sauvegarder — French conjugation

to save

Frequency#195Regular

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.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jesauvegardeI save
tusauvegardesyou save
il/ellesauvegardehe/she/it saves
noussauvegardonswe save
voussauvegardezyou (pl.) save
ils/ellessauvegardentthey save

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.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jesauvegardaiI saved
tusauvegardasyou saved
il/ellesauvegardahe/she/it saved
noussauvegardâmeswe saved
voussauvegardâtesyou (pl.) saved
ils/ellessauvegardèrentthey saved

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.

PronounFrench
jesauvegardais
tusauvegardais
il/ellesauvegardait
noussauvegardions
voussauvegardiez
ils/ellessauvegardaient

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
jesauvegarderaisI would save
tusauvegarderaisyou would save
il/ellesauvegarderaithe/she/it would save
noussauvegarderionswe would save
voussauvegarderiezyou (pl.) would save
ils/ellessauvegarderaientthey would save

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
jesauvegarderaiI will save
tusauvegarderasyou will save
il/ellesauvegarderahe/she/it will save
noussauvegarderonswe will save
voussauvegarderezyou (pl.) will save
ils/ellessauvegarderontthey will save

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 sauvegardéI have saved
tutu as sauvegardéyou have saved
il/elleil/elle a sauvegardéhe/she/it has saved
nousnous avons sauvegardéwe have saved
vousvous avez sauvegardéyou (pl.) have saved
ils/ellesils/elles ont sauvegardéthey have saved

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 sauvegardéI had saved
tutu avais sauvegardéyou had saved
il/elleil/elle avait sauvegardéhe/she/it had saved
nousnous avions sauvegardéwe had saved
vousvous aviez sauvegardéyou (pl.) had saved
ils/ellesils/elles avaient sauvegardéthey had saved

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 sauvegardé
tutu aurais sauvegardé
il/elleil/elle aurait sauvegardé
nousnous aurions sauvegardé
vousvous auriez sauvegardé
ils/ellesils/elles auraient sauvegardé

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 sauvegardéI will have saved
tutu auras sauvegardéyou will have saved
il/elleil/elle aura sauvegardéhe/she/it will have saved
nousnous aurons sauvegardéwe will have saved
vousvous aurez sauvegardéyou (pl.) will have saved
ils/ellesils/elles auront sauvegardéthey will have saved

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
jesauvegarde
tusauvegardes
il/ellesauvegarde
noussauvegardions
voussauvegardiez
ils/ellessauvegardent

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
jesauvegardasse
tusauvegardasses
il/ellesauvegardât
noussauvegardassions
voussauvegardassiez
ils/ellessauvegardassent

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
tusauvegarde
noussauvegardons
voussauvegardez