Introduction

Attirer means “to attract”, and this page covers exactly one thing: attirer 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 attirer, 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 attirer in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il attire Marie tous les jours.” — “He attracts Marie every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of attirer exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Attirer in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je attire
tu attires
il/elle attire
nous attirons
vous attirez
ils/elles attirent
Gerund: en attirant · Past participle: attiré
The gerund is en attirant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En attirant, je commence la journée.” — “While attracting, I start the day.” The past participle is attiré, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai attiré 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 attirer is used.
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.

How the present tense of attirer is formed

The present tense of attirer has six forms: j'attire, tu attires, il attire, nous attirons, vous attirez, ils attirent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. 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. 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 attirer 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 attirons and attirez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so attire can mean both “I attract” and “I am attracting” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because attirer 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 attirer

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

2. General truths

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

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 attirer in the Present indicative?

    • A) attires
    • B) aurai attiré
    • C) attire
    • D) attirerai

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

    • A) attirons
    • B) attirasses
    • C) avais attiré
    • D) attires

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

    • A) attirerait
    • B) attira
    • C) attire
    • D) aura attiré

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

    • A) attirions
    • B) attirons
    • C) attirerions
    • D) avons attiré

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

    • A) attirez
    • B) attirent
    • C) auriez attiré
    • D) attireriez

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

    • A) attireraient
    • B) attirent
    • C) attirez
    • D) attirons

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

    • A) attirons
    • B) attirais
    • C) attire
    • D) attires

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

    • A) attirez
    • B) attires
    • C) attirasses
    • D) attire

Answer key

  1. C) attire — the je form of attirer in the present indicative is attire. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. 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.
  3. C) attire — the il/elle form of attirer in the present indicative is attire. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) attirons — the nous form of attirer in the present indicative is attirons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) attirez — the vous form of attirer in the present indicative is attirez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) attirent — the ils/elles form of attirer in the present indicative is attirent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) attire — the je form of attirer in the present indicative is attire. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. B) 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.

Frequently asked questions

What does attirer mean in English?

attirer means “to attract”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of attirer formed?

The six present forms are: j'attire, tu attires, il attire, nous attirons, vous attirez, ils attirent. 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.

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 attirer?

The gerund is en attirant and the past participle is attiré.

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