peiner — French conjugation
to comb
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 | peine | I comb |
| tu | peines | you comb |
| il/elle | peine | he/she/it combs |
| nous | peinons | we comb |
| vous | peinez | you (pl.) comb |
| ils/elles | peinent | they comb |
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 | peinai | I combed |
| tu | peinas | you combed |
| il/elle | peina | he/she/it combed |
| nous | peinâmes | we combed |
| vous | peinâtes | you (pl.) combed |
| ils/elles | peinèrent | they combed |
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 | peinais |
| tu | peinais |
| il/elle | peinait |
| nous | peinions |
| vous | peiniez |
| ils/elles | peinaient |
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 | peinerais | I would comb |
| tu | peinerais | you would comb |
| il/elle | peinerait | he/she/it would comb |
| nous | peinerions | we would comb |
| vous | peineriez | you (pl.) would comb |
| ils/elles | peineraient | they would comb |
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 | peinerai | I will comb |
| tu | peineras | you will comb |
| il/elle | peinera | he/she/it will comb |
| nous | peinerons | we will comb |
| vous | peinerez | you (pl.) will comb |
| ils/elles | peineront | they will comb |
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 peiné | I have combed |
| tu | tu as peiné | you have combed |
| il/elle | il/elle a peiné | he/she/it has combed |
| nous | nous avons peiné | we have combed |
| vous | vous avez peiné | you (pl.) have combed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont peiné | they have combed |
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 peiné | I had combed |
| tu | tu avais peiné | you had combed |
| il/elle | il/elle avait peiné | he/she/it had combed |
| nous | nous avions peiné | we had combed |
| vous | vous aviez peiné | you (pl.) had combed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient peiné | they had combed |
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 peiné |
| tu | tu aurais peiné |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait peiné |
| nous | nous aurions peiné |
| vous | vous auriez peiné |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient peiné |
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 peiné | I will have combed |
| tu | tu auras peiné | you will have combed |
| il/elle | il/elle aura peiné | he/she/it will have combed |
| nous | nous aurons peiné | we will have combed |
| vous | vous aurez peiné | you (pl.) will have combed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront peiné | they will have combed |
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 | peine |
| tu | peines |
| il/elle | peine |
| nous | peinions |
| vous | peiniez |
| ils/elles | peinent |
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 | peinasse |
| tu | peinasses |
| il/elle | peinât |
| nous | peinassions |
| vous | peinassiez |
| ils/elles | peinassent |
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 | peine |
| nous | peinons |
| vous | peinez |