Craindre Conjugation in French
craindre means “to fear” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of craindre — 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 crains le noir la nuit.” — “I fear the dark at night.” 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 craindre 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: craindre
- English: to fear
- Verb type: Irregular -re verb
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: en craignant
- Past participle: craint
- 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 craindre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for craindre. 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 | crains |
| tu | crains |
| il/elle | craint |
| nous | craignons |
| vous | craignez |
| ils/elles | craignent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craignis |
| tu | craignis |
| il/elle | craignit |
| nous | craignîmes |
| vous | craignîtes |
| ils/elles | craignirent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craignais |
| tu | craignais |
| il/elle | craignait |
| nous | craignions |
| vous | craigniez |
| ils/elles | craignaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craindrai |
| tu | craindras |
| il/elle | craindra |
| nous | craindrons |
| vous | craindrez |
| ils/elles | craindront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craindrais |
| tu | craindrais |
| il/elle | craindrait |
| nous | craindrions |
| vous | craindriez |
| ils/elles | craindraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai craint |
| tu | as craint |
| il/elle | a craint |
| nous | avons craint |
| vous | avez craint |
| ils/elles | ont craint |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais craint |
| tu | avais craint |
| il/elle | avait craint |
| nous | avions craint |
| vous | aviez craint |
| ils/elles | avaient craint |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai craint |
| tu | auras craint |
| il/elle | aura craint |
| nous | aurons craint |
| vous | aurez craint |
| ils/elles | auront craint |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais craint |
| tu | aurais craint |
| il/elle | aurait craint |
| nous | aurions craint |
| vous | auriez craint |
| ils/elles | auraient craint |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craigne |
| tu | craignes |
| il/elle | craigne |
| nous | craignions |
| vous | craigniez |
| ils/elles | craignent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | craignisse |
| tu | craignisses |
| il/elle | craignît |
| nous | craignissions |
| vous | craignissiez |
| ils/elles | craignissent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | crains |
| nous | craignons |
| vous | craignez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | crains |
| nous | craignons |
| vous | craignez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en craignant |
| Past participle | craint |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With craindre 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 crains le noir la nuit.” — “I fear the dark at night.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With craindre 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 craignis le noir la nuit.” — “You feared the dark at night one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il craignait le noir la nuit quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to fear the dark at night.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous craindrons le noir la nuit.” — “We will fear the dark at night tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous craindriez le noir la nuit.” — “You would fear the dark at night if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With craindre it is formed with avoir + the past participle craint. For example: “Ils ont craint le noir la nuit hier.” — “They have feared the dark at night.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais craint le noir la nuit avant la fête.” — “I had feared the dark at night 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 craint le noir la nuit.” — “You will have feared the dark at night by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait craint le noir la nuit.” — “He would have feared the dark at night if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With craindre 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 faut que je craigne le noir la nuit.” — “It is important that I fear the dark at night.”
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 craignisse le noir la nuit.” — “It was important that I fear the dark at night.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With craindre 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: “Crains le noir la nuit !” — “Fear the dark at night!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With craindre 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: “Crains le noir la nuit !” — “Do not fear the dark at night!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en craignant — “while fearing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is craint, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai craint.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with craindre, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je crains le noir la nuit.” — “I fear the dark at night.”
- “Tu crains le noir la nuit.” — “You fear the dark at night.”
- “Il craignait le noir la nuit.” — “He used to fear the dark at night.”
- “Nous craindrons le noir la nuit.” — “We will fear the dark at night tomorrow.”
- “Je craindrais le noir la nuit.” — “I would fear the dark at night if I could.”
- “Tu as craint le noir la nuit.” — “You have feared the dark at night.”
- “Il avait craint le noir la nuit.” — “He had feared the dark at night before the party.”
- “Nous aurons craint le noir la nuit.” — “We will have feared the dark at night by tomorrow evening.”
- “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!”
Common mistakes
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.
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”; s'inquiéter means “to worry”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Applying the regular pattern to craindre
✗ Wrong: “Je craindre…” (a guessed regular form)
✓ Right: “Je crains le noir la nuit.”
craindre is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The present indicative form for je is crains, not what the regular endings would give — learn it as a set.
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, so use craigne here, not the indicative crains.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je crains le noir la nuit hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai craint le noir la nuit hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai craint), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of craindre in the Present indicative?
- A) craignent
- B) crains
- C) craignez
- D) craint
What is the ils/elles form of craindre in the Present indicative?
- A) crains
- B) craint
- C) craignons
- D) craignent
What is the il/elle form of craindre in the Passé simple?
- A) craignirent
- B) craignit
- C) craignîtes
- D) craignîmes
What is the nous form of craindre in the Imperfect?
- A) craigniez
- B) craignait
- C) craignions
- D) craignais
What is the tu form of craindre in the Future?
- A) craindrons
- B) craindra
- C) craindront
- D) craindras
What is the je form of craindre in the Conditional?
- A) craindrions
- B) craindriez
- C) craindrais
- D) craindrait
What is the il/elle form of craindre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ont craint
- B) avez craint
- C) ai craint
- D) a craint
What is the vous form of craindre in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avions craint
- B) avais craint
- C) aviez craint
- D) avait craint
What is the gerund of craindre?
- A) en craignant
- B) crains
- C) craint
- D) craindrai
What is the past participle of craindre?
- A) craint
- B) crains
- C) en craignant
- D) craignais
Answer key
- B) crains — the je form of craindre in the present indicative is crains.
- D) craignent — the ils/elles form of craindre in the present indicative is craignent.
- B) craignit — the il/elle form of craindre in the passé simple is craignit.
- C) craignions — the nous form of craindre in the imperfect is craignions.
- D) craindras — the tu form of craindre in the future is craindras.
- C) craindrais — the je form of craindre in the conditional is craindrais.
- D) a craint — the il/elle form of craindre in the present perfect (passé composé) is a craint.
- C) aviez craint — the vous form of craindre in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez craint.
- A) en craignant — the gerund of craindre is en craignant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- A) craint — the past participle of craindre is craint; perfect tenses use avoir + craint.
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.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is craindre regular or irregular?
craindre is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is en craignant and the past participle is craint.
What are the gerund and past participle of craindre?
The gerund is en craignant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is craint — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai craint.
What is the difference between craindre and s'inquiéter?
craindre means “to fear”, while s'inquiéter means “to worry”. 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 s'inquiéter and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I fear” in French?
Say “Je crains le noir la nuit.” — “I fear the dark at night.” The je form of the present is crains, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn craindre
Start with the present tense: crains, crains, craint, craignons, craignez, craignent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai craint — and the imperfect — craignais. Next, learn the future (craindrai) and the conditional (craindrais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (craigne) and the imperative (crains). 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
- craindre in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- craindre examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- Sinquieter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Reflechir conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise craindre with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise craindre with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.