photographier — French conjugation
to photograph
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 | photographie | I photograph |
| tu | photographies | you photograph |
| il/elle | photographie | he/she/it photographs |
| nous | photographions | we photograph |
| vous | photographiez | you (pl.) photograph |
| ils/elles | photographient | they photograph |
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 | photographiai | I photographed |
| tu | photographias | you photographed |
| il/elle | photographia | he/she/it photographed |
| nous | photographiâmes | we photographed |
| vous | photographiâtes | you (pl.) photographed |
| ils/elles | photographièrent | they photographed |
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 | photographiais |
| tu | photographiais |
| il/elle | photographiait |
| nous | photographiions |
| vous | photographiiez |
| ils/elles | photographiaient |
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 | photographierais | I would photograph |
| tu | photographierais | you would photograph |
| il/elle | photographierait | he/she/it would photograph |
| nous | photographierions | we would photograph |
| vous | photographieriez | you (pl.) would photograph |
| ils/elles | photographieraient | they would photograph |
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 | photographierai | I will photograph |
| tu | photographieras | you will photograph |
| il/elle | photographiera | he/she/it will photograph |
| nous | photographierons | we will photograph |
| vous | photographierez | you (pl.) will photograph |
| ils/elles | photographieront | they will photograph |
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 photographié | I have photographed |
| tu | tu as photographié | you have photographed |
| il/elle | il/elle a photographié | he/she/it has photographed |
| nous | nous avons photographié | we have photographed |
| vous | vous avez photographié | you (pl.) have photographed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont photographié | they have photographed |
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 photographié | I had photographed |
| tu | tu avais photographié | you had photographed |
| il/elle | il/elle avait photographié | he/she/it had photographed |
| nous | nous avions photographié | we had photographed |
| vous | vous aviez photographié | you (pl.) had photographed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient photographié | they had photographed |
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 photographié |
| tu | tu aurais photographié |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait photographié |
| nous | nous aurions photographié |
| vous | vous auriez photographié |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient photographié |
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 photographié | I will have photographed |
| tu | tu auras photographié | you will have photographed |
| il/elle | il/elle aura photographié | he/she/it will have photographed |
| nous | nous aurons photographié | we will have photographed |
| vous | vous aurez photographié | you (pl.) will have photographed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront photographié | they will have photographed |
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 | photographie |
| tu | photographies |
| il/elle | photographie |
| nous | photographiions |
| vous | photographiiez |
| ils/elles | photographient |
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 | photographiasse |
| tu | photographiasses |
| il/elle | photographiât |
| nous | photographiassions |
| vous | photographiassiez |
| ils/elles | photographiassent |
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 | photographie |
| nous | photographions |
| vous | photographiez |