Brûler Conjugation in French

brûler means “to burn” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 209 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 brûle le bois tous les jours.” — “I burn the wood every day.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: brûler
  • English: to burn
  • Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
  • Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
  • Gerund: en brûlant
  • Past participle: brûlé
  • 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 brûler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for brûler. 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 brûle
tu brûles
il/elle brûle
nous brûlons
vous brûlez
ils/elles brûlent

Passé simple

Person Form
je brûlai
tu brûlas
il/elle brûla
nous brûlâmes
vous brûlâtes
ils/elles brûlèrent

Imperfect

Person Form
je brûlais
tu brûlais
il/elle brûlait
nous brûlions
vous brûliez
ils/elles brûlaient

Future

Person Form
je brûlerai
tu brûleras
il/elle brûlera
nous brûlerons
vous brûlerez
ils/elles brûleront

Conditional

Person Form
je brûlerais
tu brûlerais
il/elle brûlerait
nous brûlerions
vous brûleriez
ils/elles brûleraient

Present perfect

Person Form
je ai brûlé
tu as brûlé
il/elle a brûlé
nous avons brûlé
vous avez brûlé
ils/elles ont brûlé

Pluperfect (past perfect)

Person Form
je avais brûlé
tu avais brûlé
il/elle avait brûlé
nous avions brûlé
vous aviez brûlé
ils/elles avaient brûlé

Future perfect

Person Form
je aurai brûlé
tu auras brûlé
il/elle aura brûlé
nous aurons brûlé
vous aurez brûlé
ils/elles auront brûlé

Conditional perfect

Person Form
je aurais brûlé
tu aurais brûlé
il/elle aurait brûlé
nous aurions brûlé
vous auriez brûlé
ils/elles auraient brûlé

Present subjunctive

Person Form
je brûle
tu brûles
il/elle brûle
nous brûlions
vous brûliez
ils/elles brûlent

Imperfect subjunctive

Person Form
je brûlasse
tu brûlasses
il/elle brûlât
nous brûlassions
vous brûlassiez
ils/elles brûlassent

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tu brûle
nous brûlons
vous brûlez

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tu brûle
nous brûlons
vous brûlez

Gerund and past participle

Form French
Gerund en brûlant
Past participle brûlé

When to use each tense

Present indicative

The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.” — “I burn the wood every day.”

Passé simple

The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu brûlas le bois la semaine dernière.” — “You burned the wood last week.”

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il brûlait le bois ce matin.” — “He used to burn the wood this morning.”

Future

The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous brûlerons le bois.” — “We will burn the wood.”

Conditional

The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous brûleriez le bois.” — “You would burn the wood.”

Present perfect

The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont brûlé le bois hier.” — “They have burned the wood yesterday.”

Pluperfect (past perfect)

The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais brûlé le bois hier.” — “I had burned the wood yesterday.”

Future perfect

The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras brûlé le bois la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have burned the wood next week.”

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait brûlé le bois ce matin.” — “He would have burned the wood this morning.”

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous brûlions le bois tous les jours.” — “It is important that We burn the wood 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 brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous brûlassiez le bois hier.” — “It was necessary that You burn the wood yesterday.”

Imperative (affirmative)

The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Brûlez le bois !” — “Burn the wood!”

Imperative (negative)

The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With brûler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne brûle pas le bois !” — “Do not burn the wood!”

Gerund and past participle

The gerund en brûlant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En brûlant, je commence la journée.” — “While burning, I start the day.” The past participle brûlé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai brûlé — “I have burned the wood yesterday.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with brûler, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Je brûle le bois à la maison.” — “I burn the wood at home.”
  2. “Tu brûlas le bois ce matin.” — “You burned the wood this morning.”
  3. “Il brûlait le bois avec Paul.” — “He used to burn the wood with Paul.”
  4. “Je brûlerai le bois demain.” — “I will burn the wood tomorrow.”
  5. “Tu brûlerais le bois tous les jours.” — “You would burn the wood every day.”
  6. “Il a brûlé le bois la semaine dernière.” — “He has burned the wood last week.”
  7. “J'avais brûlé le bois ce matin.” — “I had burned the wood this morning.”
  8. “Tu auras brûlé le bois demain.” — “You will have burned the wood tomorrow.”
  9. “Il est important que il brûle le bois tous les jours.” — “It is important that He burn the wood every day.”
  10. “Brûle le bois !” — “Burn the wood!”

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.

5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé

✗ Wrong: “Je suis brûlé le bois hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai brûlé le bois hier.”

brûler takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai brûlé, never the être form.

6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous brûlons le bois.”

✓ Right: “Il est important que nous brûlions le bois.”

After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use brûlions here, not the indicative brûlons.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on brûler. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

    • A) brûlent
    • B) brûlai
    • C) brûlerai
    • D) brûle

  2. What is the il/elle form of brûler in the Passé simple?

    • A) aura brûlé
    • B) aurait brûlé
    • C) brûla
    • D) brûlâtes

  3. What is the nous form of brûler in the Imperfect?

    • A) brûlions
    • B) brûlaient
    • C) brûlais
    • D) brûlassions

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

    • A) brûleras
    • B) brûlais
    • C) brûlerai
    • D) aurais brûlé

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

    • A) brûleriez
    • B) brûlerai
    • C) ai brûlé
    • D) brûlerais

  6. What is the il/elle form of brûler in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) brûliez
    • B) avait brûlé
    • C) brûle
    • D) brûlions

  7. What is the nous form of brûler in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) ont brûlé
    • B) brûlerions
    • C) avons brûlé
    • D) brûlions

  8. What is the gerund of brûler?

    • A) annonçant
    • B) en brûlant
    • C) préparant
    • D) avouant

  9. What is the past participle of brûler?

    • A) cessé
    • B) accusé
    • C) brûlé
    • D) ajouté

  10. What does brûler mean in English?

  • A) burn
  • B) compare
  • C) conclude
  • D) approach

Answer key

  1. D) brûle — the je form of brûler in the present indicative is brûle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) brûla — the il/elle form of brûler in the passé simple is brûla. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. A) brûlions — the nous form of brûler in the imperfect is brûlions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) brûleras — the tu form of brûler in the future is brûleras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) brûlerais — the je form of brûler in the conditional is brûlerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. C) brûle — the il/elle form of brûler in the present subjunctive is brûle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) avons brûlé — the nous form of brûler in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons brûlé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. B) 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. C) 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.

How to learn this verb

Learn brûler in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je brûle, tu brûles, il brûle, nous brûlons, vous brûlez, ils brûlent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai brûlé shows the pattern, and the participle brûlé 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 brûler with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.

Frequently asked questions

What does brûler mean in English?

brûler means “to burn”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is brûler regular or irregular?

brûler is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. 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 — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is brûlé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai brûlé.

How do I say “I burn” in French?

Say “Je brûle le bois tous les jours.” — “I burn the wood every day.” The je form of the present is brûle, and it is the form you will use most often.

How do you pronounce brûler?

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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