légitimer — French conjugation

to legitimise

Frequency#1235Regular

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
jelégitimeI legitimize
tulégitimesyou legitimize
il/ellelégitimehe/she/it legitimizes
nouslégitimonswe legitimize
vouslégitimezyou (pl.) legitimize
ils/elleslégitimentthey legitimize

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
jelégitimaiI legitimized
tulégitimasyou legitimized
il/ellelégitimahe/she/it legitimized
nouslégitimâmeswe legitimized
vouslégitimâtesyou (pl.) legitimized
ils/elleslégitimèrentthey legitimized

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
jelégitimais
tulégitimais
il/ellelégitimait
nouslégitimions
vouslégitimiez
ils/elleslégitimaient

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
jelégitimeraisI would legitimize
tulégitimeraisyou would legitimize
il/ellelégitimeraithe/she/it would legitimize
nouslégitimerionswe would legitimize
vouslégitimeriezyou (pl.) would legitimize
ils/elleslégitimeraientthey would legitimize

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
jelégitimeraiI will legitimize
tulégitimerasyou will legitimize
il/ellelégitimerahe/she/it will legitimize
nouslégitimeronswe will legitimize
vouslégitimerezyou (pl.) will legitimize
ils/elleslégitimerontthey will legitimize

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 légitiméI have legitimized
tutu as légitiméyou have legitimized
il/elleil/elle a légitiméhe/she/it has legitimized
nousnous avons légitiméwe have legitimized
vousvous avez légitiméyou (pl.) have legitimized
ils/ellesils/elles ont légitiméthey have legitimized

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 légitiméI had legitimized
tutu avais légitiméyou had legitimized
il/elleil/elle avait légitiméhe/she/it had legitimized
nousnous avions légitiméwe had legitimized
vousvous aviez légitiméyou (pl.) had legitimized
ils/ellesils/elles avaient légitiméthey had legitimized

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

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 légitiméI will have legitimized
tutu auras légitiméyou will have legitimized
il/elleil/elle aura légitiméhe/she/it will have legitimized
nousnous aurons légitiméwe will have legitimized
vousvous aurez légitiméyou (pl.) will have legitimized
ils/ellesils/elles auront légitiméthey will have legitimized

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
jelégitime
tulégitimes
il/ellelégitime
nouslégitimions
vouslégitimiez
ils/elleslégitiment

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
jelégitimasse
tulégitimasses
il/ellelégitimât
nouslégitimassions
vouslégitimassiez
ils/elleslégitimassent

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
tulégitime
nouslégitimons
vouslégitimez