languir — French conjugation

to languish

Frequency#1124Regular

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
jelanguisI languish
tulanguisyou languish
il/ellelanguithe/she/it languishes
nouslanguissonswe languish
vouslanguissezyou (pl.) languish
ils/elleslanguissentthey languish

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
jelanguisI languished
tulanguisyou languished
il/ellelanguithe/she/it languished
nouslanguîmeswe languished
vouslanguîtesyou (pl.) languished
ils/elleslanguirentthey languished

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
jelanguissais
tulanguissais
il/ellelanguissait
nouslanguissions
vouslanguissiez
ils/elleslanguissaient

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
jelanguiraisI would languish
tulanguiraisyou would languish
il/ellelanguiraithe/she/it would languish
nouslanguirionswe would languish
vouslanguiriezyou (pl.) would languish
ils/elleslanguiraientthey would languish

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
jelanguiraiI will languish
tulanguirasyou will languish
il/ellelanguirahe/she/it will languish
nouslanguironswe will languish
vouslanguirezyou (pl.) will languish
ils/elleslanguirontthey will languish

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 languiI have languished
tutu as languiyou have languished
il/elleil/elle a languihe/she/it has languished
nousnous avons languiwe have languished
vousvous avez languiyou (pl.) have languished
ils/ellesils/elles ont languithey have languished

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 languiI had languished
tutu avais languiyou had languished
il/elleil/elle avait languihe/she/it had languished
nousnous avions languiwe had languished
vousvous aviez languiyou (pl.) had languished
ils/ellesils/elles avaient languithey had languished

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

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 languiI will have languished
tutu auras languiyou will have languished
il/elleil/elle aura languihe/she/it will have languished
nousnous aurons languiwe will have languished
vousvous aurez languiyou (pl.) will have languished
ils/ellesils/elles auront languithey will have languished

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
jelanguisse
tulanguisses
il/ellelanguisse
nouslanguissions
vouslanguissiez
ils/elleslanguissent

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
jelanguisse
tulanguisses
il/ellelanguît
nouslanguissions
vouslanguissiez
ils/elleslanguissent

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
tulanguis
nouslanguissons
vouslanguissez