Introduction

Accompagner means “to accompany”, and this page covers exactly one thing: accompagner in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for accompagner, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passé composé, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about accompagner in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il accompagne Marie tous les jours.” — “He accompanies Marie every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of accompagner exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Accompagner in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je accompagne
tu accompagnes
il/elle accompagne
nous accompagnons
vous accompagnez
ils/elles accompagnent
Gerund: en accompagnant · Past participle: accompagné
The gerund is en accompagnant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En accompagnant, je commence la journée.” — “While accompanying, I start the day.” The past participle is accompagné, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai accompagné is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present tense is only one part of how accompagner is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for accompagner, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense of accompagner is formed

The present tense of accompagner has six forms: j'accompagne, tu accompagnes, il accompagne, nous accompagnons, vous accompagnez, ils accompagnent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. accompagner 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. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Two things about the present of accompagner are worth noticing. First, the nous and vous forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the nous form, and the present subjunctive takes its nous and vous forms from the same stem, so learning accompagnons and accompagnez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so accompagne can mean both “I accompany” and “I am accompanying” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because accompagner is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of accompagner

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use accompagner in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and accompagner is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “J'accompagne Marie à la maison.” — “I accompany Marie at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about accompagner does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il accompagne Marie ce matin.” — “He accompanies Marie this morning.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with accompagner in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nous accompagnons Marie avec Paul.” — “We accompany Marie with Paul.”

4. Scheduled future events

French uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu accompagnes Marie.” — “You accompany Marie.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and accompagner in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils accompagnent Marie tous les jours.” — “They accompany Marie every day.”

Present Tense vs Passé Composé: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passé composé, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passé composé describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or toujours, while the passé composé sentences use hier or la semaine dernière. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Il accompagne Marie à la maison.” — “He accompanies Marie at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a accompagné Marie la semaine dernière.” — “He has accompanied Marie last week.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “J'accompagne Marie ce matin.” — “I accompany Marie this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai accompagné Marie ce matin.” — “I have accompanied Marie this morning.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Tu accompagnes Marie avec Paul.” — “You accompany Marie with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as accompagné Marie avant la fête.” — “You have accompanied Marie before the party.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

Example sentences: accompagner in the present tense

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “J'accompagne Marie à la maison.” — “I accompany Marie at home.”
  2. “Tu accompagnes Marie ce matin.” — “You accompany Marie this morning.”
  3. “Il accompagne Marie avec Paul.” — “He accompanies Marie with Paul.”
  4. “Nous accompagnons Marie.” — “We accompany Marie.”
  5. “Vous accompagnez Marie tous les jours.” — “You accompany Marie every day.”
  6. “Ils accompagnent Marie à la maison.” — “They accompany Marie at home.”
  7. “J'accompagne Marie tous les jours.” — “I accompany Marie every day.”
  8. “Il accompagne Marie avec Paul.” — “He accompanies Marie with Paul.”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je accompagnes Marie.” Right: “J'accompagne Marie tous les jours.” Why: The je form is accompagne, not accompagnes. accompagnes is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous accompagne Marie.” Right: “Nous accompagnons Marie tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form accompagnons. accompagne belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “J'accompagne Marie hier.” Right: “J'ai accompagné Marie hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai accompagné for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je accompagner Marie.” Right: “J'accompagne Marie tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive accompagner never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form accompagne.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the je form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnerai
    • B) accompagnais
    • C) accompagne
    • D) accompagnez

  2. What is the tu form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnais
    • B) accompagnes
    • C) as accompagné
    • D) accompagnent

  3. What is the il/elle form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) aura accompagné
    • B) accompagne
    • C) accompagnerait
    • D) accompagnez

  4. What is the nous form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnerons
    • B) accompagnions
    • C) accompagnons
    • D) accompagnes

  5. What is the vous form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnâtes
    • B) accompagnassiez
    • C) accompagniez
    • D) accompagnez

  6. What is the ils/elles form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) ont accompagné
    • B) accompagnent
    • C) accompagnes
    • D) avaient accompagné

  7. What is the je form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnent
    • B) accompagnasse
    • C) accompagne
    • D) accompagnais

  8. What is the tu form of accompagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) accompagnent
    • B) accompagnas
    • C) accompagnes
    • D) auras accompagné

Answer key

  1. C) accompagne — the je form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagne. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) accompagnes — the tu form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagnes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. B) accompagne — the il/elle form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagne. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) accompagnons — the nous form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagnons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) accompagnez — the vous form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagnez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) accompagnent — the ils/elles form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagnent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) accompagne — the je form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagne. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) accompagnes — the tu form of accompagner in the present indicative is accompagnes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does accompagner mean in English?

accompagner means “to accompany”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of accompagner formed?

The six present forms are: j'accompagne, tu accompagnes, il accompagne, nous accompagnons, vous accompagnez, ils accompagnent. accompagner 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.

When do I use the present instead of the passé composé?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

What are the gerund and past participle of accompagner?

The gerund is en accompagnant and the past participle is accompagné.

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