renoncer — French conjugation

to renounce

Frequency#972Irregular

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
jerenonceI renounce
turenoncesyou renounce
il/ellerenoncehe/she/it renounces
nousrenonçonswe renounce
vousrenoncezyou (pl.) renounce
ils/ellesrenoncentthey renounce

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
jerenonçaiI renounced
turenonçasyou renounced
il/ellerenonçahe/she/it renounced
nousrenonçâmeswe renounced
vousrenonçâtesyou (pl.) renounced
ils/ellesrenoncèrentthey renounced

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
jerenonçais
turenonçais
il/ellerenonçait
nousrenoncions
vousrenonciez
ils/ellesrenonçaient

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
jerenonceraisI would renounce
turenonceraisyou would renounce
il/ellerenonceraithe/she/it would renounce
nousrenoncerionswe would renounce
vousrenonceriezyou (pl.) would renounce
ils/ellesrenonceraientthey would renounce

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
jerenonceraiI will renounce
turenoncerasyou will renounce
il/ellerenoncerahe/she/it will renounce
nousrenonceronswe will renounce
vousrenoncerezyou (pl.) will renounce
ils/ellesrenoncerontthey will renounce

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 renoncéI have renounced
tutu as renoncéyou have renounced
il/elleil/elle a renoncéhe/she/it has renounced
nousnous avons renoncéwe have renounced
vousvous avez renoncéyou (pl.) have renounced
ils/ellesils/elles ont renoncéthey have renounced

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 renoncéI had renounced
tutu avais renoncéyou had renounced
il/elleil/elle avait renoncéhe/she/it had renounced
nousnous avions renoncéwe had renounced
vousvous aviez renoncéyou (pl.) had renounced
ils/ellesils/elles avaient renoncéthey had renounced

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

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 renoncéI will have renounced
tutu auras renoncéyou will have renounced
il/elleil/elle aura renoncéhe/she/it will have renounced
nousnous aurons renoncéwe will have renounced
vousvous aurez renoncéyou (pl.) will have renounced
ils/ellesils/elles auront renoncéthey will have renounced

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
jerenonce
turenonces
il/ellerenonce
nousrenoncions
vousrenonciez
ils/ellesrenoncent

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
jerenonçasse
turenonçasses
il/ellerenonçât
nousrenonçassions
vousrenonçassiez
ils/ellesrenonçassent

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
turenonce
nousrenonçons
vousrenoncez