rouiller — French conjugation
to rust
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 | rouille | I rust |
| tu | rouilles | you rust |
| il/elle | rouille | he/she/it rusts |
| nous | rouillons | we rust |
| vous | rouillez | you (pl.) rust |
| ils/elles | rouillent | they rust |
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 | rouillai | I rusted |
| tu | rouillas | you rusted |
| il/elle | rouilla | he/she/it rusted |
| nous | rouillâmes | we rusted |
| vous | rouillâtes | you (pl.) rusted |
| ils/elles | rouillèrent | they rusted |
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 | rouillais |
| tu | rouillais |
| il/elle | rouillait |
| nous | rouillions |
| vous | rouilliez |
| ils/elles | rouillaient |
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 | rouillerais | I would rust |
| tu | rouillerais | you would rust |
| il/elle | rouillerait | he/she/it would rust |
| nous | rouillerions | we would rust |
| vous | rouilleriez | you (pl.) would rust |
| ils/elles | rouilleraient | they would rust |
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 | rouillerai | I will rust |
| tu | rouilleras | you will rust |
| il/elle | rouillera | he/she/it will rust |
| nous | rouillerons | we will rust |
| vous | rouillerez | you (pl.) will rust |
| ils/elles | rouilleront | they will rust |
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 rouillé | I have rusted |
| tu | tu as rouillé | you have rusted |
| il/elle | il/elle a rouillé | he/she/it has rusted |
| nous | nous avons rouillé | we have rusted |
| vous | vous avez rouillé | you (pl.) have rusted |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont rouillé | they have rusted |
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 rouillé | I had rusted |
| tu | tu avais rouillé | you had rusted |
| il/elle | il/elle avait rouillé | he/she/it had rusted |
| nous | nous avions rouillé | we had rusted |
| vous | vous aviez rouillé | you (pl.) had rusted |
| ils/elles | ils/elles avaient rouillé | they had rusted |
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 rouillé |
| tu | tu aurais rouillé |
| il/elle | il/elle aurait rouillé |
| nous | nous aurions rouillé |
| vous | vous auriez rouillé |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auraient rouillé |
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 rouillé | I will have rusted |
| tu | tu auras rouillé | you will have rusted |
| il/elle | il/elle aura rouillé | he/she/it will have rusted |
| nous | nous aurons rouillé | we will have rusted |
| vous | vous aurez rouillé | you (pl.) will have rusted |
| ils/elles | ils/elles auront rouillé | they will have rusted |
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 | rouille |
| tu | rouilles |
| il/elle | rouille |
| nous | rouillions |
| vous | rouilliez |
| ils/elles | rouillent |
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 | rouillasse |
| tu | rouillasses |
| il/elle | rouillât |
| nous | rouillassions |
| vous | rouillassiez |
| ils/elles | rouillassent |
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 | rouille |
| nous | rouillons |
| vous | rouillez |