Brûler Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

brûler — to burn — 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 brûler 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 brûler conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the brûler present tense page.

Example sentences with brûler

In the present tense

  • “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.” — “I burn the wood every day.”
  • “Tu brûles le bois à la maison.” — “You burn the wood at home.”
  • “Il brûle le bois ce matin.” — “He burns the wood this morning.”
  • “Nous brûlons le bois avec Paul.” — “We burn the wood with Paul.”
  • “Vous brûlez le bois.” — “You burn the wood.”
  • “Ils brûlent le bois tous les jours.” — “They burn the wood every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai brûlé le bois hier.” — “I have burned the wood yesterday.”
  • “Tu as brûlé le bois la semaine dernière.” — “You have burned the wood last week.”
  • “Il a brûlé le bois ce matin.” — “He has burned the wood this morning.”
  • “Nous avons brûlé le bois avant la fête.” — “We have burned the wood before the party.”
  • “Vous avez brûlé le bois.” — “You have burned the wood.”
  • “Ils ont brûlé le bois hier.” — “They have burned the wood 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 brûlais le bois à la maison.” — “I used to burn the wood at home.”
  • “Tu brûleras le bois bientôt.” — “You will burn the wood soon.”
  • “Il brûlerait le bois avec Paul.” — “He would burn the wood with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous brûlions le bois tous les jours.” — “It is important that We burn the wood every day.”
  • “Brûle le bois !” — “Burn the wood!”

Brûler in context

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

✓ Right: “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.”

The infinitive brûler never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form brûle.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je brûles le bois.”

✓ Right: “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.”

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

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je brûle le bois hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai brûlé le bois hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai brûlé here, not the present brûle.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je brûlons le bois.”

✓ Right: “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.”

brûlons is the nous form. The je form is brûle — the two persons never share a form in the present of brûler.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) auras brûlé
    • B) brûles
    • C) brûleras
    • D) brûlerais

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

    • A) aurais brûlé
    • B) brûle
    • C) ai brûlé
    • D) brûlasse

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

    • A) brûlait
    • B) brûlerait
    • C) aurait brûlé
    • D) brûliez

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

    • A) brûlerons
    • B) brûlions
    • C) brûlera
    • D) brûlerez

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

    • A) brûlas
    • B) brûlerions
    • C) brûlerais
    • D) aurais brûlé

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

    • A) aurai brûlé
    • B) ai brûlé
    • C) brûlèrent
    • D) brûlai

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

    • A) brûlent
    • B) aurions brûlé
    • C) brûlions
    • D) brûlâmes

  8. What is the gerund of brûler?

    • A) apercevant
    • B) acceptant
    • C) en brûlant
    • D) accusant

  9. What is the past participle of brûler?

    • A) accompagné
    • B) brûlé
    • C) peint
    • D) cassé

  10. What does brûler mean in English?

  • A) burn
  • B) accept
  • C) finish
  • D) improve

Answer key

  1. B) brûles — the tu form of brûler in the present indicative is brûles. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) ai brûlé — the je form of brûler in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai brûlé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. A) brûlait — the il/elle form of brûler in the imperfect is brûlait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) brûlerons — the nous form of brûler in the future is brûlerons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. C) brûlerais — the tu form of brûler in the conditional is brûlerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. D) brûlai — the je form of brûler in the passé simple is brûlai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) brûlions — the nous form of brûler in the present subjunctive is brûlions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en brûlant — the gerund of brûler is en brûlant; 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. B) brûlé — the past participle of brûler is brûlé; perfect tenses use avoir + brûlé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) burn — brûler means “to burn” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does brûler mean in English?

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

Is brûler regular or irregular?

brûler is regular. brûler 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 brûler?

The gerund is en brûlant and the past participle is brûlé. The perfect tenses use avoir + brûlé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of brûler?

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

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