positiver — French conjugation

to posit

Frequency#267Regular

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
jepositiveI posit
tupositivesyou posit
il/ellepositivehe/she/it posits
nouspositivonswe posit
vouspositivezyou (pl.) posit
ils/ellespositiventthey posit

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
jepositivaiI posited
tupositivasyou posited
il/ellepositivahe/she/it posited
nouspositivâmeswe posited
vouspositivâtesyou (pl.) posited
ils/ellespositivèrentthey posited

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
jepositivais
tupositivais
il/ellepositivait
nouspositivions
vouspositiviez
ils/ellespositivaient

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
jepositiveraisI would posit
tupositiveraisyou would posit
il/ellepositiveraithe/she/it would posit
nouspositiverionswe would posit
vouspositiveriezyou (pl.) would posit
ils/ellespositiveraientthey would posit

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
jepositiveraiI will posit
tupositiverasyou will posit
il/ellepositiverahe/she/it will posit
nouspositiveronswe will posit
vouspositiverezyou (pl.) will posit
ils/ellespositiverontthey will posit

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 positivéI have posited
tutu as positivéyou have posited
il/elleil/elle a positivéhe/she/it has posited
nousnous avons positivéwe have posited
vousvous avez positivéyou (pl.) have posited
ils/ellesils/elles ont positivéthey have posited

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 positivéI had posited
tutu avais positivéyou had posited
il/elleil/elle avait positivéhe/she/it had posited
nousnous avions positivéwe had posited
vousvous aviez positivéyou (pl.) had posited
ils/ellesils/elles avaient positivéthey had posited

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

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 positivéI will have posited
tutu auras positivéyou will have posited
il/elleil/elle aura positivéhe/she/it will have posited
nousnous aurons positivéwe will have posited
vousvous aurez positivéyou (pl.) will have posited
ils/ellesils/elles auront positivéthey will have posited

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
jepositive
tupositives
il/ellepositive
nouspositivions
vouspositiviez
ils/ellespositivent

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
jepositivasse
tupositivasses
il/ellepositivât
nouspositivassions
vouspositivassiez
ils/ellespositivassent

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
tupositive
nouspositivons
vouspositivez