Contrôler Conjugation in French
contrôler means “to control, to check” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 1003 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, regular -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 contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “I control the project every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: contrôler
- English: to control, to check
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en contrôlant
- Past participle: contrôlé
- 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 contrôler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for contrôler. 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 | contrôle |
| tu | contrôles |
| il/elle | contrôle |
| nous | contrôlons |
| vous | contrôlez |
| ils/elles | contrôlent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôlai |
| tu | contrôlas |
| il/elle | contrôla |
| nous | contrôlâmes |
| vous | contrôlâtes |
| ils/elles | contrôlèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôlais |
| tu | contrôlais |
| il/elle | contrôlait |
| nous | contrôlions |
| vous | contrôliez |
| ils/elles | contrôlaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôlerai |
| tu | contrôleras |
| il/elle | contrôlera |
| nous | contrôlerons |
| vous | contrôlerez |
| ils/elles | contrôleront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôlerais |
| tu | contrôlerais |
| il/elle | contrôlerait |
| nous | contrôlerions |
| vous | contrôleriez |
| ils/elles | contrôleraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai contrôlé |
| tu | as contrôlé |
| il/elle | a contrôlé |
| nous | avons contrôlé |
| vous | avez contrôlé |
| ils/elles | ont contrôlé |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais contrôlé |
| tu | avais contrôlé |
| il/elle | avait contrôlé |
| nous | avions contrôlé |
| vous | aviez contrôlé |
| ils/elles | avaient contrôlé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai contrôlé |
| tu | auras contrôlé |
| il/elle | aura contrôlé |
| nous | aurons contrôlé |
| vous | aurez contrôlé |
| ils/elles | auront contrôlé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais contrôlé |
| tu | aurais contrôlé |
| il/elle | aurait contrôlé |
| nous | aurions contrôlé |
| vous | auriez contrôlé |
| ils/elles | auraient contrôlé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôle |
| tu | contrôles |
| il/elle | contrôle |
| nous | contrôlions |
| vous | contrôliez |
| ils/elles | contrôlent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | contrôlasse |
| tu | contrôlasses |
| il/elle | contrôlât |
| nous | contrôlassions |
| vous | contrôlassiez |
| ils/elles | contrôlassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | contrôle |
| nous | contrôlons |
| vous | contrôlez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | contrôle |
| nous | contrôlons |
| vous | contrôlez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en contrôlant |
| Past participle | contrôlé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “I control the project every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu contrôlas le projet la semaine dernière.” — “You controlled the project last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il contrôlait le projet ce matin.” — “He used to control the project this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous contrôlerons le projet.” — “We will control the project.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous contrôleriez le projet.” — “You would control the project.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont contrôlé le projet hier.” — “They have controlled the project yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais contrôlé le projet hier.” — “I had controlled the project yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras contrôlé le projet la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have controlled the project next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait contrôlé le projet ce matin.” — “He would have controlled the project this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous contrôlions le projet tous les jours.” — “It is important that We control the project 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 contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous contrôlassiez le projet hier.” — “It was necessary that You control the project yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Contrôlez le projet !” — “Control the project!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With contrôler this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne contrôle pas le projet !” — “Do not control the project!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en contrôlant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En contrôlant, je commence la journée.” — “While controlling, I start the day.” The past participle contrôlé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai contrôlé — “I have controlled the project yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with contrôler, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je contrôle le projet à la maison.” — “I control the project at home.”
- “Tu contrôlas le projet ce matin.” — “You controlled the project this morning.”
- “Il contrôlait le projet avec Paul.” — “He used to control the project with Paul.”
- “Je contrôlerai le projet demain.” — “I will control the project tomorrow.”
- “Tu contrôlerais le projet tous les jours.” — “You would control the project every day.”
- “Il a contrôlé le projet la semaine dernière.” — “He has controlled the project last week.”
- “J'avais contrôlé le projet ce matin.” — “I had controlled the project this morning.”
- “Tu auras contrôlé le projet demain.” — “You will have controlled the project tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “It is important that He control the project every day.”
- “Contrôle le projet !” — “Control the project!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je contrôler le projet.”
✓ Right: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.”
The infinitive contrôler never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form contrôle.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je contrôles le projet.”
✓ Right: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.”
contrôles is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is contrôle — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Je contrôle le projet hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai contrôlé le projet hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai contrôlé here, not the present contrôle.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je contrôlons le projet.”
✓ Right: “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.”
contrôlons is the nous form. The je form is contrôle — the two persons never share a form in the present of contrôler.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis contrôlé le projet hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai contrôlé le projet hier.”
contrôler takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai contrôlé, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous contrôlons le projet.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous contrôlions le projet.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use contrôlions here, not the indicative contrôlons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on contrôler. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of contrôler in the Present indicative?
- A) contrôlerai
- B) contrôlais
- C) contrôle
- D) aurai contrôlé
What is the il/elle form of contrôler in the Passé simple?
- A) contrôlas
- B) a contrôlé
- C) contrôlerait
- D) contrôla
What is the nous form of contrôler in the Imperfect?
- A) aurons contrôlé
- B) contrôlions
- C) contrôlais
- D) aurions contrôlé
What is the tu form of contrôler in the Future?
- A) contrôleront
- B) contrôlera
- C) contrôlasses
- D) contrôleras
What is the je form of contrôler in the Conditional?
- A) contrôlerais
- B) contrôlai
- C) ai contrôlé
- D) avais contrôlé
What is the il/elle form of contrôler in the Present subjunctive?
- A) contrôle
- B) contrôla
- C) contrôles
- D) contrôlera
What is the nous form of contrôler in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) aurions contrôlé
- B) a contrôlé
- C) contrôlassions
- D) avons contrôlé
What is the gerund of contrôler?
- A) en contrôlant
- B) amenant
- C) détruisant
- D) conclusant
What is the past participle of contrôler?
- A) contrôlé
- B) lavé
- C) accepté
- D) commenté
What does contrôler mean in English?
- A) attend
- B) move
- C) control
- D) burn
Answer key
- 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.
- D) contrôla — the il/elle form of contrôler in the passé simple is contrôla. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) contrôlions — the nous form of contrôler in the imperfect is contrôlions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) contrôleras — the tu form of contrôler in the future is contrôleras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) contrôlerais — the je form of contrôler in the conditional is contrôlerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) contrôle — the il/elle form of contrôler in the present subjunctive is contrôle. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) avons contrôlé — the nous form of contrôler in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons contrôlé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) en contrôlant — the gerund of contrôler is en contrôlant; 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.
- A) contrôlé — the past participle of contrôler is contrôlé; perfect tenses use avoir + contrôlé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) control — contrôler means “to control” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn contrôler in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je contrôle, tu contrôles, il contrôle, nous contrôlons, vous contrôlez, ils contrôlent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai contrôlé shows the pattern, and the participle contrôlé 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 contrôler with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does contrôler mean in English?
contrôler means “to control, to check”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is contrôler regular or irregular?
contrôler is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. 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.
What are the gerund and past participle of contrôler?
The gerund is en contrôlant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is contrôlé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai contrôlé.
How do I say “I control” in French?
Say “Je contrôle le projet tous les jours.” — “I control the project every day.” The je form of the present is contrôle, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce contrôler?
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.
Related pages
- contrôler in the present tense
- contrôler examples and quiz
- Convaincre conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Accompagner 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.
- Por Vs Para Quiz — practise contrôler with the interactive tool.
- Gerund Finder — practise contrôler with the interactive tool.
- Conditional Conjugator — practise contrôler with the interactive tool.