Briller Conjugation in French
briller means “to shine” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 206 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: “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “I shine in the sky every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: briller
- English: to shine
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en brillant
- Past participle: brillé
- 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 briller, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for briller. 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 | brille |
| tu | brilles |
| il/elle | brille |
| nous | brillons |
| vous | brillez |
| ils/elles | brillent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brillai |
| tu | brillas |
| il/elle | brilla |
| nous | brillâmes |
| vous | brillâtes |
| ils/elles | brillèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brillais |
| tu | brillais |
| il/elle | brillait |
| nous | brillions |
| vous | brilliez |
| ils/elles | brillaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brillerai |
| tu | brilleras |
| il/elle | brillera |
| nous | brillerons |
| vous | brillerez |
| ils/elles | brilleront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brillerais |
| tu | brillerais |
| il/elle | brillerait |
| nous | brillerions |
| vous | brilleriez |
| ils/elles | brilleraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai brillé |
| tu | as brillé |
| il/elle | a brillé |
| nous | avons brillé |
| vous | avez brillé |
| ils/elles | ont brillé |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais brillé |
| tu | avais brillé |
| il/elle | avait brillé |
| nous | avions brillé |
| vous | aviez brillé |
| ils/elles | avaient brillé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai brillé |
| tu | auras brillé |
| il/elle | aura brillé |
| nous | aurons brillé |
| vous | aurez brillé |
| ils/elles | auront brillé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais brillé |
| tu | aurais brillé |
| il/elle | aurait brillé |
| nous | aurions brillé |
| vous | auriez brillé |
| ils/elles | auraient brillé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brille |
| tu | brilles |
| il/elle | brille |
| nous | brillions |
| vous | brilliez |
| ils/elles | brillent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | brillasse |
| tu | brillasses |
| il/elle | brillât |
| nous | brillassions |
| vous | brillassiez |
| ils/elles | brillassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | brille |
| nous | brillons |
| vous | brillez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | brille |
| nous | brillons |
| vous | brillez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en brillant |
| Past participle | brillé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “I shine in the sky every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu brillas dans le ciel la semaine dernière.” — “You shone in the sky last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il brillait dans le ciel ce matin.” — “He used to shine in the sky this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous brillerons dans le ciel.” — “We will shine in the sky.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous brilleriez dans le ciel.” — “You would shine in the sky.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont brillé dans le ciel hier.” — “They have shone in the sky yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais brillé dans le ciel hier.” — “I had shone in the sky yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras brillé dans le ciel la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have shone in the sky next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait brillé dans le ciel ce matin.” — “He would have shone in the sky this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous brillions dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “It is important that We shine in the sky 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 briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous brillassiez dans le ciel hier.” — “It was necessary that You shine in the sky yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Brillez dans le ciel !” — “Shine in the sky!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With briller this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne brille pas dans le ciel !” — “Do not shine in the sky!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en brillant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En brillant, je commence la journée.” — “While shining, I start the day.” The past participle brillé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai brillé — “I have shone in the sky yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with briller, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je brille dans le ciel à la maison.” — “I shine in the sky at home.”
- “Tu brillas dans le ciel ce matin.” — “You shone in the sky this morning.”
- “Il brillait dans le ciel avec Paul.” — “He used to shine in the sky with Paul.”
- “Je brillerai dans le ciel demain.” — “I will shine in the sky tomorrow.”
- “Tu brillerais dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “You would shine in the sky every day.”
- “Il a brillé dans le ciel la semaine dernière.” — “He has shone in the sky last week.”
- “J'avais brillé dans le ciel ce matin.” — “I had shone in the sky this morning.”
- “Tu auras brillé dans le ciel demain.” — “You will have shone in the sky tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il brille dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “It is important that He shine in the sky every day.”
- “Brille dans le ciel !” — “Shine in the sky!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je briller dans le ciel.”
✓ Right: “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.”
The infinitive briller never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form brille.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je brilles dans le ciel.”
✓ Right: “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.”
brilles is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is brille — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Je brille dans le ciel hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai brillé dans le ciel hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai brillé here, not the present brille.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je brillons dans le ciel.”
✓ Right: “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.”
brillons is the nous form. The je form is brille — the two persons never share a form in the present of briller.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis brillé dans le ciel hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai brillé dans le ciel hier.”
briller takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai brillé, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous brillons dans le ciel.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous brillions dans le ciel.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use brillions here, not the indicative brillons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on briller. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of briller in the Present indicative?
- A) brillais
- B) brille
- C) aurais brillé
- D) brillai
What is the il/elle form of briller in the Passé simple?
- A) brillait
- B) brillâtes
- C) brilla
- D) brille
What is the nous form of briller in the Imperfect?
- A) brilliez
- B) brillâmes
- C) aurons brillé
- D) brillions
What is the tu form of briller in the Future?
- A) brilleras
- B) brillas
- C) avais brillé
- D) aurais brillé
What is the je form of briller in the Conditional?
- A) brilleriez
- B) brillerions
- C) brille
- D) brillerais
What is the il/elle form of briller in the Present subjunctive?
- A) brillât
- B) brilliez
- C) brilles
- D) brille
What is the nous form of briller in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) aurons brillé
- B) brillassions
- C) avons brillé
- D) ont brillé
What is the gerund of briller?
- A) en brillant
- B) allumant
- C) consultant
- D) analysant
What is the past participle of briller?
- A) brillé
- B) adopté
- C) accompagné
- D) coupé
What does briller mean in English?
- A) admire
- B) attract
- C) accept
- D) shine
Answer key
- B) brille — the je form of briller in the present indicative is brille. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) brilla — the il/elle form of briller in the passé simple is brilla. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) brillions — the nous form of briller in the imperfect is brillions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) brilleras — the tu form of briller in the future is brilleras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) brillerais — the je form of briller in the conditional is brillerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) brille — the il/elle form of briller in the present subjunctive is brille. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) avons brillé — the nous form of briller in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons brillé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) en brillant — the gerund of briller is en brillant; 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) brillé — the past participle of briller is brillé; perfect tenses use avoir + brillé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- D) shine — briller means “to shine” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn briller in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je brille, tu brilles, il brille, nous brillons, vous brillez, ils brillent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai brillé shows the pattern, and the participle brillé 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 briller with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does briller mean in English?
briller means “to shine”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is briller regular or irregular?
briller is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. briller 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 briller?
The gerund is en brillant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is brillé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai brillé.
How do I say “I shine” in French?
Say “Je brille dans le ciel tous les jours.” — “I shine in the sky every day.” The je form of the present is brille, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce briller?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for briller, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- briller in the present tense
- briller examples and quiz
- Brûler conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Terminer 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.
- Future Conjugator — practise briller with the interactive tool.
- Irregular Verb Quiz — practise briller with the interactive tool.
- Gerund Finder — practise briller with the interactive tool.