Battre Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

battre — to beat — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -re verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find battre 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 battre conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the battre passé composé tense page.

Example sentences with battre

In the present tense

  • “Je bats le tambour tous les jours.” — “I beat the drum every day.”
  • “Tu bats le tambour à la maison.” — “You beat the drum at home.”
  • “Il bat le tambour ce matin.” — “He beats the drum this morning.”
  • “Nous battons le tambour avec Paul.” — “We beat the drum with Paul.”
  • “Vous battez le tambour.” — “You beat the drum.”
  • “Ils battent le tambour tous les jours.” — “They beat the drum every day.”

In the passé composé

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

  • “Je battais le tambour à la maison.” — “I used to beat the drum at home.”
  • “Tu battras le tambour bientôt.” — “You will beat the drum soon.”
  • “Il battrait le tambour avec Paul.” — “He would beat the drum with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous battions le tambour tous les jours.” — “It is important that We beat the drum every day.”
  • “Bats le tambour !” — “Beat the drum!”

Battre in context

Je bats le tambour tous les jours. Tu bats le tambour à la maison. Il bat le tambour ce matin. Nous battons le tambour avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de battre 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 — bats, bats, bat, battons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to beat. J'ai battu le tambour hier. Tu as battu le tambour la semaine dernière. Il a battu le tambour ce matin. Nous avons battu le tambour avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de battre 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 beat — 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 battre le tambour.”

✓ Right: “Je bats le tambour tous les jours.”

The infinitive battre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form bats.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je bats le tambour.”

✓ Right: “Je bats le tambour tous les jours.”

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

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je bats le tambour hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai battu le tambour hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai battu here, not the present bats.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je battons le tambour.”

✓ Right: “Je bats le tambour tous les jours.”

battre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -re pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) battent
    • B) battrais
    • C) aurais battu
    • D) bats

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

    • A) ai battu
    • B) battis
    • C) battrai
    • D) aurai battu

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

    • A) aura battu
    • B) battait
    • C) a battu
    • D) bat

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

    • A) aurons battu
    • B) battrons
    • C) battions
    • D) avons battu

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

    • A) as battu
    • B) battes
    • C) battrais
    • D) bats

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

    • A) battis
    • B) aurai battu
    • C) battirent
    • D) battîmes

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

    • A) battons
    • B) avions battu
    • C) battes
    • D) battions

  8. What is the gerund of battre?

    • A) causant
    • B) comparant
    • C) consultant
    • D) en battant

  9. What is the past participle of battre?

    • A) conclu
    • B) commenté
    • C) éteint
    • D) battu

  10. What does battre mean in English?

  • A) lower
  • B) add
  • C) shine
  • D) beat

Answer key

  1. D) bats — the tu form of battre in the present indicative is bats. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. A) ai battu — the je form of battre in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai battu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. B) battait — the il/elle form of battre in the imperfect is battait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) battrons — the nous form of battre in the future is battrons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. C) battrais — the tu form of battre in the conditional is battrais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) battis — the je form of battre in the passé simple is battis. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) battions — the nous form of battre in the present subjunctive is battions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) en battant — the gerund of battre is en battant; 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. D) battu — the past participle of battre is battu; perfect tenses use avoir + battu. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. D) beat — battre means “to beat” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does battre mean in English?

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

Is battre regular or irregular?

battre is irregular. battre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -re pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

What are the gerund and past participle of battre?

The gerund is en battant and the past participle is battu. The perfect tenses use avoir + battu.

Where can I see the full conjugation of battre?

On the battre conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The battre passé composé 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 battre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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