Cacher Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of cacher — “to hide” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for cacher, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir.” — “I hide my keys in the drawer.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cacher, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of cacher
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for cacher. cacher is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — cacher
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cache |
| tu | caches |
| il/elle | cache |
| nous | cachons |
| vous | cachez |
| ils/elles | cachent |
The gerund of cacher is en cachant and the past participle is caché. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of cacher is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem cach- (the infinitive cacher without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → cache, tu → caches, il/elle → cache, nous → cachons, vous → cachez, ils/elles → cachent. So cacher gives cache, caches, cache, cachons, cachez, cachent.
When to use the present tense of cacher
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with cacher: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.” — “I hide my keys in the drawer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with cacher: “Tu caches mes clés dans le tiroir en général.” — “You hide my keys in the drawer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with cacher: “Il cache mes clés dans le tiroir maintenant.” — “He hides my keys in the drawer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with cacher: “Nous cachons mes clés dans le tiroir demain.” — “We hide my keys in the drawer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with cacher: “Ils cachent mes clés dans le tiroir souvent.” — “They hide my keys in the drawer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: cacher now, cacher later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.” — “I hide my keys in the drawer.”
Future: “Je cacherai mes clés dans le tiroir demain.” — “I will hide my keys in the drawer tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu caches mes clés dans le tiroir maintenant.” — “You hide my keys in the drawer.”
Future: “Tu cacheras mes clés dans le tiroir demain.” — “You will hide my keys in the drawer tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous cachons mes clés dans le tiroir en classe.” — “We hide my keys in the drawer.”
Future: “Nous cacherons mes clés dans le tiroir demain.” — “We will hide my keys in the drawer tomorrow.”
Example sentences: cacher in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of cacher, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.” — “I hide my keys in the drawer.”
- “Tu caches mes clés dans le tiroir chaque matin.” — “You hide my keys in the drawer.”
- “Il cache mes clés dans le tiroir souvent.” — “He hides my keys in the drawer.”
- “Nous cachons mes clés dans le tiroir maintenant.” — “We hide my keys in the drawer.”
- “Vous cachez mes clés dans le tiroir en général.” — “You hide my keys in the drawer.”
- “Ils cachent mes clés dans le tiroir le week-end.” — “They hide my keys in the drawer.”
Common mistakes with cacher in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je cacher mes clés dans le tiroir.”
Right: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form cache.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu cache mes clés dans le tiroir.”
Right: “Tu caches mes clés dans le tiroir.”
After tu you need caches, not the je form cache. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je cacherai mes clés dans le tiroir.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (cacherai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai caché mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je cache mes clés dans le tiroir tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: cacher in the present tense
What is the je form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) cachons
- B) cachent
- C) cache
- D) caches
What is the tu form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) caches
- B) cachez
- C) cachons
- D) cache
What is the il/elle form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) cachons
- B) cachez
- C) cache
- D) cachent
What is the nous form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) cachons
- B) cachez
- C) cache
- D) caches
What is the vous form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) cachez
- B) caches
- C) cachent
- D) cachons
What is the ils/elles form of cacher in the Present indicative?
- A) cachez
- B) cachons
- C) caches
- D) cachent
What is the gerund of cacher?
- A) caché
- B) cacherai
- C) cache
- D) en cachant
What does cacher mean in English?
- A) to hide
- B) to be
- C) to go
- D) to have
Answer key
- C) cache — the je form of cacher in the present indicative is cache.
- A) caches — the tu form of cacher in the present indicative is caches.
- C) cache — the il/elle form of cacher in the present indicative is cache.
- A) cachons — the nous form of cacher in the present indicative is cachons.
- A) cachez — the vous form of cacher in the present indicative is cachez.
- D) cachent — the ils/elles form of cacher in the present indicative is cachent.
- D) en cachant — the gerund of cacher is en cachant.
- A) to hide — cacher means “to hide” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of cacher formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is cache and the ils form is cachent.
When do I use the present tense of cacher?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (cache), while the future is for what will happen (cacherai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of cacher?
On the full conjugation page for cacher, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of cacher in order, without looking: cache, caches, cache, cachons, cachez, cachent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using cache, ai caché and cacherai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- cacher in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- cacher examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Continuer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise cacher with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise cacher with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.