rêver — French conjugation
to dream
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 | rêve | I dream |
| tu | rêves | you dream |
| il/elle | rêve | he/she/it dreams |
| nous | rêvons | we dream |
| vous | rêvez | you (pl.) dream |
| ils/elles | rêvent | they dream |
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 | rêvai | I dreamed |
| tu | rêvas | you dreamed |
| il/elle | rêva | he/she/it dreamed |
| nous | rêvâmes | we dreamed |
| vous | rêvâtes | you (pl.) dreamed |
| ils/elles | rêvèrent | they dreamed |
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 | rêvais |
| tu | rêvais |
| il/elle | rêvait |
| nous | rêvions |
| vous | rêviez |
| ils/elles | rêvaient |
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 | rêverais | I would dream |
| tu | rêverais | you would dream |
| il/elle | rêverait | he/she/it would dream |
| nous | rêverions | we would dream |
| vous | rêveriez | you (pl.) would dream |
| ils/elles | rêveraient | they would dream |
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 | rêverai | I will dream |
| tu | rêveras | you will dream |
| il/elle | rêvera | he/she/it will dream |
| nous | rêverons | we will dream |
| vous | rêverez | you (pl.) will dream |
| ils/elles | rêveront | they will dream |
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 rêvé | I have dreamed |
| tu | tu as rêvé | you have dreamed |
| il/elle | il/elle a rêvé | he/she/it has dreamed |
| nous | nous avons rêvé | we have dreamed |
| vous | vous avez rêvé | you (pl.) have dreamed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont rêvé | they have dreamed |
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 rêvé | I had dreamed |
| tu | tu avais rêvé | you had dreamed |
| il/elle | il/elle avait rêvé | he/she/it had dreamed |
| nous | nous avions rêvé | we had dreamed |
| vous | vous aviez rêvé | you (pl.) had dreamed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient rêvé | they had dreamed |
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 rêvé |
| tu | tu aurais rêvé |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait rêvé |
| nous | nous aurions rêvé |
| vous | vous auriez rêvé |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient rêvé |
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 rêvé | I will have dreamed |
| tu | tu auras rêvé | you will have dreamed |
| il/elle | il/elle aura rêvé | he/she/it will have dreamed |
| nous | nous aurons rêvé | we will have dreamed |
| vous | vous aurez rêvé | you (pl.) will have dreamed |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront rêvé | they will have dreamed |
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 | rêve |
| tu | rêves |
| il/elle | rêve |
| nous | rêvions |
| vous | rêviez |
| ils/elles | rêvent |
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 | rêvasse |
| tu | rêvasses |
| il/elle | rêvât |
| nous | rêvassions |
| vous | rêvassiez |
| ils/elles | rêvassent |
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 | rêve |
| nous | rêvons |
| vous | rêvez |