léguer — French conjugation

to bequeath

Frequency#441Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

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
jelègueI bequeath
tulèguesyou bequeath
il/ellelèguehe/she/it bequeaths
nousléguonswe bequeath
vousléguezyou (pl.) bequeath
ils/elleslèguentthey bequeath

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
jeléguaiI bequeathed
tuléguasyou bequeathed
il/elleléguahe/she/it bequeathed
nousléguâmeswe bequeathed
vousléguâtesyou (pl.) bequeathed
ils/ellesléguèrentthey bequeathed

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
jeléguais
tuléguais
il/elleléguait
nousléguions
vousléguiez
ils/ellesléguaient

Conditional (Conditionnel) Irregular

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
jelègueraisI would bequeath
tulègueraisyou would bequeath
il/ellelègueraithe/she/it would bequeath
nouslèguerionswe would bequeath
vouslègueriezyou (pl.) would bequeath
ils/elleslègueraientthey would bequeath

Future (Futur) Irregular

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
jelègueraiI will bequeath
tulèguerasyou will bequeath
il/ellelèguerahe/she/it will bequeath
nouslègueronswe will bequeath
vouslèguerezyou (pl.) will bequeath
ils/elleslèguerontthey will bequeath

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 léguéI have bequeathed
tutu as léguéyou have bequeathed
il/elleil/elle a léguéhe/she/it has bequeathed
nousnous avons léguéwe have bequeathed
vousvous avez léguéyou (pl.) have bequeathed
ils/ellesils/elles ont léguéthey have bequeathed

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 léguéI had bequeathed
tutu avais léguéyou had bequeathed
il/elleil/elle avait léguéhe/she/it had bequeathed
nousnous avions léguéwe had bequeathed
vousvous aviez léguéyou (pl.) had bequeathed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient léguéthey had bequeathed

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

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 léguéI will have bequeathed
tutu auras léguéyou will have bequeathed
il/elleil/elle aura léguéhe/she/it will have bequeathed
nousnous aurons léguéwe will have bequeathed
vousvous aurez léguéyou (pl.) will have bequeathed
ils/ellesils/elles auront léguéthey will have bequeathed

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

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
jelègue
tulègues
il/ellelègue
nousléguions
vousléguiez
ils/elleslèguent

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
jeléguasse
tuléguasses
il/elleléguât
nousléguassions
vousléguassiez
ils/ellesléguassent

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
tulègue
nousléguons
vousléguez