luire — French conjugation

to shine

Frequency#957Irregular

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
jeluisI shine
tuluisyou shine
il/elleluithe/she/it shines
nousluisonswe shine
vousluisezyou (pl.) shine
ils/ellesluisentthey shine

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

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
jeluisI shone
tuluisyou shone
il/elleluithe/she/it shone
nousluîmeswe shone
vousluîtesyou (pl.) shone
ils/ellesluirentthey shone

Imperfect (Imparfait) Irregular

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
jeluisais
tuluisais
il/elleluisait
nousluisions
vousluisiez
ils/ellesluisaient

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
jeluiraisI would shine
tuluiraisyou would shine
il/elleluiraithe/she/it would shine
nousluirionswe would shine
vousluiriezyou (pl.) would shine
ils/ellesluiraientthey would shine

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
jeluiraiI will shine
tuluirasyou will shine
il/elleluirahe/she/it will shine
nousluironswe will shine
vousluirezyou (pl.) will shine
ils/ellesluirontthey will shine

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 luiI have shone
tutu as luiyou have shone
il/elleil/elle a luihe/she/it has shone
nousnous avons luiwe have shone
vousvous avez luiyou (pl.) have shone
ils/ellesils/elles ont luithey have shone

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 luiI had shone
tutu avais luiyou had shone
il/elleil/elle avait luihe/she/it had shone
nousnous avions luiwe had shone
vousvous aviez luiyou (pl.) had shone
ils/ellesils/elles avaient luithey had shone

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

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 luiI will have shone
tutu auras luiyou will have shone
il/elleil/elle aura luihe/she/it will have shone
nousnous aurons luiwe will have shone
vousvous aurez luiyou (pl.) will have shone
ils/ellesils/elles auront luithey will have shone

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
jeluise
tuluises
il/elleluise
nousluisions
vousluisiez
ils/ellesluisent

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
jeluisisse
tuluisisses
il/elleluisît
nousluisissions
vousluisissiez
ils/ellesluisissent

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
tuluis
nousluisons
vousluisez