suggérer — French conjugation

to suggest

Frequency#496Irregular

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
jesuggèreI suggest
tusuggèresyou suggest
il/ellesuggèrehe/she/it suggests
noussuggéronswe suggest
voussuggérezyou (pl.) suggest
ils/ellessuggèrentthey suggest

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
jesuggéraiI suggested
tusuggérasyou suggested
il/ellesuggérahe/she/it suggested
noussuggérâmeswe suggested
voussuggérâtesyou (pl.) suggested
ils/ellessuggérèrentthey suggested

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
jesuggérais
tusuggérais
il/ellesuggérait
noussuggérions
voussuggériez
ils/ellessuggéraient

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
jesuggéreraisI would suggest
tusuggéreraisyou would suggest
il/ellesuggéreraithe/she/it would suggest
noussuggérerionswe would suggest
voussuggéreriezyou (pl.) would suggest
ils/ellessuggéreraientthey would suggest

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
jesuggéreraiI will suggest
tusuggérerasyou will suggest
il/ellesuggérerahe/she/it will suggest
noussuggéreronswe will suggest
voussuggérerezyou (pl.) will suggest
ils/ellessuggérerontthey will suggest

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 suggéréI have suggested
tutu as suggéréyou have suggested
il/elleil/elle a suggéréhe/she/it has suggested
nousnous avons suggéréwe have suggested
vousvous avez suggéréyou (pl.) have suggested
ils/ellesils/elles ont suggéréthey have suggested

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 suggéréI had suggested
tutu avais suggéréyou had suggested
il/elleil/elle avait suggéréhe/she/it had suggested
nousnous avions suggéréwe had suggested
vousvous aviez suggéréyou (pl.) had suggested
ils/ellesils/elles avaient suggéréthey had suggested

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

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 suggéréI will have suggested
tutu auras suggéréyou will have suggested
il/elleil/elle aura suggéréhe/she/it will have suggested
nousnous aurons suggéréwe will have suggested
vousvous aurez suggéréyou (pl.) will have suggested
ils/ellesils/elles auront suggéréthey will have suggested

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
jesuggère
tusuggères
il/ellesuggère
noussuggérions
voussuggériez
ils/ellessuggèrent

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
jesuggérasse
tusuggérasses
il/ellesuggérât
noussuggérassions
voussuggérassiez
ils/ellessuggérassent

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
tusuggère
noussuggérons
voussuggérez