Introduction

Contrôler means “to control, to check”, and this page covers exactly one thing: contrôler in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for contrôler, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passé composé, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about contrôler in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “He controls the project every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of contrôler exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Contrôler in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je contrôle
tu contrôles
il/elle contrôle
nous contrôlons
vous contrôlez
ils/elles contrôlent
Gerund: en contrôlant · Past participle: contrôlé
The gerund is en contrôlant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En contrôlant, je commence la journée.” — “While controlling, I start the day.” The past participle is contrôlé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai contrôlé is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present tense is only one part of how contrôler is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for contrôler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense of contrôler is formed

The present tense of contrôler has six forms: je contrôle, tu contrôles, il contrôle, nous contrôlons, vous contrôlez, ils contrôlent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. contrôler is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Two things about the present of contrôler are worth noticing. First, the nous and vous forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the nous form, and the present subjunctive takes its nous and vous forms from the same stem, so learning contrôlons and contrôlez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so contrôle can mean both “I control” and “I am controlling” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because contrôler is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of contrôler

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use contrôler in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and contrôler is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Je contrôle le projet à la maison.” — “I control the project at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about contrôler does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il contrôle le projet ce matin.” — “He controls the project this morning.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with contrôler in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nous contrôlons le projet avec Paul.” — “We control the project with Paul.”

4. Scheduled future events

French uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu contrôles le projet.” — “You control the project.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and contrôler in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils contrôlent le projet tous les jours.” — “They control the project every day.”

Present Tense vs Passé Composé: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passé composé, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passé composé describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or toujours, while the passé composé sentences use hier or la semaine dernière. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Il contrôle le projet à la maison.” — “He controls the project at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a contrôlé le projet la semaine dernière.” — “He has controlled the project last week.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Je contrôle le projet ce matin.” — “I control the project this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai contrôlé le projet ce matin.” — “I have controlled the project this morning.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Tu contrôles le projet avec Paul.” — “You control the project with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as contrôlé le projet avant la fête.” — “You have controlled the project before the party.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

Example sentences: contrôler in the present tense

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Je contrôle le projet à la maison.” — “I control the project at home.”
  2. “Tu contrôles le projet ce matin.” — “You control the project this morning.”
  3. “Il contrôle le projet avec Paul.” — “He controls the project with Paul.”
  4. “Nous contrôlons le projet.” — “We control the project.”
  5. “Vous contrôlez le projet tous les jours.” — “You control the project every day.”
  6. “Ils contrôlent le projet à la maison.” — “They control the project at home.”
  7. “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “I control the project every day.”
  8. “Il contrôle le projet avec Paul.” — “He controls the project with Paul.”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je contrôles le projet.” Right: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.” Why: The je form is contrôle, not contrôles. contrôles is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous contrôle le projet.” Right: “Nous contrôlons le projet tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form contrôlons. contrôle belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Je contrôle le projet hier.” Right: “J'ai contrôlé le projet hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai contrôlé for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je contrôler le projet.” Right: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive contrôler never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form contrôle.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the je form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôlent
    • B) aurais contrôlé
    • C) contrôle
    • D) ai contrôlé

  2. What is the tu form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôle
    • B) contrôlons
    • C) contrôles
    • D) contrôlas

  3. What is the il/elle form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôlerait
    • B) contrôles
    • C) contrôlent
    • D) contrôle

  4. What is the nous form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôlassions
    • B) contrôlâmes
    • C) contrôlons
    • D) contrôlerons

  5. What is the vous form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) auriez contrôlé
    • B) aurez contrôlé
    • C) contrôlons
    • D) contrôlez

  6. What is the ils/elles form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) ont contrôlé
    • B) auraient contrôlé
    • C) contrôlaient
    • D) contrôlent

  7. What is the je form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôlerais
    • B) contrôle
    • C) avais contrôlé
    • D) contrôlasse

  8. What is the tu form of contrôler in the Present indicative?

    • A) contrôles
    • B) contrôlais
    • C) contrôleras
    • D) contrôlons

Answer key

  1. C) contrôle — the je form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) contrôles — the tu form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôles. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) contrôle — the il/elle form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) contrôlons — the nous form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôlons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) contrôlez — the vous form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôlez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. D) contrôlent — the ils/elles form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôlent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. B) contrôle — the je form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. A) contrôles — the tu form of contrôler in the present indicative is contrôles. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does contrôler mean in English?

contrôler means “to control, to check”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of contrôler formed?

The six present forms are: je contrôle, tu contrôles, il contrôle, nous contrôlons, vous contrôlez, ils contrôlent. contrôler is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

When do I use the present instead of the passé composé?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

What are the gerund and past participle of contrôler?

The gerund is en contrôlant and the past participle is contrôlé.

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