retomber — French conjugation
to fall back
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | retombe | I fall back |
| tu | retombes | you fall back |
| il/elle | retombe | he/she/it falls back |
| nous | retombons | we fall back |
| vous | retombez | you (pl.) fall back |
| ils/elles | retombent | they fall back |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | retombai | I fell back |
| tu | retombas | you fell back |
| il/elle | retomba | he/she/it fell back |
| nous | retombâmes | we fell back |
| vous | retombâtes | you (pl.) fell back |
| ils/elles | retombèrent | they fell back |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | retombais |
| tu | retombais |
| il/elle | retombait |
| nous | retombions |
| vous | retombiez |
| ils/elles | retombaient |
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 ?
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | retomberais | I would fall back |
| tu | retomberais | you would fall back |
| il/elle | retomberait | he/she/it would fall back |
| nous | retomberions | we would fall back |
| vous | retomberiez | you (pl.) would fall back |
| ils/elles | retomberaient | they would fall back |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | retomberai | I will fall back |
| tu | retomberas | you will fall back |
| il/elle | retombera | he/she/it will fall back |
| nous | retomberons | we will fall back |
| vous | retomberez | you (pl.) will fall back |
| ils/elles | retomberont | they will fall back |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'ai retombé | I have fallen back |
| tu | tu as retombé | you have fallen back |
| il/elle | il/elle a retombé | he/she/it has fallen back |
| nous | nous avons retombé | we have fallen back |
| vous | vous avez retombé | you (pl.) have fallen back |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont retombé | they have fallen back |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'avais retombé | I had fallen back |
| tu | tu avais retombé | you had fallen back |
| il/elle | il/elle avait retombé | he/she/it had fallen back |
| nous | nous avions retombé | we had fallen back |
| vous | vous aviez retombé | you (pl.) had fallen back |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient retombé | they had fallen back |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | j'aurais retombé |
| tu | tu aurais retombé |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait retombé |
| nous | nous aurions retombé |
| vous | vous auriez retombé |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient retombé |
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.
| Pronoun | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | j'aurai retombé | I will have fallen back |
| tu | tu auras retombé | you will have fallen back |
| il/elle | il/elle aura retombé | he/she/it will have fallen back |
| nous | nous aurons retombé | we will have fallen back |
| vous | vous aurez retombé | you (pl.) will have fallen back |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront retombé | they will have fallen back |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | retombe |
| tu | retombes |
| il/elle | retombe |
| nous | retombions |
| vous | retombiez |
| ils/elles | retombent |
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.
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| je | retombasse |
| tu | retombasses |
| il/elle | retombât |
| nous | retombassions |
| vous | retombassiez |
| ils/elles | retombassent |
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 !
| Pronoun | French |
|---|---|
| tu | retombe |
| nous | retombons |
| vous | retombez |