positionner — French conjugation

to position

Frequency#451RegularReflexivese positionner — to position oneself

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
jepositionneI position
tupositionnesyou position
il/ellepositionnehe/she/it positions
nouspositionnonswe position
vouspositionnezyou (pl.) position
ils/ellespositionnentthey position

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
jepositionnaiI positioned
tupositionnasyou positioned
il/ellepositionnahe/she/it positioned
nouspositionnâmeswe positioned
vouspositionnâtesyou (pl.) positioned
ils/ellespositionnèrentthey positioned

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
jepositionnais
tupositionnais
il/ellepositionnait
nouspositionnions
vouspositionniez
ils/ellespositionnaient

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
jepositionneraisI would position
tupositionneraisyou would position
il/ellepositionneraithe/she/it would position
nouspositionnerionswe would position
vouspositionneriezyou (pl.) would position
ils/ellespositionneraientthey would position

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
jepositionneraiI will position
tupositionnerasyou will position
il/ellepositionnerahe/she/it will position
nouspositionneronswe will position
vouspositionnerezyou (pl.) will position
ils/ellespositionnerontthey will position

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 positionnéI have positioned
tutu as positionnéyou have positioned
il/elleil/elle a positionnéhe/she/it has positioned
nousnous avons positionnéwe have positioned
vousvous avez positionnéyou (pl.) have positioned
ils/ellesils/elles ont positionnéthey have positioned

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 positionnéI had positioned
tutu avais positionnéyou had positioned
il/elleil/elle avait positionnéhe/she/it had positioned
nousnous avions positionnéwe had positioned
vousvous aviez positionnéyou (pl.) had positioned
ils/ellesils/elles avaient positionnéthey had positioned

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

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 positionnéI will have positioned
tutu auras positionnéyou will have positioned
il/elleil/elle aura positionnéhe/she/it will have positioned
nousnous aurons positionnéwe will have positioned
vousvous aurez positionnéyou (pl.) will have positioned
ils/ellesils/elles auront positionnéthey will have positioned

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
jepositionne
tupositionnes
il/ellepositionne
nouspositionnions
vouspositionniez
ils/ellespositionnent

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
jepositionnasse
tupositionnasses
il/ellepositionnât
nouspositionnassions
vouspositionnassiez
ils/ellespositionnassent

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
tupositionne
nouspositionnons
vouspositionnez