Attirer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

attirer — to attract — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find attirer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the attirer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the attirer present tense page.

Example sentences with attirer

In the present tense

  • “J'attire Marie tous les jours.” — “I attract Marie every day.”
  • “Tu attires Marie à la maison.” — “You attract Marie at home.”
  • “Il attire Marie ce matin.” — “He attracts Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous attirons Marie avec Paul.” — “We attract Marie with Paul.”
  • “Vous attirez Marie.” — “You attract Marie.”
  • “Ils attirent Marie tous les jours.” — “They attract Marie every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai attiré Marie hier.” — “I have attracted Marie yesterday.”
  • “Tu as attiré Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You have attracted Marie last week.”
  • “Il a attiré Marie ce matin.” — “He has attracted Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous avons attiré Marie avant la fête.” — “We have attracted Marie before the party.”
  • “Vous avez attiré Marie.” — “You have attracted Marie.”
  • “Ils ont attiré Marie hier.” — “They have attracted Marie yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “J'attirais Marie à la maison.” — “I used to attract Marie at home.”
  • “Tu attireras Marie bientôt.” — “You will attract Marie soon.”
  • “Il attirerait Marie avec Paul.” — “He would attract Marie with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous attirions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We attract Marie every day.”
  • “Attire Marie !” — “Attract Marie!”

Attirer in context

J'attire Marie tous les jours. Tu attires Marie à la maison. Il attire Marie ce matin. Nous attirons Marie avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de attirer est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — attire, attires, attire, attirons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to attract. J'ai attiré Marie hier. Tu as attiré Marie la semaine dernière. Il a attiré Marie ce matin. Nous avons attiré Marie avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de attirer apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to attract — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je attirer Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'attire Marie tous les jours.”

The infinitive attirer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form attire.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je attires Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'attire Marie tous les jours.”

attires is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is attire — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “J'attire Marie hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai attiré Marie hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai attiré here, not the present attire.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je attirons Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'attire Marie tous les jours.”

attirons is the nous form. The je form is attire — the two persons never share a form in the present of attirer.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on attirer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of attirer in the Present indicative?

    • A) attirons
    • B) aurais attiré
    • C) attireras
    • D) attires

  2. What is the je form of attirer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) attirasse
    • B) ai attiré
    • C) attirerais
    • D) as attiré

  3. What is the il/elle form of attirer in the Imperfect?

    • A) attira
    • B) attirât
    • C) attirait
    • D) aurait attiré

  4. What is the nous form of attirer in the Future?

    • A) attirerez
    • B) avions attiré
    • C) attirassions
    • D) attirerons

  5. What is the tu form of attirer in the Conditional?

    • A) attirerais
    • B) attiras
    • C) attirais
    • D) attireriez

  6. What is the je form of attirer in the Passé simple?

    • A) attirai
    • B) attiras
    • C) attirerais
    • D) attirerai

  7. What is the nous form of attirer in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) attirions
    • B) aurions attiré
    • C) attirent
    • D) attirons

  8. What is the gerund of attirer?

    • A) conclusant
    • B) apercevant
    • C) en attirant
    • D) peignant

  9. What is the past participle of attirer?

    • A) appartenu
    • B) calmé
    • C) attiré
    • D) lavé

  10. What does attirer mean in English?

  • A) attract
  • B) stop
  • C) calm
  • D) get ready

Answer key

  1. D) attires — the tu form of attirer in the present indicative is attires. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) ai attiré — the je form of attirer in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai attiré. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) attirait — the il/elle form of attirer in the imperfect is attirait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. D) attirerons — the nous form of attirer in the future is attirerons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) attirerais — the tu form of attirer in the conditional is attirerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) attirai — the je form of attirer in the passé simple is attirai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. A) attirions — the nous form of attirer in the present subjunctive is attirions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en attirant — the gerund of attirer is en attirant; 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.
  9. C) attiré — the past participle of attirer is attiré; perfect tenses use avoir + attiré. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) attract — attirer means “to attract” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does attirer mean in English?

attirer means “to attract”. You use it whenever you talk about to attract in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is attirer regular or irregular?

attirer is regular. attirer 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.

What are the gerund and past participle of attirer?

The gerund is en attirant and the past participle is attiré. The perfect tenses use avoir + attiré.

Where can I see the full conjugation of attirer?

On the attirer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The attirer present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for attirer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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