retourner — French conjugation
to return
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 | retourne | I return |
| tu | retournes | you return |
| il/elle | retourne | he/she/it returns |
| nous | retournons | we return |
| vous | retournez | you (pl.) return |
| ils/elles | retournent | they return |
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 | retournai | I returned |
| tu | retournas | you returned |
| il/elle | retourna | he/she/it returned |
| nous | retournâmes | we returned |
| vous | retournâtes | you (pl.) returned |
| ils/elles | retournèrent | they returned |
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 | retournais |
| tu | retournais |
| il/elle | retournait |
| nous | retournions |
| vous | retourniez |
| ils/elles | retournaient |
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 | retournerais | I would return |
| tu | retournerais | you would return |
| il/elle | retournerait | he/she/it would return |
| nous | retournerions | we would return |
| vous | retourneriez | you (pl.) would return |
| ils/elles | retourneraient | they would return |
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 | retournerai | I will return |
| tu | retourneras | you will return |
| il/elle | retournera | he/she/it will return |
| nous | retournerons | we will return |
| vous | retournerez | you (pl.) will return |
| ils/elles | retourneront | they will return |
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 | je suis retourné(e) | I have returned |
| tu | tu es retourné(e) | you have returned |
| il/elle | il/elle est retourné(e) | he/she/it has returned |
| nous | nous sommes retourné(e)s | we have returned |
| vous | vous êtes retourné(e)(s) | you (pl.) have returned |
| ils/elles | ils/elles sont retourné(e)s | they have returned |
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'étais retourné(e) | I had returned |
| tu | tu étais retourné(e) | you had returned |
| il/elle | il/elle était retourné(e) | he/she/it had returned |
| nous | nous étions retourné(e)s | we had returned |
| vous | vous étiez retourné(e)(s) | you (pl.) had returned |
| ils/elles | ils/elles étaient retourné(e)s | they had returned |
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 | je serais retourné(e) |
| tu | tu serais retourné(e) |
| il/elle | il/elle serait retourné(e) |
| nous | nous serions retourné(e)s |
| vous | vous seriez retourné(e)(s) |
| ils/elles | ils/elles seraient retourné(e)s |
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 | je serai retourné(e) | I will have returned |
| tu | tu seras retourné(e) | you will have returned |
| il/elle | il/elle sera retourné(e) | he/she/it will have returned |
| nous | nous serons retourné(e)s | we will have returned |
| vous | vous serez retourné(e)(s) | you (pl.) will have returned |
| ils/elles | ils/elles seront retourné(e)s | they will have returned |
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 | retourne |
| tu | retournes |
| il/elle | retourne |
| nous | retournions |
| vous | retourniez |
| ils/elles | retournent |
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 | retournasse |
| tu | retournasses |
| il/elle | retournât |
| nous | retournassions |
| vous | retournassiez |
| ils/elles | retournassent |
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 | retourne |
| nous | retournons |
| vous | retournez |