Introduction

Assister means “to attend”, and this page covers exactly one thing: assister 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 assister, 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 assister in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il assiste à la réunion tous les jours.” — “He attends the meeting every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of assister exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Assister in the Present Tense — full table

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

How the present tense of assister is formed

The present tense of assister has six forms: j'assiste, tu assistes, il assiste, nous assistons, vous assistez, ils assistent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. assister 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 assister 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 assistons and assistez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so assiste can mean both “I attend” and “I am attending” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because assister 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 assister

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

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about assister does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il assiste à la réunion ce matin.” — “He attends the meeting 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 assister 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 assistons à la réunion avec Paul.” — “We attend the meeting 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 assistes à la réunion.” — “You attend the meeting.”

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

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 assister in the Present indicative?

    • A) ai assisté
    • B) assistez
    • C) assistons
    • D) assiste

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

    • A) assistasses
    • B) assistes
    • C) assistas
    • D) aurais assisté

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

    • A) aurait assisté
    • B) assistons
    • C) assiste
    • D) avait assisté

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

    • A) assistions
    • B) assiste
    • C) assistons
    • D) avons assisté

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

    • A) assistez
    • B) aurez assisté
    • C) avez assisté
    • D) assistiez

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

    • A) assistent
    • B) assistez
    • C) assisteront
    • D) assisteraient

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

    • A) assiste
    • B) ai assisté
    • C) assistai
    • D) avais assisté

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

    • A) assistes
    • B) assistez
    • C) assiste
    • D) assistent

Answer key

  1. D) assiste — the je form of assister in the present indicative is assiste. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) assistes — the tu form of assister in the present indicative is assistes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) assiste — the il/elle form of assister in the present indicative is assiste. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) assistons — the nous form of assister in the present indicative is assistons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) assistez — the vous form of assister in the present indicative is assistez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) assistent — the ils/elles form of assister in the present indicative is assistent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. A) assiste — the je form of assister in the present indicative is assiste. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. A) assistes — the tu form of assister in the present indicative is assistes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does assister mean in English?

assister means “to attend”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of assister formed?

The six present forms are: j'assiste, tu assistes, il assiste, nous assistons, vous assistez, ils assistent. assister 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 assister?

The gerund is en assistant and the past participle is assisté.

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