virer — French conjugation

to turn (to change direction)

Frequency#550Regular

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
jevireI turn
tuviresyou turn
il/ellevirehe/she/it turns
nousvironswe turn
vousvirezyou (pl.) turn
ils/ellesvirentthey turn

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
jeviraiI turned
tuvirasyou turned
il/ellevirahe/she/it turned
nousvirâmeswe turned
vousvirâtesyou (pl.) turned
ils/ellesvirèrentthey turned

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
jevirais
tuvirais
il/ellevirait
nousvirions
vousviriez
ils/ellesviraient

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
jevireraisI would turn
tuvireraisyou would turn
il/ellevireraithe/she/it would turn
nousvirerionswe would turn
vousvireriezyou (pl.) would turn
ils/ellesvireraientthey would turn

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
jevireraiI will turn
tuvirerasyou will turn
il/ellevirerahe/she/it will turn
nousvireronswe will turn
vousvirerezyou (pl.) will turn
ils/ellesvirerontthey will turn

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 viréI have turned
tutu as viréyou have turned
il/elleil/elle a viréhe/she/it has turned
nousnous avons viréwe have turned
vousvous avez viréyou (pl.) have turned
ils/ellesils/elles ont viréthey have turned

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 viréI had turned
tutu avais viréyou had turned
il/elleil/elle avait viréhe/she/it had turned
nousnous avions viréwe had turned
vousvous aviez viréyou (pl.) had turned
ils/ellesils/elles avaient viréthey had turned

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

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 viréI will have turned
tutu auras viréyou will have turned
il/elleil/elle aura viréhe/she/it will have turned
nousnous aurons viréwe will have turned
vousvous aurez viréyou (pl.) will have turned
ils/ellesils/elles auront viréthey will have turned

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
jevire
tuvires
il/ellevire
nousvirions
vousviriez
ils/ellesvirent

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
jevirasse
tuvirasses
il/ellevirât
nousvirassions
vousvirassiez
ils/ellesvirassent

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
tuvire
nousvirons
vousvirez