séduire — French conjugation

to seduce

Frequency#189Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

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
jeséduisI seduce
tuséduisyou seduce
il/elleséduithe/she/it seduces
nousséduisonswe seduce
vousséduisezyou (pl.) seduce
ils/ellesséduisentthey seduce

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

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
jeséduisisI seduced
tuséduisisyou seduced
il/elleséduisithe/she/it seduced
nousséduisîmeswe seduced
vousséduisîtesyou (pl.) seduced
ils/ellesséduisirentthey seduced

Imperfect (Imparfait) Irregular

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
jeséduisais
tuséduisais
il/elleséduisait
nousséduisions
vousséduisiez
ils/ellesséduisaient

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
jeséduiraisI would seduce
tuséduiraisyou would seduce
il/elleséduiraithe/she/it would seduce
nousséduirionswe would seduce
vousséduiriezyou (pl.) would seduce
ils/ellesséduiraientthey would seduce

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
jeséduiraiI will seduce
tuséduirasyou will seduce
il/elleséduirahe/she/it will seduce
nousséduironswe will seduce
vousséduirezyou (pl.) will seduce
ils/ellesséduirontthey will seduce

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 séduitI have seduced
tutu as séduityou have seduced
il/elleil/elle a séduithe/she/it has seduced
nousnous avons séduitwe have seduced
vousvous avez séduityou (pl.) have seduced
ils/ellesils/elles ont séduitthey have seduced

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 séduitI had seduced
tutu avais séduityou had seduced
il/elleil/elle avait séduithe/she/it had seduced
nousnous avions séduitwe had seduced
vousvous aviez séduityou (pl.) had seduced
ils/ellesils/elles avaient séduitthey had seduced

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

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 séduitI will have seduced
tutu auras séduityou will have seduced
il/elleil/elle aura séduithe/she/it will have seduced
nousnous aurons séduitwe will have seduced
vousvous aurez séduityou (pl.) will have seduced
ils/ellesils/elles auront séduitthey will have seduced

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Irregular

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
jeséduise
tuséduises
il/elleséduise
nousséduisions
vousséduisiez
ils/ellesséduisent

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
jeséduisisse
tuséduisisses
il/elleséduisît
nousséduisissions
vousséduisissiez
ils/ellesséduisissent

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
tuséduis
nousséduisons
vousséduisez