Introduction

Amener means “to bring (someone)”, and this page covers exactly one thing: amener 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 amener, 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 amener in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il amène Marie tous les jours.” — “He brings Marie every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of amener exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Amener in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je amène
tu amènes
il/elle amène
nous amenons
vous amenez
ils/elles amènent
Gerund: en amenant · Past participle: amené
The gerund is en amenant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En amenant, je commence la journée.” — “While bringing, I start the day.” The past participle is amené, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai amené 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 amener is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for amener, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense of amener is formed

The present tense of amener has six forms: j'amène, tu amènes, il amène, nous amenons, vous amenez, ils amènent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. amener is a grave-e verb: the stem vowel e becomes è in the stressed forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative — for example je amène against nous amenons, which keeps e. The future and conditional keep the è on the stem as well: je amènerai. Learn the è forms as a set; the rest of the verb follows the regular -er pattern. 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 amener 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 amenons and amenez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so amène can mean both “I bring” and “I am bringing” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because amener is irregular in the present, do not try to derive these forms from the infinitive: the table above is the authority, and every form on this page comes from VerbFlow’s verified tables. The irregular tenses of amener are: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. In the tenses not listed there, amener follows the regular -er pattern.

When to use the present of amener

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use amener 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 amener is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “J'amène Marie à la maison.” — “I bring Marie at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about amener does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il amène Marie ce matin.” — “He brings 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 amener 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 amenons Marie avec Paul.” — “We bring 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 amènes Marie.” — “You bring 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 amener in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils amènent Marie tous les jours.” — “They bring 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 amène Marie à la maison.” — “He brings Marie at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a amené Marie la semaine dernière.” — “He has brought 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'amène Marie ce matin.” — “I bring Marie this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai amené Marie ce matin.” — “I have brought 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 amènes Marie avec Paul.” — “You bring Marie with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as amené Marie avant la fête.” — “You have brought 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: amener 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'amène Marie à la maison.” — “I bring Marie at home.”
  2. “Tu amènes Marie ce matin.” — “You bring Marie this morning.”
  3. “Il amène Marie avec Paul.” — “He brings Marie with Paul.”
  4. “Nous amenons Marie.” — “We bring Marie.”
  5. “Vous amenez Marie tous les jours.” — “You bring Marie every day.”
  6. “Ils amènent Marie à la maison.” — “They bring Marie at home.”
  7. “J'amène Marie tous les jours.” — “I bring Marie every day.”
  8. “Il amène Marie avec Paul.” — “He brings 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 amènes Marie.” Right: “J'amène Marie tous les jours.” Why: The je form is amène, not amènes. amènes is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous amène Marie.” Right: “Nous amenons Marie tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form amenons. amène belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “J'amène Marie hier.” Right: “J'ai amené Marie hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai amené for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je amener Marie.” Right: “J'amène Marie tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive amener never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form amène.

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 amener in the Present indicative?

    • A) amènent
    • B) amenons
    • C) amène
    • D) amenai

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

    • A) aurais amené
    • B) amèneras
    • C) amènerais
    • D) amènes

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

    • A) amenât
    • B) amène
    • C) amenez
    • D) amènera

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

    • A) amenons
    • B) avons amené
    • C) amenions
    • D) amènerons

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

    • A) ameniez
    • B) amenassiez
    • C) amenez
    • D) amèneriez

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

    • A) ont amené
    • B) amène
    • C) amènent
    • D) amèneront

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

    • A) amenais
    • B) amenasse
    • C) amène
    • D) amenez

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

    • A) amèneras
    • B) amènes
    • C) amenais
    • D) amène

Answer key

  1. C) amène — the je form of amener in the present indicative is amène. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) amènes — the tu form of amener in the present indicative is amènes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. B) amène — the il/elle form of amener in the present indicative is amène. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) amenons — the nous form of amener in the present indicative is amenons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. C) amenez — the vous form of amener in the present indicative is amenez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. C) amènent — the ils/elles form of amener in the present indicative is amènent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) amène — the je form of amener in the present indicative is amène. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. B) amènes — the tu form of amener in the present indicative is amènes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does amener mean in English?

amener means “to bring (someone)”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, grave-accent (é → è) spelling change verb.

How is the present tense of amener formed?

The six present forms are: j'amène, tu amènes, il amène, nous amenons, vous amenez, ils amènent. amener is a grave-e verb: the stem vowel e becomes è in the stressed forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative — for example je amène against nous amenons, which keeps e. The future and conditional keep the è on the stem as well: je amènerai. Learn the è forms as a set; the rest of the verb follows the regular -er pattern.

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 amener?

The gerund is en amenant and the past participle is amené.

Related pages