souper — French conjugation

to have dinner

Frequency#1170Regular

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.

PronounFrench
jesoupe
tusoupes
il/ellesoupe
noussoupons
voussoupez
ils/ellessoupent

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.

PronounFrench
jesoupai
tusoupas
il/ellesoupa
noussoupâmes
voussoupâtes
ils/ellessoupèrent

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
jesoupais
tusoupais
il/ellesoupait
noussoupions
voussoupiez
ils/ellessoupaient

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 ?

PronounFrench
jesouperais
tusouperais
il/ellesouperait
noussouperions
voussouperiez
ils/ellessouperaient

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.

PronounFrench
jesouperai
tusouperas
il/ellesoupera
noussouperons
voussouperez
ils/ellessouperont

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.

PronounFrench
jej'ai soupé
tutu as soupé
il/elleil/elle a soupé
nousnous avons soupé
vousvous avez soupé
ils/ellesils/elles ont soupé

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.

PronounFrench
jej'avais soupé
tutu avais soupé
il/elleil/elle avait soupé
nousnous avions soupé
vousvous aviez soupé
ils/ellesils/elles avaient soupé

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

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.

PronounFrench
jej'aurai soupé
tutu auras soupé
il/elleil/elle aura soupé
nousnous aurons soupé
vousvous aurez soupé
ils/ellesils/elles auront soupé

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
jesoupe
tusoupes
il/ellesoupe
noussoupions
voussoupiez
ils/ellessoupent

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
jesoupasse
tusoupasses
il/ellesoupât
noussoupassions
voussoupassiez
ils/ellessoupassent

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
tusoupe
noussoupons
voussoupez