinformeraientthey would inform

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
jeinformeraiI will inform
tuinformerasyou will inform
il/elleinformerahe/she/it will inform
nousinformeronswe will inform
vousinformerezyou (pl.) will inform
ils/ellesinformerontthey will inform

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 informéI have informed
tutu as informéyou have informed
il/elleil/elle a informéhe/she/it has informed
nousnous avons informéwe have informed
vousvous avez informéyou (pl.) have informed
ils/ellesils/elles ont informéthey have informed

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 informéI had informed
tutu avais informéyou had informed
il/elleil/elle avait informéhe/she/it had informed
nousnous avions informéwe had informed
vousvous aviez informéyou (pl.) had informed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient informéthey had informed

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

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 informéI will have informed
tutu auras informéyou will have informed
il/elleil/elle aura informéhe/she/it will have informed
nousnous aurons informéwe will have informed
vousvous aurez informéyou (pl.) will have informed
ils/ellesils/elles auront informéthey will have informed

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
jeinforme
tuinformes
il/elleinforme
nousinformions
vousinformiez
ils/ellesinforment

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
jeinformasse
tuinformasses
il/elleinformât
nousinformassions
vousinformassiez
ils/ellesinformassent

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
tuinforme
nousinformons
vousinformez