Courir Conjugation in French

courir means “run” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early — it sits in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French. You use it for talking about sport and running, for describing a morning run, and for training for a race. Because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of courir — 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 cours dans le parc.” — “I run in the park.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: courir
  • English: run
  • Verb type: Irregular
  • Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
  • Gerund: en courant
  • Past participle: couru
  • Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)

Pronunciation

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

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for courir. 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 cours
tu cours
il/elle court
nous courons
vous courez
ils/elles courent

Passé simple

Person Form
je courus
tu courus
il/elle courut
nous courûmes
vous courûtes
ils/elles coururent

Imperfect

Person Form
je courais
tu courais
il/elle courait
nous courions
vous couriez
ils/elles couraient

Future

Person Form
je courrai
tu courras
il/elle courra
nous courrons
vous courrez
ils/elles courront

Conditional

Person Form
je courrais
tu courrais
il/elle courrait
nous courrions
vous courriez
ils/elles courraient

Present subjunctive

Person Form
je coure
tu coures
il/elle coure
nous courions
vous couriez
ils/elles courent

Imperfect subjunctive

Person Form
je courusse
tu courusses
il/elle courût
nous courussions
vous courussiez
ils/elles courussent

Present perfect

Person Form
je ai couru
tu as couru
il/elle a couru
nous avons couru
vous avez couru
ils/elles ont couru

Pluperfect (past perfect)

Person Form
je avais couru
tu avais couru
il/elle avait couru
nous avions couru
vous aviez couru
ils/elles avaient couru

Future perfect

Person Form
je aurai couru
tu auras couru
il/elle aura couru
nous aurons couru
vous aurez couru
ils/elles auront couru

Conditional perfect

Person Form
je aurais couru
tu aurais couru
il/elle aurait couru
nous aurions couru
vous auriez couru
ils/elles auraient couru

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tu cours
nous courons
vous courez

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tu cours
nous courons
vous courez

Gerund and past participle

Form French
Gerund en courant
Past participle couru

When to use each tense

Present indicative

The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With courir 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 cours tous les matins.” — “I run every morning.”

Passé simple

The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With courir 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 courus tous les matins hier.” — “I ran every morning yesterday.”

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Je courais tous les matins avant.” — “I used to run every morning before.”

Future

The future is used for what will happen, predictions and plans. For example: “Je courrai tous les matins demain.” — “I will run every morning tomorrow.”

Conditional

The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Je courrais tous les matins un jour.” — “I would run every morning one day.”

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With courir 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: “Bien que je coure tous les matins” — “Although I run every morning.”

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, in formal and literary French. For example: “Bien que je courusse tous les matins” — “Although I run every morning.”

Present perfect

The present perfect is used for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. For example: “J'ai couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “I have run every morning this week.”

Pluperfect (past perfect)

The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais couru tous les matins avant la fête.” — “I had run every morning before the party.”

Future perfect

The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “J'aurai couru tous les matins pour demain.” — “I will have run every morning by tomorrow.”

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “J'aurais couru tous les matins hier.” — “I would have run every morning yesterday.”

Imperative (affirmative)

The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With courir 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: “cours tous les matins !” — “Run every morning!”

Imperative (negative)

The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With courir 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 cours pas tous les matins !” — “Don't run every morning!”

Gerund and past participle

The gerund en courant is used after en for an action in progress, and the past participle couru builds the perfect tenses with avoir. For example: “J'ai couru vite cette semaine.” — “I have run fast this week.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with courir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Je cours dans le parc.” — “I run in the park.”
  2. “Tu courus tous les matins hier.” — “You ran every morning yesterday.”
  3. “Il courait vite avant.” — “He used to run fast before.”
  4. “Je courrai un marathon demain.” — “I will run a marathon tomorrow.”
  5. “Tu courrais dans le parc un jour.” — “You would run in the park one day.”
  6. “Il a couru tous les matins cette semaine.” — “He has run every morning this week.”
  7. “J'avais couru vite avant la fête.” — “I had run fast before the party.”
  8. “Tu auras couru un marathon pour demain.” — “You will have run a marathon by tomorrow.”
  9. “Bien que il coure dans le parc” — “Although he runs in the park.”
  10. “cours tous les matins !” — “Run every morning!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je courir dans le parc.”

✓ Right: “Je cours dans le parc.”

The infinitive courir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form cours.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je courons tous les matins.”

✓ Right: “Je cours tous les matins.”

courons is the nous form. With je the present form is cours — check the person in the table before you speak.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je cours dans le parc.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai couru dans le parc.”

The present cours describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai couru.

4. Using the passé simple in everyday speech

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je courus vite.” (in casual conversation)

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai couru vite.”

The passé simple courus belongs in novels and formal writing. In everyday speech, say the passé composé ai couru.

5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Bien que je cours dans le parc.”

✓ Right: “Bien que je coure dans le parc.”

After bien que French needs the subjunctive, so use coure here, not the indicative cours.

6. Using the imperfect for a single finished action

✗ Wrong: “Je courais un marathon avant.” (said of one finished moment)

✓ Right: “J'ai couru un marathon avant.”

The imperfect courais describes something ongoing or repeated in the past. For one finished action, use the passé composé ai couru.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on courir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

    • A) courons
    • B) courent
    • C) cours
    • D) courez

  2. What is the il/elle form of courir in the Passé simple?

    • A) courut
    • B) coururent
    • C) courûmes
    • D) courus

  3. What is the nous form of courir in the Imperfect?

    • A) courait
    • B) courais
    • C) couriez
    • D) courions

  4. What is the tu form of courir in the Future?

    • A) courrai
    • B) courrons
    • C) courra
    • D) courras

  5. What is the je form of courir in the Conditional?

    • A) courriez
    • B) courraient
    • C) courrait
    • D) courrais

  6. What is the il/elle form of courir in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) couriez
    • B) courions
    • C) coure
    • D) courent

  7. What is the je form of courir in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) courussiez
    • B) courusse
    • C) courussent
    • D) courût

  8. What is the gerund of courir?

    • A) buvant
    • B) dormant
    • C) courant

  9. What is the past participle of courir?

    • A) couru
    • B) dormi
    • C) bu

  10. What does courir mean in English?

  • A) sleep
  • B) open
  • C) run
  • D) drink

Answer key

  1. C) cours — The je form of courir in the present indicative is cours.
  2. A) courut — The il/elle form of courir in the passé simple is courut.
  3. D) courions — The nous form of courir in the imperfect is courions.
  4. D) courras — The tu form of courir in the future is courras.
  5. D) courrais — The je form of courir in the conditional is courrais.
  6. C) coure — The il/elle form of courir in the present subjunctive is coure.
  7. B) courusse — The je form of courir in the imperfect subjunctive is courusse.
  8. C) courant — The gerund of courir is en courant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. A) couru — The past participle of courir is couru; perfect tenses use avoir + couru.
  10. C) run — courir means “run” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does courir mean in English?

courir means “run”. You use it for talking about sport and running, for describing a morning run, and for training for a race. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is courir regular or irregular?

courir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is en courant and the past participle is couru.

What are the gerund and past participle of courir?

The gerund is en courant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is couru — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai couru.

How do I say “I run” in French?

Say “Je cours dans le parc.” — “I run in the park.” The je form of the present is cours, and it is the form you will use most often.

What is the difference between courir and marcher?

courir means “run” while marcher means “walk” — they describe different actions, so they are not interchangeable. Compare the full table for marcher and check the meaning in context before you choose.

Related pages