être: Conjugation
The être conjugation tables below show how to form the French verb être according to tense and person. To listen to the pronunciation of a given tense of être, click on the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the table. See the notes on the conjugation of être at the end of this page.
Present | Perfect |
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Imperfect | Pluperfect |
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Future | Future-perfect |
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Conditional | Conditional perfect |
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Present subjunctive | Perfect subjunctive |
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Past historic | Past anterior |
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Various forms of the verb être are among the most
commonly occurring French verb forms.
The verb être is also one of a few common but
highly irregular French verbs:
- It has more present tense forms than virtually any other verb;
- It is one of only four in the language to have a 3rd person plural form ending in -ont;
- It is one of few to have irregular subjunctive forms;
- It practically the only verb to have an irregular stem (ét-)
for the imperfect tense and present participle, not derived from the
nous present tense form;
- It has an irregular future stem.
As well as its meaning of to be, the verb être is a key verb because it has auxiliary uses
in forming the passive and and in forming compound tense forms
such as the perfect tense of
pronominal or "reflexive" verbs and of
of some "unergative" verbs (see when to use avoir and when to use être).
Part of the reason for this verb's high irregularity is that it is a merger of two Latin verbs: STARE (most
forms beginning with êt- and ét-; cf Spanish estar)
and ESSE (êtes and other forms; cf Spanish ser).