remplacer — French conjugation

to replace

Frequency#152Irregular

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
jeremplaceI replace
turemplacesyou replace
il/elleremplacehe/she/it replaces
nousremplaçonswe replace
vousremplacezyou (pl.) replace
ils/ellesremplacentthey replace

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

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
jeremplaçaiI replaced
turemplaçasyou replaced
il/elleremplaçahe/she/it replaced
nousremplaçâmeswe replaced
vousremplaçâtesyou (pl.) replaced
ils/ellesremplacèrentthey replaced

Imperfect (Imparfait) Irregular

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
jeremplaçais
turemplaçais
il/elleremplaçait
nousremplacions
vousremplaciez
ils/ellesremplaçaient

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
jeremplaceraisI would replace
turemplaceraisyou would replace
il/elleremplaceraithe/she/it would replace
nousremplacerionswe would replace
vousremplaceriezyou (pl.) would replace
ils/ellesremplaceraientthey would replace

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
jeremplaceraiI will replace
turemplacerasyou will replace
il/elleremplacerahe/she/it will replace
nousremplaceronswe will replace
vousremplacerezyou (pl.) will replace
ils/ellesremplacerontthey will replace

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 remplacéI have replaced
tutu as remplacéyou have replaced
il/elleil/elle a remplacéhe/she/it has replaced
nousnous avons remplacéwe have replaced
vousvous avez remplacéyou (pl.) have replaced
ils/ellesils/elles ont remplacéthey have replaced

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 remplacéI had replaced
tutu avais remplacéyou had replaced
il/elleil/elle avait remplacéhe/she/it had replaced
nousnous avions remplacéwe had replaced
vousvous aviez remplacéyou (pl.) had replaced
ils/ellesils/elles avaient remplacéthey had replaced

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

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 remplacéI will have replaced
tutu auras remplacéyou will have replaced
il/elleil/elle aura remplacéhe/she/it will have replaced
nousnous aurons remplacéwe will have replaced
vousvous aurez remplacéyou (pl.) will have replaced
ils/ellesils/elles auront remplacéthey will have replaced

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
jeremplace
turemplaces
il/elleremplace
nousremplacions
vousremplaciez
ils/ellesremplacent

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
jeremplaçasse
turemplaçasses
il/elleremplaçât
nousremplaçassions
vousremplaçassiez
ils/ellesremplaçassent

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
turemplace
nousremplaçons
vousremplacez