stopper — French conjugation

to stop

Frequency#1500Regular

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
jestoppeI stop
tustoppesyou stop
il/ellestoppehe/she/it stops
nousstopponswe stop
vousstoppezyou (pl.) stop
ils/ellesstoppentthey stop

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
jestoppaiI stopped
tustoppasyou stopped
il/ellestoppahe/she/it stopped
nousstoppâmeswe stopped
vousstoppâtesyou (pl.) stopped
ils/ellesstoppèrentthey stopped

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
jestoppais
tustoppais
il/ellestoppait
nousstoppions
vousstoppiez
ils/ellesstoppaient

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
jestopperaisI would stop
tustopperaisyou would stop
il/ellestopperaithe/she/it would stop
nousstopperionswe would stop
vousstopperiezyou (pl.) would stop
ils/ellesstopperaientthey would stop

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
jestopperaiI will stop
tustopperasyou will stop
il/ellestopperahe/she/it will stop
nousstopperonswe will stop
vousstopperezyou (pl.) will stop
ils/ellesstopperontthey will stop

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 stoppéI have stopped
tutu as stoppéyou have stopped
il/elleil/elle a stoppéhe/she/it has stopped
nousnous avons stoppéwe have stopped
vousvous avez stoppéyou (pl.) have stopped
ils/ellesils/elles ont stoppéthey have stopped

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 stoppéI had stopped
tutu avais stoppéyou had stopped
il/elleil/elle avait stoppéhe/she/it had stopped
nousnous avions stoppéwe had stopped
vousvous aviez stoppéyou (pl.) had stopped
ils/ellesils/elles avaient stoppéthey had stopped

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

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 stoppéI will have stopped
tutu auras stoppéyou will have stopped
il/elleil/elle aura stoppéhe/she/it will have stopped
nousnous aurons stoppéwe will have stopped
vousvous aurez stoppéyou (pl.) will have stopped
ils/ellesils/elles auront stoppéthey will have stopped

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
jestoppe
tustoppes
il/ellestoppe
nousstoppions
vousstoppiez
ils/ellesstoppent

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
jestoppasse
tustoppasses
il/ellestoppât
nousstoppassions
vousstoppassiez
ils/ellesstoppassent

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
tustoppe
nousstoppons
vousstoppez