mériter — French conjugation
to deserve
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | mérite | I deserve |
| tu | mérites | you deserve |
| il/elle | mérite | he/she/it deserves |
| nous | méritons | we deserve |
| vous | méritez | you (pl.) deserve |
| ils/elles | méritent | they deserve |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | méritai | I deserved |
| tu | méritas | you deserved |
| il/elle | mérita | he/she/it deserved |
| nous | méritâmes | we deserved |
| vous | méritâtes | you (pl.) deserved |
| ils/elles | méritèrent | they deserved |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | méritais |
| tu | méritais |
| il/elle | méritait |
| nous | méritions |
| vous | méritiez |
| ils/elles | méritaient |
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | mériterais | I would deserve |
| tu | mériterais | you would deserve |
| il/elle | mériterait | he/she/it would deserve |
| nous | mériterions | we would deserve |
| vous | mériteriez | you (pl.) would deserve |
| ils/elles | mériteraient | they would deserve |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | mériterai | I will deserve |
| tu | mériteras | you will deserve |
| il/elle | méritera | he/she/it will deserve |
| nous | mériterons | we will deserve |
| vous | mériterez | you (pl.) will deserve |
| ils/elles | mériteront | they will deserve |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai mérité | I have deserved |
| tu | tu as mérité | you have deserved |
| il/elle | il/elle a mérité | he/she/it has deserved |
| nous | nous avons mérité | we have deserved |
| vous | vous avez mérité | you (pl.) have deserved |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont mérité | they have deserved |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais mérité | I had deserved |
| tu | tu avais mérité | you had deserved |
| il/elle | il/elle avait mérité | he/she/it had deserved |
| nous | nous avions mérité | we had deserved |
| vous | vous aviez mérité | you (pl.) had deserved |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient mérité | they had deserved |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais mérité |
| tu | tu aurais mérité |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait mérité |
| nous | nous aurions mérité |
| vous | vous auriez mérité |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient mérité |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai mérité | I will have deserved |
| tu | tu auras mérité | you will have deserved |
| il/elle | il/elle aura mérité | he/she/it will have deserved |
| nous | nous aurons mérité | we will have deserved |
| vous | vous aurez mérité | you (pl.) will have deserved |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront mérité | they will have deserved |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | mérite |
| tu | mérites |
| il/elle | mérite |
| nous | méritions |
| vous | méritiez |
| ils/elles | méritent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | méritasse |
| tu | méritasses |
| il/elle | méritât |
| nous | méritassions |
| vous | méritassiez |
| ils/elles | méritassent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | mérite |
| nous | méritons |
| vous | méritez |