zébrer — French conjugation

to stripe

Frequency#836Irregular

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
jezèbreI stripe
tuzèbresyou stripe
il/ellezèbrehe/she/it stripes
nouszébronswe stripe
vouszébrezyou (pl.) stripe
ils/elleszèbrentthey stripe

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
jezébraiI striped
tuzébrasyou striped
il/ellezébrahe/she/it striped
nouszébrâmeswe striped
vouszébrâtesyou (pl.) striped
ils/elleszébrèrentthey striped

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
jezébrais
tuzébrais
il/ellezébrait
nouszébrions
vouszébriez
ils/elleszébraient

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
jezébreraisI would stripe
tuzébreraisyou would stripe
il/ellezébreraithe/she/it would stripe
nouszébrerionswe would stripe
vouszébreriezyou (pl.) would stripe
ils/elleszébreraientthey would stripe

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
jezébreraiI will stripe
tuzébrerasyou will stripe
il/ellezébrerahe/she/it will stripe
nouszébreronswe will stripe
vouszébrerezyou (pl.) will stripe
ils/elleszébrerontthey will stripe

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 zébréI have striped
tutu as zébréyou have striped
il/elleil/elle a zébréhe/she/it has striped
nousnous avons zébréwe have striped
vousvous avez zébréyou (pl.) have striped
ils/ellesils/elles ont zébréthey have striped

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 zébréI had striped
tutu avais zébréyou had striped
il/elleil/elle avait zébréhe/she/it had striped
nousnous avions zébréwe had striped
vousvous aviez zébréyou (pl.) had striped
ils/ellesils/elles avaient zébréthey had striped

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

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 zébréI will have striped
tutu auras zébréyou will have striped
il/elleil/elle aura zébréhe/she/it will have striped
nousnous aurons zébréwe will have striped
vousvous aurez zébréyou (pl.) will have striped
ils/ellesils/elles auront zébréthey will have striped

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
jezèbre
tuzèbres
il/ellezèbre
nouszébrions
vouszébriez
ils/elleszèbrent

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
jezébrasse
tuzébrasses
il/ellezébrât
nouszébrassions
vouszébrassiez
ils/elleszébrassent

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
tuzèbre
nouszébrons
vouszébrez