parer — French conjugation

to parry, to adorn

Frequency#202Regular

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
jepareI parry
tuparesyou parry
il/elleparehe/she/it parries
nousparonswe parry
vousparezyou (pl.) parry
ils/ellesparentthey parry

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
jeparaiI parried
tuparasyou parried
il/elleparahe/she/it parried
nousparâmeswe parried
vousparâtesyou (pl.) parried
ils/ellesparèrentthey parried

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
jeparais
tuparais
il/elleparait
nousparions
vouspariez
ils/ellesparaient

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
jepareraisI would parry
tupareraisyou would parry
il/ellepareraithe/she/it would parry
nousparerionswe would parry
vouspareriezyou (pl.) would parry
ils/ellespareraientthey would parry

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
jepareraiI will parry
tuparerasyou will parry
il/elleparerahe/she/it will parry
nouspareronswe will parry
vousparerezyou (pl.) will parry
ils/ellesparerontthey will parry

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 paréI have parried
tutu as paréyou have parried
il/elleil/elle a paréhe/she/it has parried
nousnous avons paréwe have parried
vousvous avez paréyou (pl.) have parried
ils/ellesils/elles ont paréthey have parried

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 paréI had parried
tutu avais paréyou had parried
il/elleil/elle avait paréhe/she/it had parried
nousnous avions paréwe had parried
vousvous aviez paréyou (pl.) had parried
ils/ellesils/elles avaient paréthey had parried

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

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 paréI will have parried
tutu auras paréyou will have parried
il/elleil/elle aura paréhe/she/it will have parried
nousnous aurons paréwe will have parried
vousvous aurez paréyou (pl.) will have parried
ils/ellesils/elles auront paréthey will have parried

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
jepare
tupares
il/ellepare
nousparions
vouspariez
ils/ellesparent

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
jeparasse
tuparasses
il/elleparât
nousparassions
vousparassiez
ils/ellesparassent

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
tupare
nousparons
vousparez