poudrer — French conjugation

to powder

Frequency#327RegularReflexivese poudrer — to powder 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
jepoudreI powder
tupoudresyou powder
il/ellepoudrehe/she/it powders
nouspoudronswe powder
vouspoudrezyou (pl.) powder
ils/ellespoudrentthey powder

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
jepoudraiI powdered
tupoudrasyou powdered
il/ellepoudrahe/she/it powdered
nouspoudrâmeswe powdered
vouspoudrâtesyou (pl.) powdered
ils/ellespoudrèrentthey powdered

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
jepoudrais
tupoudrais
il/ellepoudrait
nouspoudrions
vouspoudriez
ils/ellespoudraient

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
jepoudreraisI would powder
tupoudreraisyou would powder
il/ellepoudreraithe/she/it would powder
nouspoudrerionswe would powder
vouspoudreriezyou (pl.) would powder
ils/ellespoudreraientthey would powder

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
jepoudreraiI will powder
tupoudrerasyou will powder
il/ellepoudrerahe/she/it will powder
nouspoudreronswe will powder
vouspoudrerezyou (pl.) will powder
ils/ellespoudrerontthey will powder

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 poudréI have powdered
tutu as poudréyou have powdered
il/elleil/elle a poudréhe/she/it has powdered
nousnous avons poudréwe have powdered
vousvous avez poudréyou (pl.) have powdered
ils/ellesils/elles ont poudréthey have powdered

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 poudréI had powdered
tutu avais poudréyou had powdered
il/elleil/elle avait poudréhe/she/it had powdered
nousnous avions poudréwe had powdered
vousvous aviez poudréyou (pl.) had powdered
ils/ellesils/elles avaient poudréthey had powdered

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

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 poudréI will have powdered
tutu auras poudréyou will have powdered
il/elleil/elle aura poudréhe/she/it will have powdered
nousnous aurons poudréwe will have powdered
vousvous aurez poudréyou (pl.) will have powdered
ils/ellesils/elles auront poudréthey will have powdered

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
jepoudre
tupoudres
il/ellepoudre
nouspoudrions
vouspoudriez
ils/ellespoudrent

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
jepoudrasse
tupoudrasses
il/ellepoudrât
nouspoudrassions
vouspoudrassiez
ils/ellespoudrassent

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
tupoudre
nouspoudrons
vouspoudrez