nommer — French conjugation

to name

Frequency#601Regular

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
jenommeI name
tunommesyou name
il/ellenommehe/she/it names
nousnommonswe name
vousnommezyou (pl.) name
ils/ellesnommentthey name

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
jenommaiI named
tunommasyou named
il/ellenommahe/she/it named
nousnommâmeswe named
vousnommâtesyou (pl.) named
ils/ellesnommèrentthey named

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
jenommais
tunommais
il/ellenommait
nousnommions
vousnommiez
ils/ellesnommaient

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
jenommeraisI would name
tunommeraisyou would name
il/ellenommeraithe/she/it would name
nousnommerionswe would name
vousnommeriezyou (pl.) would name
ils/ellesnommeraientthey would name

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
jenommeraiI will name
tunommerasyou will name
il/ellenommerahe/she/it will name
nousnommeronswe will name
vousnommerezyou (pl.) will name
ils/ellesnommerontthey will name

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 nomméI have named
tutu as nomméyou have named
il/elleil/elle a nomméhe/she/it has named
nousnous avons nomméwe have named
vousvous avez nomméyou (pl.) have named
ils/ellesils/elles ont nomméthey have named

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 nomméI had named
tutu avais nomméyou had named
il/elleil/elle avait nomméhe/she/it had named
nousnous avions nomméwe had named
vousvous aviez nomméyou (pl.) had named
ils/ellesils/elles avaient nomméthey had named

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

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 nomméI will have named
tutu auras nomméyou will have named
il/elleil/elle aura nomméhe/she/it will have named
nousnous aurons nomméwe will have named
vousvous aurez nomméyou (pl.) will have named
ils/ellesils/elles auront nomméthey will have named

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
jenomme
tunommes
il/ellenomme
nousnommions
vousnommiez
ils/ellesnomment

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
jenommasse
tunommasses
il/ellenommât
nousnommassions
vousnommassiez
ils/ellesnommassent

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
tunomme
nousnommons
vousnommez