repérer — French conjugation

to spot, to locate

Frequency#26IrregularReflexivese repérer — to get one's bearings

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
jerepèreI spot
turepèresyou spot
il/ellerepèrehe/she/it spots
nousrepéronswe spot
vousrepérezyou (pl.) spot
ils/ellesrepèrentthey spot

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
jerepéraiI spotted
turepérasyou spotted
il/ellerepérahe/she/it spotted
nousrepérâmeswe spotted
vousrepérâtesyou (pl.) spotted
ils/ellesrepérèrentthey spotted

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
jerepérais
turepérais
il/ellerepérait
nousrepérions
vousrepériez
ils/ellesrepéraient

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
jerepéreraisI would spot
turepéreraisyou would spot
il/ellerepéreraithe/she/it would spot
nousrepérerionswe would spot
vousrepéreriezyou (pl.) would spot
ils/ellesrepéreraientthey would spot

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
jerepéreraiI will spot
turepérerasyou will spot
il/ellerepérerahe/she/it will spot
nousrepéreronswe will spot
vousrepérerezyou (pl.) will spot
ils/ellesrepérerontthey will spot

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 repéréI have spotted
tutu as repéréyou have spotted
il/elleil/elle a repéréhe/she/it has spotted
nousnous avons repéréwe have spotted
vousvous avez repéréyou (pl.) have spotted
ils/ellesils/elles ont repéréthey have spotted

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 repéréI had spotted
tutu avais repéréyou had spotted
il/elleil/elle avait repéréhe/she/it had spotted
nousnous avions repéréwe had spotted
vousvous aviez repéréyou (pl.) had spotted
ils/ellesils/elles avaient repéréthey had spotted

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

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 repéréI will have spotted
tutu auras repéréyou will have spotted
il/elleil/elle aura repéréhe/she/it will have spotted
nousnous aurons repéréwe will have spotted
vousvous aurez repéréyou (pl.) will have spotted
ils/ellesils/elles auront repéréthey will have spotted

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
jerepère
turepères
il/ellerepère
nousrepérions
vousrepériez
ils/ellesrepèrent

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
jerepérasse
turepérasses
il/ellerepérât
nousrepérassions
vousrepérassiez
ils/ellesrepérassent

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
turepère
nousrepérons
vousrepérez