Avouer Conjugation in French
avouer means “to confess” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 196 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er 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'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.” — “I confess the mistake every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: avouer
- English: to confess
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en avouant
- Past participle: avoué
- 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 avouer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for avouer. 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 | avoue |
| tu | avoues |
| il/elle | avoue |
| nous | avouons |
| vous | avouez |
| ils/elles | avouent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avouai |
| tu | avouas |
| il/elle | avoua |
| nous | avouâmes |
| vous | avouâtes |
| ils/elles | avouèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avouais |
| tu | avouais |
| il/elle | avouait |
| nous | avouions |
| vous | avouiez |
| ils/elles | avouaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avouerai |
| tu | avoueras |
| il/elle | avouera |
| nous | avouerons |
| vous | avouerez |
| ils/elles | avoueront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avouerais |
| tu | avouerais |
| il/elle | avouerait |
| nous | avouerions |
| vous | avoueriez |
| ils/elles | avoueraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai avoué |
| tu | as avoué |
| il/elle | a avoué |
| nous | avons avoué |
| vous | avez avoué |
| ils/elles | ont avoué |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais avoué |
| tu | avais avoué |
| il/elle | avait avoué |
| nous | avions avoué |
| vous | aviez avoué |
| ils/elles | avaient avoué |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai avoué |
| tu | auras avoué |
| il/elle | aura avoué |
| nous | aurons avoué |
| vous | aurez avoué |
| ils/elles | auront avoué |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais avoué |
| tu | aurais avoué |
| il/elle | aurait avoué |
| nous | aurions avoué |
| vous | auriez avoué |
| ils/elles | auraient avoué |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avoue |
| tu | avoues |
| il/elle | avoue |
| nous | avouions |
| vous | avouiez |
| ils/elles | avouent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avouasse |
| tu | avouasses |
| il/elle | avouât |
| nous | avouassions |
| vous | avouassiez |
| ils/elles | avouassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | avoue |
| nous | avouons |
| vous | avouez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | avoue |
| nous | avouons |
| vous | avouez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en avouant |
| Past participle | avoué |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.” — “I confess the mistake every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu avouas l'erreur la semaine dernière.” — “You confessed the mistake last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il avouait l'erreur ce matin.” — “He used to confess the mistake this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous avouerons l'erreur.” — “We will confess the mistake.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous avoueriez l'erreur.” — “You would confess the mistake.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont avoué l'erreur hier.” — “They have confessed the mistake yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais avoué l'erreur hier.” — “I had confessed the mistake yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras avoué l'erreur la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have confessed the mistake next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait avoué l'erreur ce matin.” — “He would have confessed the mistake this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous avouions l'erreur tous les jours.” — “It is important that We confess the mistake 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 avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous avouassiez l'erreur hier.” — “It was necessary that You confess the mistake yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Avouez l'erreur !” — “Confess the mistake!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With avouer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne avoue pas l'erreur !” — “Do not confess the mistake!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en avouant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En avouant, je commence la journée.” — “While confessing, I start the day.” The past participle avoué is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai avoué — “I have confessed the mistake yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with avouer, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “J'avoue l'erreur à la maison.” — “I confess the mistake at home.”
- “Tu avouas l'erreur ce matin.” — “You confessed the mistake this morning.”
- “Il avouait l'erreur avec Paul.” — “He used to confess the mistake with Paul.”
- “J'avouerai l'erreur demain.” — “I will confess the mistake tomorrow.”
- “Tu avouerais l'erreur tous les jours.” — “You would confess the mistake every day.”
- “Il a avoué l'erreur la semaine dernière.” — “He has confessed the mistake last week.”
- “J'avais avoué l'erreur ce matin.” — “I had confessed the mistake this morning.”
- “Tu auras avoué l'erreur demain.” — “You will have confessed the mistake tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il avoue l'erreur tous les jours.” — “It is important that He confess the mistake every day.”
- “Avoue l'erreur !” — “Confess the mistake!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je avouer l'erreur.”
✓ Right: “J'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.”
The infinitive avouer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form avoue.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je avoues l'erreur.”
✓ Right: “J'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.”
avoues is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is avoue — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “J'avoue l'erreur hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai avoué l'erreur hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai avoué here, not the present avoue.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je avouons l'erreur.”
✓ Right: “J'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.”
avouons is the nous form. The je form is avoue — the two persons never share a form in the present of avouer.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis avoué l'erreur hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai avoué l'erreur hier.”
avouer takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai avoué, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous avouons l'erreur.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous avouions l'erreur.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use avouions here, not the indicative avouons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on avouer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of avouer in the Present indicative?
- A) avouerais
- B) avouai
- C) avoues
- D) avoue
What is the il/elle form of avouer in the Passé simple?
- A) avouâtes
- B) avouas
- C) aura avoué
- D) avoua
What is the nous form of avouer in the Imperfect?
- A) avouaient
- B) avouassions
- C) avouons
- D) avouions
What is the tu form of avouer in the Future?
- A) avoues
- B) avouerez
- C) avoueras
- D) auras avoué
What is the je form of avouer in the Conditional?
- A) avouerait
- B) avouerais
- C) avouerions
- D) aurai avoué
What is the il/elle form of avouer in the Present subjunctive?
- A) avouerait
- B) aurait avoué
- C) avouât
- D) avoue
What is the nous form of avouer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) aurons avoué
- B) avouerons
- C) avons avoué
- D) avouions
What is the gerund of avouer?
- A) en avouant
- B) brûlant
- C) réparant
- D) préparant
What is the past participle of avouer?
- A) avoué
- B) préparé
- C) admis
- D) adopté
What does avouer mean in English?
- A) repair
- B) create
- C) confess
- D) cause
Answer key
- D) avoue — the je form of avouer in the present indicative is avoue. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avoua — the il/elle form of avouer in the passé simple is avoua. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avouions — the nous form of avouer in the imperfect is avouions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) avoueras — the tu form of avouer in the future is avoueras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) avouerais — the je form of avouer in the conditional is avouerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avoue — the il/elle form of avouer in the present subjunctive is avoue. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) avons avoué — the nous form of avouer in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons avoué. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) en avouant — the gerund of avouer is en avouant; 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) avoué — the past participle of avouer is avoué; perfect tenses use avoir + avoué. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) confess — avouer means “to confess” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn avouer in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — j'avoue, tu avoues, il avoue, nous avouons, vous avouez, ils avouent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai avoué shows the pattern, and the participle avoué 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 avouer with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does avouer mean in English?
avouer means “to confess”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is avouer regular or irregular?
avouer is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. avouer 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 avouer?
The gerund is en avouant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is avoué — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai avoué.
How do I say “I confess” in French?
Say “J'avoue l'erreur tous les jours.” — “I confess the mistake every day.” The je form of the present is avoue, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce avouer?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for avouer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- avouer in the present tense
- avouer examples and quiz
- Baisser conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Montrer 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.
- Verb Conjugator — practise avouer with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise avouer with the interactive tool.
- Subjunctive Helper — practise avouer with the interactive tool.