Connaître Conjugation in French
connaître means “to know (a person)” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 54 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about knowing Marie for a long time, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of connaître — 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 connais Marie depuis longtemps tous les jours.” — “I know Marie for a long time every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: connaître
- English: to know (a person)
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle
- Gerund: connaissant
- Past participle: connu
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -re verbs; pattern re in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for connaître, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read connaître in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about connaître
- It is irregular in 5 tense(s): present, passe-simple, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle connu. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is connaissant and the participle is connu: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for connaître. 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 | connais |
| tu | connais |
| il/elle | connaît |
| nous | connaissons |
| vous | connaissez |
| ils/elles | connaissent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With connaître 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 connais Paris très bien tous les jours.” — “I know Paris very well every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connus |
| tu | connus |
| il/elle | connut |
| nous | connûmes |
| vous | connûtes |
| ils/elles | connurent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With connaître 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: “Tu connus Paris très bien hier.” — “You knew Paris very well yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaissais |
| tu | connaissais |
| il/elle | connaissait |
| nous | connaissions |
| vous | connaissiez |
| ils/elles | connaissaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il connaissait Paris très bien autrefois.” — “He used to know Paris very well in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaîtrai |
| tu | connaîtras |
| il/elle | connaîtra |
| nous | connaîtrons |
| vous | connaîtrez |
| ils/elles | connaîtront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je connaîtrai Paris très bien demain.” — “I will know Paris very well tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaîtrais |
| tu | connaîtrais |
| il/elle | connaîtrait |
| nous | connaîtrions |
| vous | connaîtriez |
| ils/elles | connaîtraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu connaîtrais Paris très bien un jour.” — “You would know Paris very well one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai connu |
| tu | as connu |
| il/elle | a connu |
| nous | avons connu |
| vous | avez connu |
| ils/elles | ont connu |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a connu Paris très bien cette semaine.” — “He has known Paris very well this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais connu |
| tu | avais connu |
| il/elle | avait connu |
| nous | avions connu |
| vous | aviez connu |
| ils/elles | avaient connu |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais connu Paris très bien avant la fête.” — “I had known Paris very well before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai connu |
| tu | auras connu |
| il/elle | aura connu |
| nous | aurons connu |
| vous | aurez connu |
| ils/elles | auront connu |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras connu Paris très bien pour demain.” — “You will have known Paris very well by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais connu |
| tu | aurais connu |
| il/elle | aurait connu |
| nous | aurions connu |
| vous | auriez connu |
| ils/elles | auraient connu |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait connu Paris très bien hier.” — “He would have known Paris very well yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connaisse |
| tu | connaisses |
| il/elle | connaisse |
| nous | connaissions |
| vous | connaissiez |
| ils/elles | connaissent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il est important que je connaisse Paris très bien.” — “It is important that I know Paris very well.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | connusse |
| tu | connusses |
| il/elle | connût |
| nous | connussions |
| vous | connussiez |
| ils/elles | connussent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu connusses Paris très bien.” — “It is important that you know Paris very well.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | connais |
| nous | connaissons |
| vous | connaissez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With connaître 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: “Connais Paris très bien !” — “Know Paris very well!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | connais |
| nous | connaissons |
| vous | connaissez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With connaître 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 connais pas Paris très bien.” — “Do not know Paris very well.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en connaissant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En connaissant Marie depuis longtemps, je passe un bon moment.” — “While knowing Marie for a long time, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | connu |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai connu Marie depuis longtemps cette semaine.” — “I have known Marie for a long time this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with connaître, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je connais Marie depuis longtemps tous les jours.” — “I know Marie for a long time every day.”
- “Tu connus Paris très bien hier.” — “You knew Paris very well yesterday.”
- “Il connaissait un bon restaurant ici autrefois.” — “He used to know a good restaurant here in the past.”
- “Je connaîtrai Marie depuis longtemps demain.” — “I will know Marie for a long time tomorrow.”
- “Tu connaîtrais Paris très bien un jour.” — “You would know Paris very well one day.”
- “Il a connu un bon restaurant ici cette semaine.” — “He has known a good restaurant here this week.”
- “J'avais connu Marie depuis longtemps avant la fête.” — “I had known Marie for a long time before the party.”
- “Tu auras connu Paris très bien pour demain.” — “You will have known Paris very well by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il connaisse un bon restaurant ici.” — “It is important that he know a good restaurant here.”
- “Connais Marie depuis longtemps !” — “Know Marie for a long time!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je connaître Marie depuis longtemps.”
✓ Right: “Je connais Marie depuis longtemps.”
The infinitive connaître never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form connais.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je connaissent Marie depuis longtemps.”
✓ Right: “Je connais Marie depuis longtemps.”
connaissent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with connais.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je connus Marie depuis longtemps tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je connais Marie depuis longtemps tous les jours.”
The passé simple connus describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present connais.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je connais Marie depuis longtemps.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je connaisse Marie depuis longtemps.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use connaisse here, not the indicative connais.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis connu Marie depuis longtemps.”
✓ Right: “Je ai connu Marie depuis longtemps.”
The passé composé of connaître is formed with avoir plus the past participle connu: the je form is ai connu. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “connais” written without its accent
✓ Right: “connais”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on connaître. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of connaître in the Present indicative?
- A) connaissez
- B) connais
- C) connaît
- D) connaissons
What is the il/elle form of connaître in the Passé simple?
- A) connûtes
- B) connut
- C) connus
- D) connûmes
What is the nous form of connaître in the Imperfect?
- A) connaissiez
- B) connaissions
- C) connaissais
- D) connaissait
What is the tu form of connaître in the Future?
- A) connaîtrons
- B) connaîtras
- C) connaîtrai
- D) connaîtra
What is the je form of connaître in the Conditional?
- A) connaîtrais
- B) connaîtrait
- C) connaîtrions
- D) connaîtriez
What is the il/elle form of connaître in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) a connu
- B) ai connu
- C) as connu
- D) avons connu
What is the il/elle form of connaître in the Present subjunctive?
- A) connaissiez
- B) connaisse
- C) connaisses
- D) connaissions
What is the je form of connaître in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) connût
- B) connussions
- C) connusse
- D) connusses
What is the gerund of connaître?
- A) en connaissant
- B) en devenant
- C) en revenant
- D) en écrivant
What does connaître mean in English?
- A) to write
- B) to know (a person)
- C) to become
- D) to come back
Answer key
- B) connais — the je form of connaître in the Present indicative is connais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) connut — the il/elle form of connaître in the Passé simple is connut. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) connaissions — the nous form of connaître in the Imperfect is connaissions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) connaîtras — the tu form of connaître in the Future is connaîtras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) connaîtrais — the je form of connaître in the Conditional is connaîtrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) a connu — the il/elle form of connaître in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a connu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) connaisse — the il/elle form of connaître in the Present subjunctive is connaisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) connusse — the je form of connaître in the Imperfect subjunctive is connusse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) en connaissant — the gerund of connaître is en connaissant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to know (a person) — connaître means “to know (a person)” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does connaître mean in English?
connaître means “to know (a person)”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is connaître regular or irregular?
connaître is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, past-participle. The gerund is connaissant and the past participle is connu.
What are the gerund and past participle of connaître?
The gerund is connaissant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is connu — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai connu.
Which auxiliary does connaître take in the passé composé?
connaître takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai connu. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle connu.
How do I say “I know” in French?
Say “Je connais Marie depuis longtemps tous les jours.” — “I know Marie for a long time every day.” The je form of the present is connais, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of connaître — every tense of connaître in one place.
- Connaître in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Connaître examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Devenir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Revenir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Écrire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise connaître with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise connaître with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise connaître with the interactive tool.