ramer — French conjugation

to row

Frequency#19Regular

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
jerameI row
turamesyou row
il/elleramehe/she/it rows
nousramonswe row
vousramezyou (pl.) row
ils/ellesramentthey row

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
jeramaiI rowed
turamasyou rowed
il/elleramahe/she/it rowed
nousramâmeswe rowed
vousramâtesyou (pl.) rowed
ils/ellesramèrentthey rowed

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
jeramais
turamais
il/elleramait
nousramions
vousramiez
ils/ellesramaient

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
jerameraisI would row
turameraisyou would row
il/ellerameraithe/she/it would row
nousramerionswe would row
vousrameriezyou (pl.) would row
ils/ellesrameraientthey would row

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
jerameraiI will row
turamerasyou will row
il/elleramerahe/she/it will row
nousrameronswe will row
vousramerezyou (pl.) will row
ils/ellesramerontthey will row

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 raméI have rowed
tutu as raméyou have rowed
il/elleil/elle a raméhe/she/it has rowed
nousnous avons raméwe have rowed
vousvous avez raméyou (pl.) have rowed
ils/ellesils/elles ont raméthey have rowed

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 raméI had rowed
tutu avais raméyou had rowed
il/elleil/elle avait raméhe/she/it had rowed
nousnous avions raméwe had rowed
vousvous aviez raméyou (pl.) had rowed
ils/ellesils/elles avaient raméthey had rowed

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

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 raméI will have rowed
tutu auras raméyou will have rowed
il/elleil/elle aura raméhe/she/it will have rowed
nousnous aurons raméwe will have rowed
vousvous aurez raméyou (pl.) will have rowed
ils/ellesils/elles auront raméthey will have rowed

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
jerame
turames
il/ellerame
nousramions
vousramiez
ils/ellesrament

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
jeramasse
turamasses
il/elleramât
nousramassions
vousramassiez
ils/ellesramassent

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
turame
nousramons
vousramez