signaler — French conjugation

to signal

Frequency#704Regular

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
jesignaleI signal
tusignalesyou signal
il/ellesignalehe/she/it signals
noussignalonswe signal
voussignalezyou (pl.) signal
ils/ellessignalentthey signal

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
jesignalaiI signalled
tusignalasyou signalled
il/ellesignalahe/she/it signalled
noussignalâmeswe signalled
voussignalâtesyou (pl.) signalled
ils/ellessignalèrentthey signalled

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
jesignalais
tusignalais
il/ellesignalait
noussignalions
voussignaliez
ils/ellessignalaient

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
jesignaleraisI would signal
tusignaleraisyou would signal
il/ellesignaleraithe/she/it would signal
noussignalerionswe would signal
voussignaleriezyou (pl.) would signal
ils/ellessignaleraientthey would signal

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
jesignaleraiI will signal
tusignalerasyou will signal
il/ellesignalerahe/she/it will signal
noussignaleronswe will signal
voussignalerezyou (pl.) will signal
ils/ellessignalerontthey will signal

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 signaléI have signalled
tutu as signaléyou have signalled
il/elleil/elle a signaléhe/she/it has signalled
nousnous avons signaléwe have signalled
vousvous avez signaléyou (pl.) have signalled
ils/ellesils/elles ont signaléthey have signalled

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 signaléI had signalled
tutu avais signaléyou had signalled
il/elleil/elle avait signaléhe/she/it had signalled
nousnous avions signaléwe had signalled
vousvous aviez signaléyou (pl.) had signalled
ils/ellesils/elles avaient signaléthey had signalled

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

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 signaléI will have signalled
tutu auras signaléyou will have signalled
il/elleil/elle aura signaléhe/she/it will have signalled
nousnous aurons signaléwe will have signalled
vousvous aurez signaléyou (pl.) will have signalled
ils/ellesils/elles auront signaléthey will have signalled

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
jesignale
tusignales
il/ellesignale
noussignalions
voussignaliez
ils/ellessignalent

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
jesignalasse
tusignalasses
il/ellesignalât
noussignalassions
voussignalassiez
ils/ellessignalassent

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
tusignale
noussignalons
voussignalez