prospérer — French conjugation

to prosper

Frequency#18Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

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
jeprospèreI prosper
tuprospèresyou prosper
il/elleprospèrehe/she/it prospers
nousprospéronswe prosper
vousprospérezyou (pl.) prosper
ils/ellesprospèrentthey prosper

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
jeprospéraiI prospered
tuprospérasyou prospered
il/elleprospérahe/she/it prospered
nousprospérâmeswe prospered
vousprospérâtesyou (pl.) prospered
ils/ellesprospérèrentthey prospered

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
jeprospérais
tuprospérais
il/elleprospérait
nousprospérions
vousprospériez
ils/ellesprospéraient

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
jeprospéreraisI would prosper
tuprospéreraisyou would prosper
il/elleprospéreraithe/she/it would prosper
nousprospérerionswe would prosper
vousprospéreriezyou (pl.) would prosper
ils/ellesprospéreraientthey would prosper

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
jeprospéreraiI will prosper
tuprospérerasyou will prosper
il/elleprospérerahe/she/it will prosper
nousprospéreronswe will prosper
vousprospérerezyou (pl.) will prosper
ils/ellesprospérerontthey will prosper

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 prospéréI have prospered
tutu as prospéréyou have prospered
il/elleil/elle a prospéréhe/she/it has prospered
nousnous avons prospéréwe have prospered
vousvous avez prospéréyou (pl.) have prospered
ils/ellesils/elles ont prospéréthey have prospered

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 prospéréI had prospered
tutu avais prospéréyou had prospered
il/elleil/elle avait prospéréhe/she/it had prospered
nousnous avions prospéréwe had prospered
vousvous aviez prospéréyou (pl.) had prospered
ils/ellesils/elles avaient prospéréthey had prospered

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

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 prospéréI will have prospered
tutu auras prospéréyou will have prospered
il/elleil/elle aura prospéréhe/she/it will have prospered
nousnous aurons prospéréwe will have prospered
vousvous aurez prospéréyou (pl.) will have prospered
ils/ellesils/elles auront prospéréthey will have prospered

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

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
jeprospère
tuprospères
il/elleprospère
nousprospérions
vousprospériez
ils/ellesprospèrent

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
jeprospérasse
tuprospérasses
il/elleprospérât
nousprospérassions
vousprospérassiez
ils/ellesprospérassent

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
tuprospère
nousprospérons
vousprospérez