vendre — French conjugation

to sell

Frequency#67Regular

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
jevendsI sell
tuvendsyou sell
il/ellevendhe/she/it sells
nousvendonswe sell
vousvendezyou (pl.) sell
ils/ellesvendentthey sell

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
jevendisI sold
tuvendisyou sold
il/ellevendithe/she/it sold
nousvendîmeswe sold
vousvendîtesyou (pl.) sold
ils/ellesvendirentthey sold

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
jevendais
tuvendais
il/ellevendait
nousvendions
vousvendiez
ils/ellesvendaient

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
jevendraisI would sell
tuvendraisyou would sell
il/ellevendraithe/she/it would sell
nousvendrionswe would sell
vousvendriezyou (pl.) would sell
ils/ellesvendraientthey would sell

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
jevendraiI will sell
tuvendrasyou will sell
il/ellevendrahe/she/it will sell
nousvendronswe will sell
vousvendrezyou (pl.) will sell
ils/ellesvendrontthey will sell

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 venduI have sold
tutu as venduyou have sold
il/elleil/elle a venduhe/she/it has sold
nousnous avons venduwe have sold
vousvous avez venduyou (pl.) have sold
ils/ellesils/elles ont venduthey have sold

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 venduI had sold
tutu avais venduyou had sold
il/elleil/elle avait venduhe/she/it had sold
nousnous avions venduwe had sold
vousvous aviez venduyou (pl.) had sold
ils/ellesils/elles avaient venduthey had sold

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

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 venduI will have sold
tutu auras venduyou will have sold
il/elleil/elle aura venduhe/she/it will have sold
nousnous aurons venduwe will have sold
vousvous aurez venduyou (pl.) will have sold
ils/ellesils/elles auront venduthey will have sold

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
jevende
tuvendes
il/ellevende
nousvendions
vousvendiez
ils/ellesvendent

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
jevendisse
tuvendisses
il/ellevendît
nousvendissions
vousvendissiez
ils/ellesvendissent

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
tuvends
nousvendons
vousvendez