Craindre Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

craindre — “to fear” — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. On this page you will find craindre in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short dialogues 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. A first sentence to fix the verb in your memory: “Je crains le noir la nuit.” — “I fear the dark at night.”

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

Example sentences with craindre

In the present tense

  • “Je crains le noir la nuit tous les jours.” — “I fear the dark at night.”
  • “Tu crains le noir la nuit souvent.” — “You fear the dark at night.”
  • “Il craint le noir la nuit chaque matin.” — “He fears the dark at night.”
  • “Nous craignons le noir la nuit le week-end.” — “We fear the dark at night.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai craint le noir la nuit hier.” — “I have feared the dark at night.”
  • “Tu as craint le noir la nuit ce matin.” — “You have feared the dark at night.”
  • “Il a craint le noir la nuit la semaine dernière.” — “He has feared the dark at night.”

In the imperfect and the future

  • “Je craignais le noir la nuit quand j’étais jeune.” — “When I was young, I used to fear the dark at night.”
  • “Nous craignions le noir la nuit quand j’étais jeune.” — “We used to fear the dark at night.”
  • “Tu craindras le noir la nuit demain.” — “You will fear the dark at night tomorrow.”
  • “Ils craindront le noir la nuit demain.” — “They will fear the dark at night tomorrow.”

In other tenses

  • “Je craindrais le noir la nuit si je pouvais.” — “I would fear the dark at night if I could.”
  • “Il faut que je craigne le noir la nuit.” — “It is important that I fear the dark at night.”
  • “Crains le noir la nuit !” — “Fear the dark at night!” The same verb in the pluperfect: “J'avais craint le noir la nuit avant la fête.” — “I had feared the dark at night before the party.”

All forms above come from the verified tables. The gerund is en craignant and the past participle is craint; the perfect tenses use avoir + craint, as in ai craint.

Craindre in context

Dialogue 1: every day

Marie and Paul talk about what they do every day. Notice how craindre changes with the person, and how the passé composé appears when they talk about yesterday.

Marie: “Tu crains le noir la nuit tous les jours ?” — “You fear the dark at night.” Paul: “Je crains le noir la nuit tous les jours.” — “I fear the dark at night.” Marie: “Tu as craint le noir la nuit hier ?” — “You have feared the dark at night.” Paul: “J'ai craint le noir la nuit hier.” — “I have feared the dark at night.” Marie: “Nous craindrons le noir la nuit demain ?” — “We will fear the dark at night tomorrow.” Paul: “Nous craindrons le noir la nuit demain.” — “We will fear the dark at night tomorrow.”

Dialogue 2: making plans

Paul and Marie make plans for the weekend. The conditional appears for polite suggestions, and the imperative for a direct request.

Paul: “Je craindrais le noir la nuit si je pouvais.” — “I would fear the dark at night if I could.” Marie: “Tu crains le noir la nuit souvent ?” — “You fear the dark at night.” Paul: “Je crains le noir la nuit souvent.” — “I fear the dark at night.” Marie: “Crains le noir la nuit !” — “Fear the dark at night!” Paul: “Il faut que je craigne le noir la nuit.” — “It is important that I fear the dark at night.” Marie: “Nous avons craint le noir la nuit hier.” — “We have feared the dark at night.”

Read both dialogues aloud, changing the person each time: crains becomes crains, crains becomes craint, and so on. That is the fastest way to fix the six present forms — crains*, crains, craint, craignons, craignez, *craignent — in memory.

Common mistakes with craindre

Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: “Je craindre le noir la nuit.”

Right: “Je crains le noir la nuit.”

The infinitive craindre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form crains.

Mistake 2: Confusing craindre with s'inquiéter

Wrong: “Je crains pour mes enfants.” (meant as “s'inquiéter”)

Right: “Je crains le noir la nuit.”

craindre means “to fear” and s'inquiéter means “to worry”. They appear in similar situations, but they are different actions — check the meaning before you choose the verb.

Mistake 3: Treating craindre as a regular verb

Wrong: “Je crainde le noir la nuit.” (a guessed regular form)

Right: “Je crains le noir la nuit.”

craindre is irregular — its present and other tenses do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Mistake 4: Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: “Il faut que je crains le noir la nuit.”

Right: “Il faut que je craigne le noir la nuit.”

After il faut que French needs the subjunctive: craigne, not the indicative crains.

Mistake 5: Mixing up the persons

Wrong: “Tu crains le noir la nuit.”

Right: “Tu crains le noir la nuit.”

After tu you need crains, not the je form crains.

Quiz: craindre in everyday use

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

    • A) craignent
    • B) crains
    • C) craignez
    • D) craint

  2. What is the ils/elles form of craindre in the Present indicative?

    • A) crains
    • B) craint
    • C) craignons
    • D) craignent

  3. What is the tu form of craindre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) a craint
    • B) avons craint
    • C) ai craint
    • D) as craint

  4. What is the nous form of craindre in the Imperfect?

    • A) craigniez
    • B) craignait
    • C) craignions
    • D) craignais

  5. What is the il/elle form of craindre in the Future?

    • A) craindrai
    • B) craindrons
    • C) craindras
    • D) craindra

  6. What is the je form of craindre in the Conditional?

    • A) craindrions
    • B) craindriez
    • C) craindrais
    • D) craindrait

  7. What is the tu form of craindre in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) craignions
    • B) craignes
    • C) craigne
    • D) craignent

  8. What is the tu form of craindre in the Imperative (affirmative)?

    • A) craignez
    • B) craignons
    • C) craignions
    • D) crains

  9. What is the past participle of craindre?

    • A) en craignant
    • B) crains
    • C) craignais
    • D) craint

  10. What does craindre mean in English?

  • A) to have
  • B) to fear
  • C) to go
  • D) to be

Answer key

  1. B) crains — the je form of craindre in the present indicative is crains.
  2. D) craignent — the ils/elles form of craindre in the present indicative is craignent.
  3. D) as craint — the tu form of craindre in the present perfect (passé composé) is as craint.
  4. C) craignions — the nous form of craindre in the imperfect is craignions.
  5. D) craindra — the il/elle form of craindre in the future is craindra.
  6. C) craindrais — the je form of craindre in the conditional is craindrais.
  7. B) craignes — the tu form of craindre in the present subjunctive is craignes.
  8. D) crains — the tu form of craindre in the imperative (affirmative) is crains.
  9. D) craint — the past participle of craindre is craint; perfect tenses use avoir + craint.
  10. B) to fear — craindre means “to fear” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does craindre mean in English?

craindre means “to fear”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je crains le noir la nuit.” (“I fear the dark at night.”).

Which auxiliary does craindre take in the passé composé?

craindre takes avoir: ai craint. Because the auxiliary is avoir, the participle normally stays invariable.

What is the hardest form of craindre to remember?

Most learners struggle with the irregular forms — for example the present crains and the passé composé ai craint. Practise those two first, then add the subjunctive craigne.

Where can I see the full conjugation of craindre?

On the full conjugation page for craindre, which has every tense, and on the craindre passé composé page, which goes deep on one tense.

Say it yourself

Cover the French sentences above and translate the English back into French. Start with the present tense: “I fear the dark at night.” should become “Je crains le noir la nuit”. Then try the passé composé: “I have feared the dark at night.” should become “J'ai craint le noir la nuit”. Finally, try the future: “I will fear the dark at night tomorrow.” should become “Je craindrai le noir la nuit”. If you get a form wrong, check it against the full conjugation page and say the correct form aloud three times before moving on.

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