replacer — French conjugation

to replace

Frequency#208Irregular

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
jereplaceI replace
tureplacesyou replace
il/ellereplacehe/she/it replaces
nousreplaçonswe replace
vousreplacezyou (pl.) replace
ils/ellesreplacentthey 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
jereplaçaiI replaced
tureplaçasyou replaced
il/ellereplaçahe/she/it replaced
nousreplaçâmeswe replaced
vousreplaçâtesyou (pl.) replaced
ils/ellesreplacèrentthey 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
jereplaçais
tureplaçais
il/ellereplaçait
nousreplacions
vousreplaciez
ils/ellesreplaçaient

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
jereplaceraisI would replace
tureplaceraisyou would replace
il/ellereplaceraithe/she/it would replace
nousreplacerionswe would replace
vousreplaceriezyou (pl.) would replace
ils/ellesreplaceraientthey 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
jereplaceraiI will replace
tureplacerasyou will replace
il/ellereplacerahe/she/it will replace
nousreplaceronswe will replace
vousreplacerezyou (pl.) will replace
ils/ellesreplacerontthey 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 replacéI have replaced
tutu as replacéyou have replaced
il/elleil/elle a replacéhe/she/it has replaced
nousnous avons replacéwe have replaced
vousvous avez replacéyou (pl.) have replaced
ils/ellesils/elles ont replacéthey 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 replacéI had replaced
tutu avais replacéyou had replaced
il/elleil/elle avait replacéhe/she/it had replaced
nousnous avions replacéwe had replaced
vousvous aviez replacéyou (pl.) had replaced
ils/ellesils/elles avaient replacéthey 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 replacé
tutu aurais replacé
il/elleil/elle aurait replacé
nousnous aurions replacé
vousvous auriez replacé
ils/ellesils/elles auraient replacé

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 replacéI will have replaced
tutu auras replacéyou will have replaced
il/elleil/elle aura replacéhe/she/it will have replaced
nousnous aurons replacéwe will have replaced
vousvous aurez replacéyou (pl.) will have replaced
ils/ellesils/elles auront replacéthey 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
jereplace
tureplaces
il/ellereplace
nousreplacions
vousreplaciez
ils/ellesreplacent

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
jereplaçasse
tureplaçasses
il/ellereplaçât
nousreplaçassions
vousreplaçassiez
ils/ellesreplaçassent

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
tureplace
nousreplaçons
vousreplacez