repenser — French conjugation

to rethink, to reconsider

Frequency#1969Regular

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
jerepenseI rethink
turepensesyou rethink
il/ellerepensehe/she/it rethinks
nousrepensonswe rethink
vousrepensezyou (pl.) rethink
ils/ellesrepensentthey rethink

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
jerepensaiI rethought
turepensasyou rethought
il/ellerepensahe/she/it rethought
nousrepensâmeswe rethought
vousrepensâtesyou (pl.) rethought
ils/ellesrepensèrentthey rethought

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
jerepensais
turepensais
il/ellerepensait
nousrepensions
vousrepensiez
ils/ellesrepensaient

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
jerepenseraisI would rethink
turepenseraisyou would rethink
il/ellerepenseraithe/she/it would rethink
nousrepenserionswe would rethink
vousrepenseriezyou (pl.) would rethink
ils/ellesrepenseraientthey would rethink

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
jerepenseraiI will rethink
turepenserasyou will rethink
il/ellerepenserahe/she/it will rethink
nousrepenseronswe will rethink
vousrepenserezyou (pl.) will rethink
ils/ellesrepenserontthey will rethink

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 repenséI have rethought
tutu as repenséyou have rethought
il/elleil/elle a repenséhe/she/it has rethought
nousnous avons repenséwe have rethought
vousvous avez repenséyou (pl.) have rethought
ils/ellesils/elles ont repenséthey have rethought

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 repenséI had rethought
tutu avais repenséyou had rethought
il/elleil/elle avait repenséhe/she/it had rethought
nousnous avions repenséwe had rethought
vousvous aviez repenséyou (pl.) had rethought
ils/ellesils/elles avaient repenséthey had rethought

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

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 repenséI will have rethought
tutu auras repenséyou will have rethought
il/elleil/elle aura repenséhe/she/it will have rethought
nousnous aurons repenséwe will have rethought
vousvous aurez repenséyou (pl.) will have rethought
ils/ellesils/elles auront repenséthey will have rethought

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
jerepense
turepenses
il/ellerepense
nousrepensions
vousrepensiez
ils/ellesrepensent

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
jerepensasse
turepensasses
il/ellerepensât
nousrepensassions
vousrepensassiez
ils/ellesrepensassent

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
turepense
nousrepensons
vousrepensez