While French isn’t short of verbs, among the most important ones is the verb to be or être. So, knowing the être conjugation is an essential step in your French learning journey. Whether you are a beginner or you want to refresh your memory, let’s find out how to use and conjugate être in French!
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Use of the verb “être”
You will find and use the verb “être” in several contexts. Some of these might be familiar to an English-speaking student since they mirror those of the verb “to be”. Let’s dive into them nonetheless:
Example: “I am a student” – Je suis étudiante.
- Permanent or temporary characteristics:
They can be both physical or emotional:
Examples:
“He is tall” – Il est grand.
“She is tired” – Elle est fatiguée.
- Origin or provenance:
Example: “I am from Paris”- Je suis de Paris.
- Auxiliary verb in compound constructions :
When forming compound tenses, like the past tense
Example: “I have been there” – J’ai été ici.
How to conjugate “être” in French
Présent – Present simple
| French | English |
| Je suis | I am |
| Tu es | You are |
| Il/Elle/On est | He/She is |
| Nous sommes | We are |
| Vous êtes | You are |
| Ils/Elles sont | They are |
Futur – Future simple
When planning, promising or dreaming of becoming something/someone, the future simple of “être” is your go-to tense.
| French | English |
| Je serai | I will be |
| Tu seras | You will be |
| Il/Elle/On sera | He/She will be |
| Nous serons | We will be |
| Vous serez | You will be |
| Ils/Elles seront | They will be |
Passé simple – Past simple
Used mainly in literature but rarely in everyday spoken French, learn how to conjugate être when talking about past events.
| French | English |
| Je fus | I was |
| Tu fus | You were |
| Il/Elle/On fut | He/She was |
| Nous fûmes | We were |
| Vous fûtes | You were |
| Ils/Elles furent | They were |
Imparfait
Used to talk about continuing or repeated actions in the past or to describe past habits, here is how to conjugate être in French in its imparfait tense:
| French | English |
| J’étais | I was |
| Tu étais | You were |
| Il/Elle/On était | He/She was |
| Nous étions | We were |
| Vous étiez | You were |
| Ils/Elles étaient | They were |
Conditionnel présent – Present conditional
This tense will be handy when talking about hypothetical situations, wishes and desires.
| French | English |
| Je serais | I would be |
| Tu serais | You would be |
| Il/Elle/On serait | He/She would be |
| Nous serions | We would be |
| Vous seriez | You would be |
| Ils/Elles seraient | They would be |
Subjonctif présent – Present subjunctive
You will learn below how to conjugate être in the present subjunctive. This mood is used to indicate uncertainty, subjectivity or unreality.
| French | English | Example |
| que je sois (contente) | To be | Elle veut que je sois contente. |
| que tu sois | To be | Elle veut que tu sois content. |
| qu’il/elle/on soit | To be | Elle veut qu’il soit content. |
| que nous soyons | To be | Elle veut que nous soyons contents. |
| que vous soyez | To be | Elle veut que vous soyez contents. |
| qu’ils/elles soient | To be | Elle veut qu’ils soient contents. |
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Imparfait du subjonctif – Imperfect subjunctive
It’s used in formal French and comes from literature, history and journalism.
| French | English | Example |
| que je fusse | To be | Il voulait que je fusse contente. |
| que tu fusses | To be | Il voulait que tu fusses content. |
| qu’il/elle/on fût | To be | Il voulait qu’elle fût contente. |
| que nous fussions | To be | Il voulait que nous fussions contents. |
| que vous fussiez | To be | Il voulait que vous fussiez contents. |
| qu‘ils/elles fussent | To be | Il voulait qu’elles fussent contentes. |
Passé composé – Present perfect
| French | English |
| J’ai été | I have been |
| Tu as été | You have been |
| Il/Elle/On a été | He/She has been |
| Nous avons été | We have been |
| Vous avez été | You have been |
| Ils/Elles ont été | They have been |
Plus que parfait – Past perfect
To conjugate être in the past perfect, use the same structure as Passé composé.
| French | English |
| J’avais été | I had been |
| Tu avais été | You had been |
| Il/Elle/On avait été | He/She had been |
| Nous avions été | We had been |
| Vous aviez été | You had been |
| Ils/Elles avaient été | They had been |
Passé antérieur
| French | English |
| J’eus été | I would have been |
| Tu eus été | You would have been |
| Il/Elle/On eut été | He/She would have been |
| Nous eûmes été | We would have been |
| Vous eûtes été | You would have been |
| Ils/Elles eurent été | They would have been |
Futur antérieur – Future perfect
This tense is present in literature.
| French | English |
| J’aurai été | I will have been |
| Tu auras été | You will have been |
| Il/Elle/On aura été | He/She will have been |
| Nous aurons été | We will have been |
| Vous aurez été | You will have been |
| Ils/Elles auront été | They will have been |
Impératif – Imperative
The imperative mood is used to give an order. There is no pronoun. We conjugate to be in the present indicative.
| French | English |
| Sois | Be |
| Soyons | Let’s be |
| Soyez (contents) | Be |
All conjugations of the verb être
There are many tenses in the French language. We have explained to you here the conjugation of the verb être in the most used tenses. There are still other tenses such as the subjunctive pluperfect for grammar buffs. Otherwise, the tenses cited above should allow you to conjugate the verb to be at every tense! It’s up to you to memorize each conjugation little by little.
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Emilie Bled
Emilie is a community manager and writer specializing in the tourism, sports, and industry sectors. She lives just an hour away from Paris, where she takes full advantage of the forests for mountain biking. Passionate about climbing and outdoor sports, she travels in a van with her family across Europe. India holds a special place in her heart, having lived and worked there. After numerous experiences in digital communication, she has founded her own business. Discover more about her journey and professional expertise by checking out her services or her Linkedin profile.
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