Convaincre Conjugation in French
convaincre means “to convince” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 248 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -re 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 convaincs Marie tous les jours.” — “I convince Marie every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: convaincre
- English: to convince
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: en convainquant
- Past participle: convaincu
- 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 convaincre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for convaincre. 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 | convaincs |
| tu | convaincs |
| il/elle | convainc |
| nous | convainquons |
| vous | convainquez |
| ils/elles | convainquent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convainquis |
| tu | convainquis |
| il/elle | convainquit |
| nous | convainquîmes |
| vous | convainquîtes |
| ils/elles | convainquirent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convainquais |
| tu | convainquais |
| il/elle | convainquait |
| nous | convainquions |
| vous | convainquiez |
| ils/elles | convainquaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convaincrai |
| tu | convaincras |
| il/elle | convaincra |
| nous | convaincrons |
| vous | convaincrez |
| ils/elles | convaincront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convaincrais |
| tu | convaincrais |
| il/elle | convaincrait |
| nous | convaincrions |
| vous | convaincriez |
| ils/elles | convaincraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai convaincu |
| tu | as convaincu |
| il/elle | a convaincu |
| nous | avons convaincu |
| vous | avez convaincu |
| ils/elles | ont convaincu |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais convaincu |
| tu | avais convaincu |
| il/elle | avait convaincu |
| nous | avions convaincu |
| vous | aviez convaincu |
| ils/elles | avaient convaincu |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai convaincu |
| tu | auras convaincu |
| il/elle | aura convaincu |
| nous | aurons convaincu |
| vous | aurez convaincu |
| ils/elles | auront convaincu |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais convaincu |
| tu | aurais convaincu |
| il/elle | aurait convaincu |
| nous | aurions convaincu |
| vous | auriez convaincu |
| ils/elles | auraient convaincu |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convainque |
| tu | convainques |
| il/elle | convainque |
| nous | convainquions |
| vous | convainquiez |
| ils/elles | convainquent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | convainquisse |
| tu | convainquisses |
| il/elle | convainquît |
| nous | convainquissions |
| vous | convainquissiez |
| ils/elles | convainquissent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | convaincs |
| nous | convainquons |
| vous | convainquez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | convaincs |
| nous | convainquons |
| vous | convainquez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en convainquant |
| Past participle | convaincu |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With convaincre 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 convaincs Marie tous les jours.” — “I convince Marie every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With convaincre 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 convainquis Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You convinced Marie last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Il convainquait Marie ce matin.” — “He used to convince Marie this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Nous convaincrons Marie.” — “We will convince Marie.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Vous convaincriez Marie.” — “You would convince Marie.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Ils ont convaincu Marie hier.” — “They have convinced Marie yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “J'avais convaincu Marie hier.” — “I had convinced Marie yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Tu auras convaincu Marie la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have convinced Marie next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Il aurait convaincu Marie ce matin.” — “He would have convinced Marie this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With convaincre 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: “Il est important que nous convainquions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We convince Marie 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 convaincre this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -re pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous convainquissiez Marie hier.” — “It was necessary that You convince Marie yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With convaincre 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: “Convainquez Marie !” — “Convince Marie!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With convaincre 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 convaincs pas Marie !” — “Do not convince Marie!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en convainquant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En convainquant, je commence la journée.” — “While convincing, I start the day.” The past participle convaincu is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai convaincu — “I have convinced Marie yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with convaincre, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je convaincs Marie à la maison.” — “I convince Marie at home.”
- “Tu convainquis Marie ce matin.” — “You convinced Marie this morning.”
- “Il convainquait Marie avec Paul.” — “He used to convince Marie with Paul.”
- “Je convaincrai Marie demain.” — “I will convince Marie tomorrow.”
- “Tu convaincrais Marie tous les jours.” — “You would convince Marie every day.”
- “Il a convaincu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “He has convinced Marie last week.”
- “J'avais convaincu Marie ce matin.” — “I had convinced Marie this morning.”
- “Tu auras convaincu Marie demain.” — “You will have convinced Marie tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il convainque Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that He convince Marie every day.”
- “Convaincs Marie !” — “Convince Marie!”
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.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis convaincu Marie hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai convaincu Marie hier.”
convaincre takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai convaincu, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous convainquons Marie.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous convainquions Marie.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use convainquions here, not the indicative convainquons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on convaincre. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of convaincre in the Present indicative?
- A) convainquais
- B) convainque
- C) avais convaincu
- D) convaincs
What is the il/elle form of convaincre in the Passé simple?
- A) convainquit
- B) aurait convaincu
- C) convaincra
- D) convainquîmes
What is the nous form of convaincre in the Imperfect?
- A) aurons convaincu
- B) convainquions
- C) convainquaient
- D) convainquissions
What is the tu form of convaincre in the Future?
- A) convaincras
- B) as convaincu
- C) convainques
- D) convaincra
What is the je form of convaincre in the Conditional?
- A) convaincriez
- B) convainque
- C) avais convaincu
- D) convaincrais
What is the il/elle form of convaincre in the Present subjunctive?
- A) convainquit
- B) convainquent
- C) convainque
- D) convainquions
What is the nous form of convaincre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) as convaincu
- B) avons convaincu
- C) convaincrons
- D) a convaincu
What is the gerund of convaincre?
- A) approchant
- B) en convainquant
- C) enlevant
- D) considérant
What is the past participle of convaincre?
- A) ajouté
- B) admis
- C) convaincu
- D) amené
What does convaincre mean in English?
- A) turn off
- B) analyse
- C) burn
- D) convince
Answer key
- D) convaincs — the je form of convaincre in the present indicative is convaincs. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) convainquit — the il/elle form of convaincre in the passé simple is convainquit. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) convainquions — the nous form of convaincre in the imperfect is convainquions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) convaincras — the tu form of convaincre in the future is convaincras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) convaincrais — the je form of convaincre in the conditional is convaincrais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) convainque — the il/elle form of convaincre in the present subjunctive is convainque. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) avons convaincu — the nous form of convaincre in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons convaincu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) 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.
- C) convaincu — the past participle of convaincre is convaincu; perfect tenses use avoir + convaincu. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- D) convince — convaincre means “to convince” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn convaincre in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je convaincs, tu convaincs, il convainc, nous convainquons, vous convainquez, ils convainquent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai convaincu shows the pattern, and the participle convaincu 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 convaincre with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does convaincre mean in English?
convaincre means “to convince”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is convaincre regular or irregular?
convaincre is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. 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 — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is convaincu — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai convaincu.
How do I say “I convince” in French?
Say “Je convaincs Marie tous les jours.” — “I convince Marie every day.” The je form of the present is convaincs, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce convaincre?
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.
Related pages
- convaincre in the passé composé tense
- convaincre examples and quiz
- Montrer conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Accuser 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.
- Preterite Vs Imperfect — practise convaincre with the interactive tool.
- Past Participle Finder — practise convaincre with the interactive tool.
- Subjunctive Conjugator — practise convaincre with the interactive tool.