Introduction

Arranger means “to arrange”, and this page covers exactly one thing: arranger 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 arranger, 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 arranger in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il arrange la maison tous les jours.” — “He arranges the house every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of arranger exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Arranger in the Present Tense — full table

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

How the present tense of arranger is formed

The present tense of arranger has six forms: j'arrange, tu arranges, il arrange, nous arrangeons, vous arrangez, ils arrangent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. arranger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je arrange, nous arrangeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only. 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 arranger 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 arrangeons and arrangez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so arrange can mean both “I arrange” and “I am arranging” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because arranger 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 arranger are: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. In the tenses not listed there, arranger follows the regular -er pattern.

When to use the present of arranger

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

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about arranger does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il arrange la maison ce matin.” — “He arranges the house 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 arranger 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 arrangeons la maison avec Paul.” — “We arrange the house 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 arranges la maison.” — “You arrange the house.”

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 arranger in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils arrangent la maison tous les jours.” — “They arrange the house 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 arrange la maison à la maison.” — “He arranges the house at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a arrangé la maison la semaine dernière.” — “He has arranged the house 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'arrange la maison ce matin.” — “I arrange the house this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai arrangé la maison ce matin.” — “I have arranged the house 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 arranges la maison avec Paul.” — “You arrange the house with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as arrangé la maison avant la fête.” — “You have arranged the house 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: arranger 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'arrange la maison à la maison.” — “I arrange the house at home.”
  2. “Tu arranges la maison ce matin.” — “You arrange the house this morning.”
  3. “Il arrange la maison avec Paul.” — “He arranges the house with Paul.”
  4. “Nous arrangeons la maison.” — “We arrange the house.”
  5. “Vous arrangez la maison tous les jours.” — “You arrange the house every day.”
  6. “Ils arrangent la maison à la maison.” — “They arrange the house at home.”
  7. “J'arrange la maison tous les jours.” — “I arrange the house every day.”
  8. “Il arrange la maison avec Paul.” — “He arranges the house 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 arranges la maison.” Right: “J'arrange la maison tous les jours.” Why: The je form is arrange, not arranges. arranges is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous arrange la maison.” Right: “Nous arrangeons la maison tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form arrangeons. arrange belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “J'arrange la maison hier.” Right: “J'ai arrangé la maison hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai arrangé for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je arranger la maison.” Right: “J'arrange la maison tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive arranger never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form arrange.

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 arranger in the Present indicative?

    • A) arrange
    • B) arrangent
    • C) arranges
    • D) arrangeais

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

    • A) avais arrangé
    • B) arrangeons
    • C) arrangeais
    • D) arranges

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

    • A) arrange
    • B) arrangent
    • C) arrangeons
    • D) arrangez

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

    • A) arrangeons
    • B) arrange
    • C) arrangeions
    • D) arrangent

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

    • A) arrangez
    • B) auriez arrangé
    • C) arrangeiez
    • D) aurez arrangé

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

    • A) arrangent
    • B) arrange
    • C) ont arrangé
    • D) arrangèrent

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

    • A) arrangeais
    • B) arrange
    • C) arrangerais
    • D) arrangez

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

    • A) arrangeas
    • B) auras arrangé
    • C) arrangeras
    • D) arranges

Answer key

  1. A) arrange — the je form of arranger in the present indicative is arrange. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) arranges — the tu form of arranger in the present indicative is arranges. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. A) arrange — the il/elle form of arranger in the present indicative is arrange. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) arrangeons — the nous form of arranger in the present indicative is arrangeons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) arrangez — the vous form of arranger in the present indicative is arrangez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) arrangent — the ils/elles form of arranger in the present indicative is arrangent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. B) arrange — the je form of arranger in the present indicative is arrange. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) arranges — the tu form of arranger in the present indicative is arranges. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does arranger mean in English?

arranger means “to arrange”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, -ger (e-insertion) spelling change verb.

How is the present tense of arranger formed?

The six present forms are: j'arrange, tu arranges, il arrange, nous arrangeons, vous arrangez, ils arrangent. arranger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je arrange, nous arrangeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only.

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 arranger?

The gerund is en arrangeant and the past participle is arrangé.

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