Convaincre Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

convaincre — to convince — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -re verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find convaincre in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the convaincre conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the convaincre passé composé tense page.

Example sentences with convaincre

In the present tense

  • “Je convaincs Marie tous les jours.” — “I convince Marie every day.”
  • “Tu convaincs Marie à la maison.” — “You convince Marie at home.”
  • “Il convainc Marie ce matin.” — “He convinces Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous convainquons Marie avec Paul.” — “We convince Marie with Paul.”
  • “Vous convainquez Marie.” — “You convince Marie.”
  • “Ils convainquent Marie tous les jours.” — “They convince Marie every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai convaincu Marie hier.” — “I have convinced Marie yesterday.”
  • “Tu as convaincu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You have convinced Marie last week.”
  • “Il a convaincu Marie ce matin.” — “He has convinced Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous avons convaincu Marie avant la fête.” — “We have convinced Marie before the party.”
  • “Vous avez convaincu Marie.” — “You have convinced Marie.”
  • “Ils ont convaincu Marie hier.” — “They have convinced Marie yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je convainquais Marie à la maison.” — “I used to convince Marie at home.”
  • “Tu convaincras Marie bientôt.” — “You will convince Marie soon.”
  • “Il convaincrait Marie avec Paul.” — “He would convince Marie with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous convainquions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We convince Marie every day.”
  • “Convaincs Marie !” — “Convince Marie!”

Convaincre in context

Je convaincs Marie tous les jours. Tu convaincs Marie à la maison. Il convainc Marie ce matin. Nous convainquons Marie avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de convaincre est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — convaincs, convaincs, convainc, convainquons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to convince. J'ai convaincu Marie hier. Tu as convaincu Marie la semaine dernière. Il a convaincu Marie ce matin. Nous avons convaincu Marie avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de convaincre apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to convince — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je convaincre Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je convaincs Marie tous les jours.”

The infinitive convaincre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form convaincs.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je convaincs Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je convaincs Marie tous les jours.”

convaincs is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is convaincs — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je convaincs Marie hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai convaincu Marie hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai convaincu here, not the present convaincs.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je convainquons Marie.”

✓ Right: “Je convaincs Marie tous les jours.”

convaincre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -re pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on convaincre across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of convaincre in the Present indicative?

    • A) convainc
    • B) avais convaincu
    • C) convainquez
    • D) convaincs

  2. What is the je form of convaincre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avais convaincu
    • B) aurais convaincu
    • C) ai convaincu
    • D) avons convaincu

  3. What is the il/elle form of convaincre in the Imperfect?

    • A) convainc
    • B) convainquiez
    • C) convainquait
    • D) avait convaincu

  4. What is the nous form of convaincre in the Future?

    • A) convainquions
    • B) avons convaincu
    • C) convaincrons
    • D) convainquons

  5. What is the tu form of convaincre in the Conditional?

    • A) convaincrions
    • B) convaincrais
    • C) convainquis
    • D) auras convaincu

  6. What is the je form of convaincre in the Passé simple?

    • A) convainquis
    • B) avais convaincu
    • C) aurais convaincu
    • D) convainque

  7. What is the nous form of convaincre in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) aurons convaincu
    • B) convainquions
    • C) convainquissions
    • D) avons convaincu

  8. What is the gerund of convaincre?

    • A) allumant
    • B) réparant
    • C) en convainquant
    • D) contrôlant

  9. What is the past participle of convaincre?

    • A) allumé
    • B) convaincu
    • C) coupé
    • D) amélioré

  10. What does convaincre mean in English?

  • A) convince
  • B) draw
  • C) break
  • D) turn on

Answer key

  1. D) convaincs — the tu form of convaincre in the present indicative is convaincs. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) ai convaincu — the je form of convaincre in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai convaincu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) convainquait — the il/elle form of convaincre in the imperfect is convainquait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) convaincrons — the nous form of convaincre in the future is convaincrons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. B) convaincrais — the tu form of convaincre in the conditional is convaincrais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) convainquis — the je form of convaincre in the passé simple is convainquis. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. B) convainquions — the nous form of convaincre in the present subjunctive is convainquions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en convainquant — the gerund of convaincre is en convainquant; 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.
  9. B) convaincu — the past participle of convaincre is convaincu; perfect tenses use avoir + convaincu. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) convince — convaincre means “to convince” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does convaincre mean in English?

convaincre means “to convince”. You use it whenever you talk about to convince in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is convaincre regular or irregular?

convaincre is irregular. convaincre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -re pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

What are the gerund and past participle of convaincre?

The gerund is en convainquant and the past participle is convaincu. The perfect tenses use avoir + convaincu.

Where can I see the full conjugation of convaincre?

On the convaincre conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The convaincre passé composé tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for convaincre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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