toucher — French conjugation

to touch.

Frequency#265Regular

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
jetouche
tutouches
il/elletouche
noustouchons
voustouchez
ils/ellestouchent

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
jetouchai
tutouchas
il/elletoucha
noustouchâmes
voustouchâtes
ils/ellestouchèrent

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
jetouchais
tutouchais
il/elletouchait
noustouchions
voustouchiez
ils/ellestouchaient

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
jetoucherais
tutoucherais
il/elletoucherait
noustoucherions
voustoucheriez
ils/ellestoucheraient

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
jetoucherai
tutoucheras
il/elletouchera
noustoucherons
voustoucherez
ils/ellestoucheront

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 touché
tutu as touché
il/elleil/elle a touché
nousnous avons touché
vousvous avez touché
ils/ellesils/elles ont touché

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 touché
tutu avais touché
il/elleil/elle avait touché
nousnous avions touché
vousvous aviez touché
ils/ellesils/elles avaient touché

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

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 touché
tutu auras touché
il/elleil/elle aura touché
nousnous aurons touché
vousvous aurez touché
ils/ellesils/elles auront touché

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
jetouche
tutouches
il/elletouche
noustouchions
voustouchiez
ils/ellestouchent

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
jetouchasse
tutouchasses
il/elletouchât
noustouchassions
voustouchassiez
ils/ellestouchassent

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
tutouche
noustouchons
voustouchez