paver — French conjugation

to pave

Frequency#1218Regular

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
jepaveI pave
tupavesyou pave
il/ellepavehe/she/it paves
nouspavonswe pave
vouspavezyou (pl.) pave
ils/ellespaventthey pave

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
jepavaiI paved
tupavasyou paved
il/ellepavahe/she/it paved
nouspavâmeswe paved
vouspavâtesyou (pl.) paved
ils/ellespavèrentthey paved

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
jepavais
tupavais
il/ellepavait
nouspavions
vouspaviez
ils/ellespavaient

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
jepaveraisI would pave
tupaveraisyou would pave
il/ellepaveraithe/she/it would pave
nouspaverionswe would pave
vouspaveriezyou (pl.) would pave
ils/ellespaveraientthey would pave

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
jepaveraiI will pave
tupaverasyou will pave
il/ellepaverahe/she/it will pave
nouspaveronswe will pave
vouspaverezyou (pl.) will pave
ils/ellespaverontthey will pave

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 pavéI have paved
tutu as pavéyou have paved
il/elleil/elle a pavéhe/she/it has paved
nousnous avons pavéwe have paved
vousvous avez pavéyou (pl.) have paved
ils/ellesils/elles ont pavéthey have paved

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 pavéI had paved
tutu avais pavéyou had paved
il/elleil/elle avait pavéhe/she/it had paved
nousnous avions pavéwe had paved
vousvous aviez pavéyou (pl.) had paved
ils/ellesils/elles avaient pavéthey had paved

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

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 pavéI will have paved
tutu auras pavéyou will have paved
il/elleil/elle aura pavéhe/she/it will have paved
nousnous aurons pavéwe will have paved
vousvous aurez pavéyou (pl.) will have paved
ils/ellesils/elles auront pavéthey will have paved

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
jepave
tupaves
il/ellepave
nouspavions
vouspaviez
ils/ellespavent

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
jepavasse
tupavasses
il/ellepavât
nouspavassions
vouspavassiez
ils/ellespavassent

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
tupave
nouspavons
vouspavez