trimer — French conjugation

to toil

Frequency#1095Regular

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
jetrimeI toil
tutrimesyou toil
il/elletrimehe/she/it toils
noustrimonswe toil
voustrimezyou (pl.) toil
ils/ellestrimentthey toil

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
jetrimaiI toiled
tutrimasyou toiled
il/elletrimahe/she/it toiled
noustrimâmeswe toiled
voustrimâtesyou (pl.) toiled
ils/ellestrimèrentthey toiled

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
jetrimais
tutrimais
il/elletrimait
noustrimions
voustrimiez
ils/ellestrimaient

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
jetrimeraisI would toil
tutrimeraisyou would toil
il/elletrimeraithe/she/it would toil
noustrimerionswe would toil
voustrimeriezyou (pl.) would toil
ils/ellestrimeraientthey would toil

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
jetrimeraiI will toil
tutrimerasyou will toil
il/elletrimerahe/she/it will toil
noustrimeronswe will toil
voustrimerezyou (pl.) will toil
ils/ellestrimerontthey will toil

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 triméI have toiled
tutu as triméyou have toiled
il/elleil/elle a triméhe/she/it has toiled
nousnous avons triméwe have toiled
vousvous avez triméyou (pl.) have toiled
ils/ellesils/elles ont triméthey have toiled

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 triméI had toiled
tutu avais triméyou had toiled
il/elleil/elle avait triméhe/she/it had toiled
nousnous avions triméwe had toiled
vousvous aviez triméyou (pl.) had toiled
ils/ellesils/elles avaient triméthey had toiled

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

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 triméI will have toiled
tutu auras triméyou will have toiled
il/elleil/elle aura triméhe/she/it will have toiled
nousnous aurons triméwe will have toiled
vousvous aurez triméyou (pl.) will have toiled
ils/ellesils/elles auront triméthey will have toiled

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
jetrime
tutrimes
il/elletrime
noustrimions
voustrimiez
ils/ellestriment

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
jetrimasse
tutrimasses
il/elletrimât
noustrimassions
voustrimassiez
ils/ellestrimassent

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
tutrime
noustrimons
voustrimez