Couper Conjugation in French
couper means “to cut” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 253 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 coupe le pain tous les jours.” — “I cut the bread every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: couper
- English: to cut
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en coupant
- Past participle: coupé
- 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 couper, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for couper. 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 | coupe |
| tu | coupes |
| il/elle | coupe |
| nous | coupons |
| vous | coupez |
| ils/elles | coupent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coupai |
| tu | coupas |
| il/elle | coupa |
| nous | coupâmes |
| vous | coupâtes |
| ils/elles | coupèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coupais |
| tu | coupais |
| il/elle | coupait |
| nous | coupions |
| vous | coupiez |
| ils/elles | coupaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | couperai |
| tu | couperas |
| il/elle | coupera |
| nous | couperons |
| vous | couperez |
| ils/elles | couperont |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | couperais |
| tu | couperais |
| il/elle | couperait |
| nous | couperions |
| vous | couperiez |
| ils/elles | couperaient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai coupé |
| tu | as coupé |
| il/elle | a coupé |
| nous | avons coupé |
| vous | avez coupé |
| ils/elles | ont coupé |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais coupé |
| tu | avais coupé |
| il/elle | avait coupé |
| nous | avions coupé |
| vous | aviez coupé |
| ils/elles | avaient coupé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai coupé |
| tu | auras coupé |
| il/elle | aura coupé |
| nous | aurons coupé |
| vous | aurez coupé |
| ils/elles | auront coupé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais coupé |
| tu | aurais coupé |
| il/elle | aurait coupé |
| nous | aurions coupé |
| vous | auriez coupé |
| ils/elles | auraient coupé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coupe |
| tu | coupes |
| il/elle | coupe |
| nous | coupions |
| vous | coupiez |
| ils/elles | coupent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coupasse |
| tu | coupasses |
| il/elle | coupât |
| nous | coupassions |
| vous | coupassiez |
| ils/elles | coupassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | coupe |
| nous | coupons |
| vous | coupez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | coupe |
| nous | coupons |
| vous | coupez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en coupant |
| Past participle | coupé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Je coupe le pain tous les jours.” — “I cut the bread every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu coupas le pain la semaine dernière.” — “You cut the bread last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il coupait le pain ce matin.” — “He used to cut the bread this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous couperons le pain.” — “We will cut the bread.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous couperiez le pain.” — “You would cut the bread.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont coupé le pain hier.” — “They have cut the bread yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais coupé le pain hier.” — “I had cut the bread yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras coupé le pain la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have cut the bread next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait coupé le pain ce matin.” — “He would have cut the bread this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous coupions le pain tous les jours.” — “It is important that We cut the bread 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 couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous coupassiez le pain hier.” — “It was necessary that You cut the bread yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Coupez le pain !” — “Cut the bread!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With couper this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne coupe pas le pain !” — “Do not cut the bread!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en coupant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En coupant, je commence la journée.” — “While cutting, I start the day.” The past participle coupé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai coupé — “I have cut the bread yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with couper, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je coupe le pain à la maison.” — “I cut the bread at home.”
- “Tu coupas le pain ce matin.” — “You cut the bread this morning.”
- “Il coupait le pain avec Paul.” — “He used to cut the bread with Paul.”
- “Je couperai le pain demain.” — “I will cut the bread tomorrow.”
- “Tu couperais le pain tous les jours.” — “You would cut the bread every day.”
- “Il a coupé le pain la semaine dernière.” — “He has cut the bread last week.”
- “J'avais coupé le pain ce matin.” — “I had cut the bread this morning.”
- “Tu auras coupé le pain demain.” — “You will have cut the bread tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il coupe le pain tous les jours.” — “It is important that He cut the bread every day.”
- “Coupe le pain !” — “Cut the bread!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je couper le pain.”
✓ Right: “Je coupe le pain tous les jours.”
The infinitive couper never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form coupe.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je coupes le pain.”
✓ Right: “Je coupe le pain tous les jours.”
coupes is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is coupe — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Je coupe le pain hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai coupé le pain hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai coupé here, not the present coupe.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je coupons le pain.”
✓ Right: “Je coupe le pain tous les jours.”
coupons is the nous form. The je form is coupe — the two persons never share a form in the present of couper.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis coupé le pain hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai coupé le pain hier.”
couper takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai coupé, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous coupons le pain.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous coupions le pain.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use coupions here, not the indicative coupons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on couper. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of couper in the Present indicative?
- A) coupais
- B) coupez
- C) coupes
- D) coupe
What is the il/elle form of couper in the Passé simple?
- A) coupâtes
- B) coupa
- C) coupât
- D) aura coupé
What is the nous form of couper in the Imperfect?
- A) avons coupé
- B) coupait
- C) couperions
- D) coupions
What is the tu form of couper in the Future?
- A) couperai
- B) coupais
- C) coupes
- D) couperas
What is the je form of couper in the Conditional?
- A) avais coupé
- B) coupasse
- C) coupe
- D) couperais
What is the il/elle form of couper in the Present subjunctive?
- A) coupa
- B) aurait coupé
- C) coupât
- D) coupe
What is the nous form of couper in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) coupons
- B) avons coupé
- C) avions coupé
- D) a coupé
What is the gerund of couper?
- A) brillant
- B) améliorant
- C) ajoutant
- D) en coupant
What is the past participle of couper?
- A) éteint
- B) consulté
- C) coupé
- D) dessiné
What does couper mean in English?
- A) attract
- B) cut
- C) announce
- D) consult
Answer key
- D) coupe — the je form of couper in the present indicative is coupe. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) coupa — the il/elle form of couper in the passé simple is coupa. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) coupions — the nous form of couper in the imperfect is coupions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) couperas — the tu form of couper in the future is couperas. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) couperais — the je form of couper in the conditional is couperais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) coupe — the il/elle form of couper in the present subjunctive is coupe. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) avons coupé — the nous form of couper in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons coupé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) en coupant — the gerund of couper is en coupant; 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) coupé — the past participle of couper is coupé; perfect tenses use avoir + coupé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) cut — couper means “to cut” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn couper in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je coupe, tu coupes, il coupe, nous coupons, vous coupez, ils coupent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai coupé shows the pattern, and the participle coupé 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 couper with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does couper mean in English?
couper means “to cut”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is couper regular or irregular?
couper is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. couper 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 couper?
The gerund is en coupant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is coupé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai coupé.
How do I say “I cut” in French?
Say “Je coupe le pain tous les jours.” — “I cut the bread every day.” The je form of the present is coupe, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce couper?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for couper, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- couper in the present tense
- couper examples and quiz
- Se laver conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Approcher 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.
- Passive Voice Builder — practise couper with the interactive tool.
- Verb Tense Timeline — practise couper with the interactive tool.
- Verb Of The Day — practise couper with the interactive tool.