Accepter Conjugation in French
accepter means “to accept” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 115 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and this page gives you its complete conjugation — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.” — “I accept the letter every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: accepter
- English: to accept
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en acceptant
- Past participle: accepté
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for accepter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for accepter. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | accepte |
| tu | acceptes |
| il/elle | accepte |
| nous | acceptons |
| vous | acceptez |
| ils/elles | acceptent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | acceptai |
| tu | acceptas |
| il/elle | accepta |
| nous | acceptâmes |
| vous | acceptâtes |
| ils/elles | acceptèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | acceptais |
| tu | acceptais |
| il/elle | acceptait |
| nous | acceptions |
| vous | acceptiez |
| ils/elles | acceptaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | accepterai |
| tu | accepteras |
| il/elle | acceptera |
| nous | accepterons |
| vous | accepterez |
| ils/elles | accepteront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | accepterais |
| tu | accepterais |
| il/elle | accepterait |
| nous | accepterions |
| vous | accepteriez |
| ils/elles | accepteraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai accepté |
| tu | as accepté |
| il/elle | a accepté |
| nous | avons accepté |
| vous | avez accepté |
| ils/elles | ont accepté |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais accepté |
| tu | avais accepté |
| il/elle | avait accepté |
| nous | avions accepté |
| vous | aviez accepté |
| ils/elles | avaient accepté |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai accepté |
| tu | auras accepté |
| il/elle | aura accepté |
| nous | aurons accepté |
| vous | aurez accepté |
| ils/elles | auront accepté |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais accepté |
| tu | aurais accepté |
| il/elle | aurait accepté |
| nous | aurions accepté |
| vous | auriez accepté |
| ils/elles | auraient accepté |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | accepte |
| tu | acceptes |
| il/elle | accepte |
| nous | acceptions |
| vous | acceptiez |
| ils/elles | acceptent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | acceptasse |
| tu | acceptasses |
| il/elle | acceptât |
| nous | acceptassions |
| vous | acceptassiez |
| ils/elles | acceptassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | accepte |
| nous | acceptons |
| vous | acceptez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | accepte |
| nous | acceptons |
| vous | acceptez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en acceptant |
| Past participle | accepté |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.” — “I accept the letter every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu acceptas la lettre la semaine dernière.” — “You accepted the letter last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il acceptait la lettre ce matin.” — “He used to accept the letter this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous accepterons la lettre.” — “We will accept the letter.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous accepteriez la lettre.” — “You would accept the letter.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont accepté la lettre hier.” — “They have accepted the letter yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais accepté la lettre hier.” — “I had accepted the letter yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras accepté la lettre la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have accepted the letter next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait accepté la lettre ce matin.” — “He would have accepted the letter this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous acceptions la lettre tous les jours.” — “It is important that We accept the letter every day.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mostly in formal and literary French. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous acceptassiez la lettre hier.” — “It was necessary that You accept the letter yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Acceptez la lettre !” — “Accept the letter!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With accepter this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne accepte pas la lettre !” — “Do not accept the letter!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en acceptant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En acceptant, je commence la journée.” — “While accepting, I start the day.” The past participle accepté is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai accepté — “I have accepted the letter yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with accepter, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “J'accepte la lettre à la maison.” — “I accept the letter at home.”
- “Tu acceptas la lettre ce matin.” — “You accepted the letter this morning.”
- “Il acceptait la lettre avec Paul.” — “He used to accept the letter with Paul.”
- “J'accepterai la lettre demain.” — “I will accept the letter tomorrow.”
- “Tu accepterais la lettre tous les jours.” — “You would accept the letter every day.”
- “Il a accepté la lettre la semaine dernière.” — “He has accepted the letter last week.”
- “J'avais accepté la lettre ce matin.” — “I had accepted the letter this morning.”
- “Tu auras accepté la lettre demain.” — “You will have accepted the letter tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il accepte la lettre tous les jours.” — “It is important that He accept the letter every day.”
- “Accepte la lettre !” — “Accept the letter!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je accepter la lettre.”
✓ Right: “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.”
The infinitive accepter never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form accepte.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je acceptes la lettre.”
✓ Right: “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.”
acceptes is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is accepte — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “J'accepte la lettre hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai accepté la lettre hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai accepté here, not the present accepte.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je acceptons la lettre.”
✓ Right: “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.”
acceptons is the nous form. The je form is accepte — the two persons never share a form in the present of accepter.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis accepté la lettre hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai accepté la lettre hier.”
accepter takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai accepté, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous acceptons la lettre.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous acceptions la lettre.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use acceptions here, not the indicative acceptons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on accepter. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of accepter in the Present indicative?
- A) acceptais
- B) acceptes
- C) aurais accepté
- D) accepte
What is the il/elle form of accepter in the Passé simple?
- A) acceptâmes
- B) aura accepté
- C) a accepté
- D) accepta
What is the nous form of accepter in the Imperfect?
- A) acceptais
- B) acceptions
- C) acceptait
- D) acceptâmes
What is the tu form of accepter in the Future?
- A) accepteras
- B) acceptes
- C) accepterons
- D) accepteront
What is the je form of accepter in the Conditional?
- A) avais accepté
- B) ai accepté
- C) accepterions
- D) accepterais
What is the il/elle form of accepter in the Present subjunctive?
- A) acceptent
- B) accepterait
- C) acceptiez
- D) accepte
What is the nous form of accepter in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) as accepté
- B) accepterons
- C) ont accepté
- D) avons accepté
What is the gerund of accepter?
- A) améliorant
- B) en acceptant
- C) consultant
- D) montrant
What is the past participle of accepter?
- A) montré
- B) réparé
- C) accepté
- D) appartenu
What does accepter mean in English?
- A) beat
- B) accept
- C) finish
- D) admit
Answer key
- D) accepte — the je form of accepter in the present indicative is accepte. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) accepta — the il/elle form of accepter in the passé simple is accepta. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) acceptions — the nous form of accepter in the imperfect is acceptions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) accepteras — the tu form of accepter in the future is accepteras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) accepterais — the je form of accepter in the conditional is accepterais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) accepte — the il/elle form of accepter in the present subjunctive is accepte. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avons accepté — the nous form of accepter in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons accepté. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) en acceptant — the gerund of accepter is en acceptant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) accepté — the past participle of accepter is accepté; perfect tenses use avoir + accepté. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) accept — accepter means “to accept” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn accepter in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — j'accepte, tu acceptes, il accepte, nous acceptons, vous acceptez, ils acceptent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai accepté shows the pattern, and the participle accepté is the same in every perfect tense. Third, add one new tense a day, always in a sentence, and test yourself the next day before you learn the next one. A verb you can use in a sentence is learnt; a verb you can only recite is not. Use the Verb Quiz and the Verb Conjugator to check what has stuck, and compare accepter with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does accepter mean in English?
accepter means “to accept”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is accepter regular or irregular?
accepter is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. accepter is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.
What are the gerund and past participle of accepter?
The gerund is en acceptant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is accepté — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai accepté.
How do I say “I accept” in French?
Say “J'accepte la lettre tous les jours.” — “I accept the letter every day.” The je form of the present is accepte, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce accepter?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for accepter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- accepter in the present tense
- accepter examples and quiz
- Accompagner conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Baisser conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Ser Vs Estar Quiz — practise accepter with the interactive tool.
- Verb Ending Analyzer — practise accepter with the interactive tool.
- Future Conjugator — practise accepter with the interactive tool.