Coûter Conjugation in French
coûter means “to cost” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of coûter — 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: “Il coûte dix euros au marché.” — “It costs ten euros at the market.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and coûter is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: coûter
- English: to cost
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en coûtant
- Past participle: coûté
- 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 coûter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for coûter. 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 | coûte |
| tu | coûtes |
| il/elle | coûte |
| nous | coûtons |
| vous | coûtez |
| ils/elles | coûtent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûtai |
| tu | coûtas |
| il/elle | coûta |
| nous | coûtâmes |
| vous | coûtâtes |
| ils/elles | coûtèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûtais |
| tu | coûtais |
| il/elle | coûtait |
| nous | coûtions |
| vous | coûtiez |
| ils/elles | coûtaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûterai |
| tu | coûteras |
| il/elle | coûtera |
| nous | coûterons |
| vous | coûterez |
| ils/elles | coûteront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûterais |
| tu | coûterais |
| il/elle | coûterait |
| nous | coûterions |
| vous | coûteriez |
| ils/elles | coûteraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai coûté |
| tu | as coûté |
| il/elle | a coûté |
| nous | avons coûté |
| vous | avez coûté |
| ils/elles | ont coûté |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais coûté |
| tu | avais coûté |
| il/elle | avait coûté |
| nous | avions coûté |
| vous | aviez coûté |
| ils/elles | avaient coûté |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai coûté |
| tu | auras coûté |
| il/elle | aura coûté |
| nous | aurons coûté |
| vous | aurez coûté |
| ils/elles | auront coûté |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais coûté |
| tu | aurais coûté |
| il/elle | aurait coûté |
| nous | aurions coûté |
| vous | auriez coûté |
| ils/elles | auraient coûté |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûte |
| tu | coûtes |
| il/elle | coûte |
| nous | coûtions |
| vous | coûtiez |
| ils/elles | coûtent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | coûtasse |
| tu | coûtasses |
| il/elle | coûtât |
| nous | coûtassions |
| vous | coûtassiez |
| ils/elles | coûtassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | coûte |
| nous | coûtons |
| vous | coûtez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | coûte |
| nous | coûtons |
| vous | coûtez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en coûtant |
| Past participle | coûté |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je coûte dix euros au marché.” — “I cost ten euros at the market.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu coûtas dix euros au marché.” — “You cost ten euros at the market one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il coûtait dix euros au marché quand j’étais jeune.” — “It used to cost ten euros at the market.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous coûterons dix euros au marché.” — “We will cost ten euros at the market tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous coûteriez dix euros au marché.” — “You would cost ten euros at the market if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With coûter it is formed with avoir + the past participle coûté. For example: “Ils ont coûté dix euros au marché hier.” — “They have cost ten euros at the market.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais coûté dix euros au marché avant la fête.” — “I had cost ten euros at the market before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras coûté dix euros au marché.” — “You will have cost ten euros at the market by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait coûté dix euros au marché.” — “It would have cost ten euros at the market if it had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je coûte dix euros au marché.” — “It is important that I cost ten euros at the market.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je coûtasse dix euros au marché.” — “It was important that I cost ten euros at the market.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Coûte dix euros au marché !” — “Cost ten euros at the market!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Coûte dix euros au marché !” — “Do not cost ten euros at the market!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en coûtant — “while costing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is coûté, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai coûté.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with coûter, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je coûte dix euros au marché.” — “I cost ten euros at the market.”
- “Tu coûtes dix euros au marché.” — “You cost ten euros at the market.”
- “Il coûtait dix euros au marché.” — “It used to cost ten euros at the market.”
- “Nous coûterons dix euros au marché.” — “We will cost ten euros at the market tomorrow.”
- “Je coûterais dix euros au marché.” — “I would cost ten euros at the market if I could.”
- “Tu as coûté dix euros au marché.” — “You have cost ten euros at the market.”
- “Il avait coûté dix euros au marché.” — “It had cost ten euros at the market before the party.”
- “Nous aurons coûté dix euros au marché.” — “We will have cost ten euros at the market by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je coûte dix euros au marché.” — “It is important that I cost ten euros at the market.”
- “Coûte dix euros au marché !” — “Cost ten euros at the market!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je coûter dix euros au marché.”
✓ Right: “Je coûte dix euros au marché.”
The infinitive coûter never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form coûte.
2. Confusing coûter with dépenser
✗ Wrong: “Je coûte trop d’argent en vacances.” (meant as “dépenser”)
✓ Right: “Je coûte dix euros au marché.”
coûter means “to cost”; dépenser means “to spend (money)”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis coûté dix euros au marché.”
✓ Right: “J'ai coûté dix euros au marché.”
With coûter the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai coûté.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je coûte dix euros au marché.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je coûte dix euros au marché.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use coûte here, not the indicative coûte.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je coûte dix euros au marché hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai coûté dix euros au marché hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai coûté), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of coûter in the Present indicative?
- A) coûtez
- B) coûtes
- C) coûte
- D) coûtent
What is the ils/elles form of coûter in the Present indicative?
- A) coûtons
- B) coûte
- C) coûtes
- D) coûtent
What is the il/elle form of coûter in the Passé simple?
- A) coûta
- B) coûtèrent
- C) coûtas
- D) coûtâtes
What is the nous form of coûter in the Imperfect?
- A) coûtiez
- B) coûtait
- C) coûtions
- D) coûtais
What is the tu form of coûter in the Future?
- A) coûtera
- B) coûteras
- C) coûterons
- D) coûterez
What is the je form of coûter in the Conditional?
- A) coûteriez
- B) coûteraient
- C) coûterait
- D) coûterais
What is the il/elle form of coûter in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai coûté
- B) as coûté
- C) ont coûté
- D) a coûté
What is the vous form of coûter in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avions coûté
- B) aviez coûté
- C) avais coûté
- D) avait coûté
What is the gerund of coûter?
- A) en coûtant
- B) coûterai
- C) coûté
- D) coûte
What is the past participle of coûter?
- A) coûtais
- B) en coûtant
- C) coûté
- D) coûte
Answer key
- C) coûte — the je form of coûter in the present indicative is coûte.
- D) coûtent — the ils/elles form of coûter in the present indicative is coûtent.
- A) coûta — the il/elle form of coûter in the passé simple is coûta.
- C) coûtions — the nous form of coûter in the imperfect is coûtions.
- B) coûteras — the tu form of coûter in the future is coûteras.
- D) coûterais — the je form of coûter in the conditional is coûterais.
- D) a coûté — the il/elle form of coûter in the present perfect (passé composé) is a coûté.
- B) aviez coûté — the vous form of coûter in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez coûté.
- A) en coûtant — the gerund of coûter is en coûtant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- C) coûté — the past participle of coûter is coûté; perfect tenses use avoir + coûté.
Frequently asked questions
What does coûter mean in English?
coûter means “to cost”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Il coûte dix euros au marché.” (“It costs ten euros at the market.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is coûter regular or irregular?
coûter is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en coûtant and the past participle is coûté.
What are the gerund and past participle of coûter?
The gerund is en coûtant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is coûté — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai coûté.
What is the difference between coûter and dépenser?
coûter means “to cost”, while dépenser means “to spend (money)”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for dépenser and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I cost” in French?
Say “Il coûte dix euros au marché.” — “It costs ten euros at the market.” The je form of the present is coûte, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn coûter
Start with the present tense: coûte, coûtes, coûte, coûtons, coûtez, coûtent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai coûté — and the imperfect — coûtais. Next, learn the future (coûterai) and the conditional (coûterais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (coûte) and the imperative (coûte). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
Related pages
- coûter in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- coûter examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Depenser conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise coûter with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise coûter with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.