Compter Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of compter — “to count” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for compter, 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 compte les pièces sur la table.” — “I count the coins on the table.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for compter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of compter
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for compter. compter is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — compter
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | compte |
| tu | comptes |
| il/elle | compte |
| nous | comptons |
| vous | comptez |
| ils/elles | comptent |
The gerund of compter is en comptant and the past participle is compté. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of compter is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem compt- (the infinitive compter without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → compte, tu → comptes, il/elle → compte, nous → comptons, vous → comptez, ils/elles → comptent. So compter gives compte, comptes, compte, comptons, comptez, comptent.
When to use the present tense of compter
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with compter: “Je compte les pièces sur la table tous les jours.” — “I count the coins on the table.” 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 compter: “Tu comptes les pièces sur la table en général.” — “You count the coins on the table.” 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 compter: “Il compte les pièces sur la table maintenant.” — “He counts the coins on the table.” 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 compter: “Nous comptons les pièces sur la table demain.” — “We count the coins on the table.” 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 compter: “Ils comptent les pièces sur la table souvent.” — “They count the coins on the table.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: compter now, compter 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 compte les pièces sur la table tous les jours.” — “I count the coins on the table.”
Future: “Je compterai les pièces sur la table demain.” — “I will count the coins on the table tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu comptes les pièces sur la table maintenant.” — “You count the coins on the table.”
Future: “Tu compteras les pièces sur la table demain.” — “You will count the coins on the table tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous comptons les pièces sur la table en classe.” — “We count the coins on the table.”
Future: “Nous compterons les pièces sur la table demain.” — “We will count the coins on the table tomorrow.”
Example sentences: compter in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of compter, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je compte les pièces sur la table tous les jours.” — “I count the coins on the table.”
- “Tu comptes les pièces sur la table chaque matin.” — “You count the coins on the table.”
- “Il compte les pièces sur la table souvent.” — “He counts the coins on the table.”
- “Nous comptons les pièces sur la table maintenant.” — “We count the coins on the table.”
- “Vous comptez les pièces sur la table en général.” — “You count the coins on the table.”
- “Ils comptent les pièces sur la table le week-end.” — “They count the coins on the table.”
Common mistakes with compter in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je compter les pièces sur la table.”
Right: “Je compte les pièces sur la table.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form compte.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu compte les pièces sur la table.”
Right: “Tu comptes les pièces sur la table.”
After tu you need comptes, not the je form compte. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je compterai les pièces sur la table.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je compte les pièces sur la table tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (compterai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai compté les pièces sur la table tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je compte les pièces sur la table tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: compter in the present tense
What is the je form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptent
- B) comptons
- C) comptez
- D) compte
What is the tu form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptent
- B) comptons
- C) compte
- D) comptes
What is the il/elle form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptent
- B) comptons
- C) comptez
- D) compte
What is the nous form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptes
- B) comptez
- C) compte
- D) comptons
What is the vous form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptent
- B) comptez
- C) comptes
- D) compte
What is the ils/elles form of compter in the Present indicative?
- A) comptes
- B) comptez
- C) comptent
- D) comptons
What is the gerund of compter?
- A) compté
- B) compterai
- C) compte
- D) en comptant
What does compter mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to count
- D) to go
Answer key
- D) compte — the je form of compter in the present indicative is compte.
- D) comptes — the tu form of compter in the present indicative is comptes.
- D) compte — the il/elle form of compter in the present indicative is compte.
- D) comptons — the nous form of compter in the present indicative is comptons.
- B) comptez — the vous form of compter in the present indicative is comptez.
- C) comptent — the ils/elles form of compter in the present indicative is comptent.
- D) en comptant — the gerund of compter is en comptant.
- C) to count — compter means “to count” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of compter formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is compte and the ils form is comptent.
When do I use the present tense of compter?
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 (compte), while the future is for what will happen (compterai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of compter?
On the full conjugation page for compter, 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 compter in order, without looking: compte, comptes, compte, comptons, comptez, comptent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using compte, ai compté and compterai. 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
- compter in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- compter 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.
- Calculer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise compter with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise compter with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.