chanter Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

chanter — sing — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. chanter is the verb for talking about music: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a concert or singing at home. On this page you will find chanter 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.

Example sentences with chanter

In the present tense

  • “Je chante une chanson.” — “I sing a song.”
  • “Tu chantes dans la chorale.” — “You sing in the choir.”
  • “Il chante sous la douche.” — “He sings in the shower.”
  • “Nous chantons très bien.” — “We sing very well.”
  • “Vous chantez une chanson.” — “You sing a song.”
  • “Ils chantent dans la chorale.” — “They sing in the choir.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai chanté une chanson cette semaine.” — “I have sung a song this week.”
  • “Tu as chanté dans la chorale cette semaine.” — “You have sung in the choir this week.”
  • “Il a chanté sous la douche cette semaine.” — “He has sung in the shower this week.”
  • “Nous avons chanté très bien cette semaine.” — “We have sung very well this week.”
  • “Vous avez chanté une chanson cette semaine.” — “You have sung a song this week.”
  • “Ils ont chanté dans la chorale cette semaine.” — “They have sung in the choir this week.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present subjunctive — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je chantais une chanson avant.” — “I used to sing a song before.”
  • “Je chanterai dans la chorale demain.” — “I will sing in the choir tomorrow.”
  • “Je chanterais sous la douche un jour.” — “I would sing in the shower one day.”
  • “Bien que il chante très bien” — “Although he sings very well.”

chanter in context

Je chante une chanson. Tu chantes dans la chorale. Il chante sous la douche. Nous chantons très bien.

I sing a song. You sing in the choir. He sings in the shower. We sing very well.

J'ai chanté une chanson. Il a chanté dans la chorale. Nous avons chanté sous la douche.

I have sung a song this week. He has sung in the choir this week. We have sung in the shower this week.

Common mistakes with chanter

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je chanter une chanson.

Right: Je chante une chanson.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form chante.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je chantons dans la chorale.

Right: Je chante dans la chorale.

chantons is the nous form. With je, use chante.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je chante sous la douche.

Right: Hier, j'ai chanté sous la douche.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai chanté, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je chante très bien.

Right: Bien que je chante très bien.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive chante.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je chantais une chanson hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai chanté une chanson hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on chanter

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

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

    • A) chante
    • B) chantes
    • C) chantons
    • D) chantez

  2. What is the nous form of chanter in the Present indicative?

    • A) chante
    • B) chantez
    • C) chantes
    • D) chantons

  3. What is the il/elle form of chanter in the Present perfect?

    • A) ai chanté
    • B) avons chanté
    • C) avez chanté
    • D) a chanté

  4. What is the je form of chanter in the Imperfect?

    • A) chantait
    • B) chantiez
    • C) chantions
    • D) chantais

  5. What is the nous form of chanter in the Future?

    • A) chanterons
    • B) chantera
    • C) chanterez
    • D) chanteras

  6. What is the tu form of chanter in the Conditional?

    • A) chanteraient
    • B) chanterais
    • C) chanterait
    • D) chanterions

  7. What is the je form of chanter in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) chantes
    • B) chante
    • C) chantiez
    • D) chantions

  8. What is the il/elle form of chanter in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) chantât
    • B) chantasse
    • C) chantasses
    • D) chantassions

  9. What is the gerund of chanter?

    • A) dormant
    • B) chantant
    • C) buvant

  10. What is the past participle of chanter?

  • A) bu
  • B) dormi
  • C) chanté

Answer key

  1. B) chantes — The tu form of chanter in the present indicative is chantes.
  2. D) chantons — The nous form of chanter in the present indicative is chantons.
  3. D) a chanté — The il/elle form of chanter in the present perfect is a chanté.
  4. D) chantais — The je form of chanter in the imperfect is chantais.
  5. A) chanterons — The nous form of chanter in the future is chanterons.
  6. B) chanterais — The tu form of chanter in the conditional is chanterais.
  7. B) chante — The je form of chanter in the present subjunctive is chante.
  8. A) chantât — The il/elle form of chanter in the imperfect subjunctive is chantât.
  9. B) chantant — The gerund of chanter is en chantant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. C) chanté — The past participle of chanter is chanté; perfect tenses use avoir + chanté.

Frequently asked questions

What does chanter mean in English?

chanter means “sing”. You use it for talking about music, for describing a concert, and for singing at home.

Is chanter regular or irregular?

chanter is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en chantant and the past participle is chanté.

How do I say “I sing” in French?

Say “Je chante une chanson.” — “I sing a song.” The je form of the present is chante.

Where can I see the full conjugation of chanter?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Chanter Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise chanter this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with chanter out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — une chanson, dans la chorale and sous la douche — and change only the person, so you hear how chante, chantes and chante sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai chanté and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en chantant and chanté in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for chanter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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