Charger Conjugation in French
charger means “to load, to charge” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 218 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, -ger (e-insertion) spelling change -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 charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “I load the phone every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: charger
- English: to load, to charge
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Irregular, -ger (e-insertion) spelling change
- Irregular in: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: en chargeant
- Past participle: chargé
- 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 charger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for charger. 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 | charge |
| tu | charges |
| il/elle | charge |
| nous | chargeons |
| vous | chargez |
| ils/elles | chargent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | chargeai |
| tu | chargeas |
| il/elle | chargea |
| nous | chargeâmes |
| vous | chargeâtes |
| ils/elles | chargèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | chargeais |
| tu | chargeais |
| il/elle | chargeait |
| nous | chargeions |
| vous | chargeiez |
| ils/elles | chargeaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | chargerai |
| tu | chargeras |
| il/elle | chargera |
| nous | chargerons |
| vous | chargerez |
| ils/elles | chargeront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | chargerais |
| tu | chargerais |
| il/elle | chargerait |
| nous | chargerions |
| vous | chargeriez |
| ils/elles | chargeraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai chargé |
| tu | as chargé |
| il/elle | a chargé |
| nous | avons chargé |
| vous | avez chargé |
| ils/elles | ont chargé |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais chargé |
| tu | avais chargé |
| il/elle | avait chargé |
| nous | avions chargé |
| vous | aviez chargé |
| ils/elles | avaient chargé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai chargé |
| tu | auras chargé |
| il/elle | aura chargé |
| nous | aurons chargé |
| vous | aurez chargé |
| ils/elles | auront chargé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais chargé |
| tu | aurais chargé |
| il/elle | aurait chargé |
| nous | aurions chargé |
| vous | auriez chargé |
| ils/elles | auraient chargé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | charge |
| tu | charges |
| il/elle | charge |
| nous | chargeions |
| vous | chargeiez |
| ils/elles | chargent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | chargeasse |
| tu | chargeasses |
| il/elle | chargeât |
| nous | chargeassions |
| vous | chargeassiez |
| ils/elles | chargeassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | charge |
| nous | chargeons |
| vous | chargez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | charge |
| nous | chargeons |
| vous | chargez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en chargeant |
| Past participle | chargé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With charger this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “I load the phone every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu chargeas le téléphone la semaine dernière.” — “You loaded the phone last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il chargeait le téléphone ce matin.” — “He used to load the phone this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous chargerons le téléphone.” — “We will load the phone.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous chargeriez le téléphone.” — “You would load the phone.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont chargé le téléphone hier.” — “They have loaded the phone yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais chargé le téléphone hier.” — “I had loaded the phone yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras chargé le téléphone la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have loaded the phone next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait chargé le téléphone ce matin.” — “He would have loaded the phone this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With charger this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que nous chargeions le téléphone tous les jours.” — “It is important that We load the phone 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 charger this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous chargeassiez le téléphone hier.” — “It was necessary that You load the phone yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With charger this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Chargez le téléphone !” — “Load the phone!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With charger this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne charge pas le téléphone !” — “Do not load the phone!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en chargeant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En chargeant, je commence la journée.” — “While loading, I start the day.” The past participle chargé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai chargé — “I have loaded the phone yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with charger, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je charge le téléphone à la maison.” — “I load the phone at home.”
- “Tu chargeas le téléphone ce matin.” — “You loaded the phone this morning.”
- “Il chargeait le téléphone avec Paul.” — “He used to load the phone with Paul.”
- “Je chargerai le téléphone demain.” — “I will load the phone tomorrow.”
- “Tu chargerais le téléphone tous les jours.” — “You would load the phone every day.”
- “Il a chargé le téléphone la semaine dernière.” — “He has loaded the phone last week.”
- “J'avais chargé le téléphone ce matin.” — “I had loaded the phone this morning.”
- “Tu auras chargé le téléphone demain.” — “You will have loaded the phone tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “It is important that He load the phone every day.”
- “Charge le téléphone !” — “Load the phone!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je charger le téléphone.”
✓ Right: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.”
The infinitive charger never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form charge.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je charges le téléphone.”
✓ Right: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.”
charges is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is charge — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Je charge le téléphone hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai chargé le téléphone hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai chargé here, not the present charge.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je chargeons le téléphone.”
✓ Right: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.”
charger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je charge, nous chargeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis chargé le téléphone hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai chargé le téléphone hier.”
charger takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai chargé, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous chargeons le téléphone.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous chargeions le téléphone.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use chargeions here, not the indicative chargeons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on charger. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of charger in the Present indicative?
- A) chargerais
- B) charge
- C) chargeasse
- D) ai chargé
What is the il/elle form of charger in the Passé simple?
- A) chargeât
- B) chargeâmes
- C) chargea
- D) charge
What is the nous form of charger in the Imperfect?
- A) chargerons
- B) avons chargé
- C) chargeiez
- D) chargeions
What is the tu form of charger in the Future?
- A) aurais chargé
- B) charges
- C) chargeras
- D) chargeas
What is the je form of charger in the Conditional?
- A) chargerais
- B) ai chargé
- C) charge
- D) chargeai
What is the il/elle form of charger in the Present subjunctive?
- A) charge
- B) charges
- C) chargerait
- D) chargea
What is the nous form of charger in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) aurions chargé
- B) chargerions
- C) ont chargé
- D) avons chargé
What is the gerund of charger?
- A) en chargeant
- B) accusant
- C) montrant
- D) conclusant
What is the past participle of charger?
- A) admiré
- B) arrangé
- C) cassé
- D) chargé
What does charger mean in English?
- A) load
- B) approach
- C) accompany
- D) turn off
Answer key
- B) charge — the je form of charger in the present indicative is charge. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) chargea — the il/elle form of charger in the passé simple is chargea. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) chargeions — the nous form of charger in the imperfect is chargeions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) chargeras — the tu form of charger in the future is chargeras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) chargerais — the je form of charger in the conditional is chargerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) charge — the il/elle form of charger in the present subjunctive is charge. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avons chargé — the nous form of charger in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons chargé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) en chargeant — the gerund of charger is en chargeant; 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.
- D) chargé — the past participle of charger is chargé; perfect tenses use avoir + chargé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) load — charger means “to load” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn charger in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je charge, tu charges, il charge, nous chargeons, vous chargez, ils chargent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai chargé shows the pattern, and the participle chargé 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 charger with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does charger mean in English?
charger means “to load, to charge”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, -ger (e-insertion) spelling change verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is charger regular or irregular?
charger is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. charger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je charge, nous chargeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only.
What are the gerund and past participle of charger?
The gerund is en chargeant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is chargé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai chargé.
How do I say “I load” in French?
Say “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “I load the phone every day.” The je form of the present is charge, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce charger?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for charger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- charger in the present tense
- charger examples and quiz
- Commenter conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Couper 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.
- Passive Voice Builder — practise charger with the interactive tool.
- Verb Tense Timeline — practise charger with the interactive tool.
- Verb Of The Day — practise charger with the interactive tool.