Appartenir Conjugation in French
appartenir means “to belong to” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 178 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ir 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'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.” — “I belong to Marie every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: appartenir
- English: to belong to
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: en appartenant
- Past participle: appartenu
- 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 appartenir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for appartenir. 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 | appartiens |
| tu | appartiens |
| il/elle | appartient |
| nous | appartenons |
| vous | appartenez |
| ils/elles | appartiennent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartins |
| tu | appartins |
| il/elle | appartint |
| nous | appartînmes |
| vous | appartîntes |
| ils/elles | appartinrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartenais |
| tu | appartenais |
| il/elle | appartenait |
| nous | appartenions |
| vous | apparteniez |
| ils/elles | appartenaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartiendrai |
| tu | appartiendras |
| il/elle | appartiendra |
| nous | appartiendrons |
| vous | appartiendrez |
| ils/elles | appartiendront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartiendrais |
| tu | appartiendrais |
| il/elle | appartiendrait |
| nous | appartiendrions |
| vous | appartiendriez |
| ils/elles | appartiendraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai appartenu |
| tu | as appartenu |
| il/elle | a appartenu |
| nous | avons appartenu |
| vous | avez appartenu |
| ils/elles | ont appartenu |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais appartenu |
| tu | avais appartenu |
| il/elle | avait appartenu |
| nous | avions appartenu |
| vous | aviez appartenu |
| ils/elles | avaient appartenu |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai appartenu |
| tu | auras appartenu |
| il/elle | aura appartenu |
| nous | aurons appartenu |
| vous | aurez appartenu |
| ils/elles | auront appartenu |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais appartenu |
| tu | aurais appartenu |
| il/elle | aurait appartenu |
| nous | aurions appartenu |
| vous | auriez appartenu |
| ils/elles | auraient appartenu |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartienne |
| tu | appartiennes |
| il/elle | appartienne |
| nous | appartenions |
| vous | apparteniez |
| ils/elles | appartiennent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | appartinsse |
| tu | appartinsses |
| il/elle | appartînt |
| nous | appartinssions |
| vous | appartinssiez |
| ils/elles | appartinssent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | appartiens |
| nous | appartenons |
| vous | appartenez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | appartiens |
| nous | appartenons |
| vous | appartenez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en appartenant |
| Past participle | appartenu |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With appartenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “J'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.” — “I belong to Marie every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With appartenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu appartins à Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You belonged to Marie last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Il appartenait à Marie ce matin.” — “He used to belong to Marie this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Nous appartiendrons à Marie.” — “We will belong to Marie.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Vous appartiendriez à Marie.” — “You would belong to Marie.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Ils ont appartenu à Marie hier.” — “They have belonged to Marie yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “J'avais appartenu à Marie hier.” — “I had belonged to Marie yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Tu auras appartenu à Marie la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have belonged to Marie next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Il aurait appartenu à Marie ce matin.” — “He would have belonged to Marie this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With appartenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que nous appartenions à Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We belong to Marie 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 appartenir this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -ir pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous appartinssiez à Marie hier.” — “It was necessary that You belong to Marie yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With appartenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Appartenez à Marie !” — “Belong to Marie!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With appartenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne appartiens pas à Marie !” — “Do not belong to Marie!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en appartenant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En appartenant, je commence la journée.” — “While belonging, I start the day.” The past participle appartenu is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai appartenu — “I have belonged to Marie yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with appartenir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “J'appartiens à Marie à la maison.” — “I belong to Marie at home.”
- “Tu appartins à Marie ce matin.” — “You belonged to Marie this morning.”
- “Il appartenait à Marie avec Paul.” — “He used to belong to Marie with Paul.”
- “J'appartiendrai à Marie demain.” — “I will belong to Marie tomorrow.”
- “Tu appartiendrais à Marie tous les jours.” — “You would belong to Marie every day.”
- “Il a appartenu à Marie la semaine dernière.” — “He has belonged to Marie last week.”
- “J'avais appartenu à Marie ce matin.” — “I had belonged to Marie this morning.”
- “Tu auras appartenu à Marie demain.” — “You will have belonged to Marie tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il appartienne à Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that He belong to Marie every day.”
- “Appartiens à Marie !” — “Belong to Marie!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je appartenir à Marie.”
✓ Right: “J'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.”
The infinitive appartenir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form appartiens.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je appartiens à Marie.”
✓ Right: “J'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.”
appartiens is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is appartiens — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “J'appartiens à Marie hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai appartenu à Marie hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai appartenu here, not the present appartiens.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je appartenons à Marie.”
✓ Right: “J'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.”
appartenir is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis appartenu à Marie hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai appartenu à Marie hier.”
appartenir takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai appartenu, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous appartenons à Marie.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous appartenions à Marie.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use appartenions here, not the indicative appartenons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on appartenir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of appartenir in the Present indicative?
- A) appartiens
- B) appartenez
- C) avais appartenu
- D) appartiendrai
What is the il/elle form of appartenir in the Passé simple?
- A) appartint
- B) a appartenu
- C) appartîntes
- D) aura appartenu
What is the nous form of appartenir in the Imperfect?
- A) appartenions
- B) avons appartenu
- C) aurions appartenu
- D) appartenons
What is the tu form of appartenir in the Future?
- A) aurais appartenu
- B) appartiennes
- C) appartiendront
- D) appartiendras
What is the je form of appartenir in the Conditional?
- A) aurai appartenu
- B) appartiendriez
- C) avais appartenu
- D) appartiendrais
What is the il/elle form of appartenir in the Present subjunctive?
- A) appartiendrait
- B) aura appartenu
- C) appartenions
- D) appartienne
What is the nous form of appartenir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avons appartenu
- B) ai appartenu
- C) ont appartenu
- D) avez appartenu
What is the gerund of appartenir?
- A) causant
- B) en appartenant
- C) comparant
- D) annonçant
What is the past participle of appartenir?
- A) appartenu
- B) peint
- C) aperçu
- D) annoncé
What does appartenir mean in English?
- A) compare
- B) build
- C) belong
- D) burn
Answer key
- A) appartiens — the je form of appartenir in the present indicative is appartiens. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) appartint — the il/elle form of appartenir in the passé simple is appartint. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) appartenions — the nous form of appartenir in the imperfect is appartenions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) appartiendras — the tu form of appartenir in the future is appartiendras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) appartiendrais — the je form of appartenir in the conditional is appartiendrais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) appartienne — the il/elle form of appartenir in the present subjunctive is appartienne. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) avons appartenu — the nous form of appartenir in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons appartenu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) en appartenant — the gerund of appartenir is en appartenant; 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.
- A) appartenu — the past participle of appartenir is appartenu; perfect tenses use avoir + appartenu. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) belong — appartenir means “to belong” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn appartenir in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — j'appartiens, tu appartiens, il appartient, nous appartenons, vous appartenez, ils appartiennent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai appartenu shows the pattern, and the participle appartenu 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 appartenir with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does appartenir mean in English?
appartenir means “to belong to”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is appartenir regular or irregular?
appartenir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. appartenir is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.
What are the gerund and past participle of appartenir?
The gerund is en appartenant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is appartenu — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai appartenu.
How do I say “I belong” in French?
Say “J'appartiens à Marie tous les jours.” — “I belong to Marie every day.” The je form of the present is appartiens, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce appartenir?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for appartenir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- appartenir in the passé composé tense
- appartenir examples and quiz
- Approcher conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Conclure 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.
- Tense Finder — practise appartenir with the interactive tool.
- Future Conjugator — practise appartenir with the interactive tool.
- Por Vs Para Quiz — practise appartenir with the interactive tool.