Cuisiner Conjugation in French
cuisiner means “cook” 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 cooking at home, for describing a recipe, and for preparing dinner. 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 cuisiner — 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 cuisine un repas.” — “I cook a meal.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: cuisiner
- English: cook
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — it is regular in every tense
- Gerund: en cuisinant
- Past participle: cuisiné
- 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 cuisiner, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for cuisiner. 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 | cuisine |
| tu | cuisines |
| il/elle | cuisine |
| nous | cuisinons |
| vous | cuisinez |
| ils/elles | cuisinent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisinai |
| tu | cuisinas |
| il/elle | cuisina |
| nous | cuisinâmes |
| vous | cuisinâtes |
| ils/elles | cuisinèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisinais |
| tu | cuisinais |
| il/elle | cuisinait |
| nous | cuisinions |
| vous | cuisiniez |
| ils/elles | cuisinaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisinerai |
| tu | cuisineras |
| il/elle | cuisinera |
| nous | cuisinerons |
| vous | cuisinerez |
| ils/elles | cuisineront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisinerais |
| tu | cuisinerais |
| il/elle | cuisinerait |
| nous | cuisinerions |
| vous | cuisineriez |
| ils/elles | cuisineraient |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisine |
| tu | cuisines |
| il/elle | cuisine |
| nous | cuisinions |
| vous | cuisiniez |
| ils/elles | cuisinent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | cuisinasse |
| tu | cuisinasses |
| il/elle | cuisinât |
| nous | cuisinassions |
| vous | cuisinassiez |
| ils/elles | cuisinassent |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai cuisiné |
| tu | as cuisiné |
| il/elle | a cuisiné |
| nous | avons cuisiné |
| vous | avez cuisiné |
| ils/elles | ont cuisiné |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais cuisiné |
| tu | avais cuisiné |
| il/elle | avait cuisiné |
| nous | avions cuisiné |
| vous | aviez cuisiné |
| ils/elles | avaient cuisiné |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai cuisiné |
| tu | auras cuisiné |
| il/elle | aura cuisiné |
| nous | aurons cuisiné |
| vous | aurez cuisiné |
| ils/elles | auront cuisiné |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais cuisiné |
| tu | aurais cuisiné |
| il/elle | aurait cuisiné |
| nous | aurions cuisiné |
| vous | auriez cuisiné |
| ils/elles | auraient cuisiné |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | cuisine |
| nous | cuisinons |
| vous | cuisinez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | cuisine |
| nous | cuisinons |
| vous | cuisinez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en cuisinant |
| Past participle | cuisiné |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je cuisine des pâtes.” — “I cook pasta.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Je cuisinai des pâtes hier.” — “I cooked pasta yesterday.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Je cuisinais des pâtes avant.” — “I used to cook pasta before.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and plans. For example: “Je cuisinerai des pâtes demain.” — “I will cook pasta tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Je cuisinerais des pâtes un jour.” — “I would cook pasta one day.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Bien que je cuisine des pâtes” — “Although I cook pasta.”
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 cuisinasse des pâtes” — “Although I cook pasta.”
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 cuisiné des pâtes cette semaine.” — “I have cooked pasta this week.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais cuisiné des pâtes avant la fête.” — “I had cooked pasta 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 cuisiné des pâtes pour demain.” — “I will have cooked pasta by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “J'aurais cuisiné des pâtes hier.” — “I would have cooked pasta yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “cuisine des pâtes !” — “Cook pasta!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Ne cuisine pas des pâtes !” — “Don't cook pasta!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en cuisinant is used after en for an action in progress, and the past participle cuisiné builds the perfect tenses with avoir. For example: “J'ai cuisiné pour la famille cette semaine.” — “I have cooked for the family this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with cuisiner, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je cuisine un repas.” — “I cook a meal.”
- “Tu cuisinas des pâtes hier.” — “You cooked pasta yesterday.”
- “Il cuisinait pour la famille avant.” — “He used to cook for the family before.”
- “Je cuisinerai très bien demain.” — “I will cook very well tomorrow.”
- “Tu cuisinerais un repas un jour.” — “You would cook a meal one day.”
- “Il a cuisiné des pâtes cette semaine.” — “He has cooked pasta this week.”
- “J'avais cuisiné pour la famille avant la fête.” — “I had cooked for the family before the party.”
- “Tu auras cuisiné très bien pour demain.” — “You will have cooked very well by tomorrow.”
- “Bien que il cuisine un repas” — “Although he cooks a meal.”
- “cuisine des pâtes !” — “Cook pasta!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je cuisiner un repas.”
✓ Right: “Je cuisine un repas.”
The infinitive cuisiner never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form cuisine.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je cuisinons des pâtes.”
✓ Right: “Je cuisine des pâtes.”
cuisinons is the nous form. With je the present form is cuisine — check the person in the table before you speak.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Hier, je cuisine un repas.”
✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai cuisiné un repas.”
The present cuisine describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai cuisiné.
4. Using the passé simple in everyday speech
✗ Wrong: “Hier, je cuisinai pour la famille.” (in casual conversation)
✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai cuisiné pour la famille.”
The passé simple cuisinai belongs in novels and formal writing. In everyday speech, say the passé composé ai cuisiné.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Bien que je cuisine un repas.”
✓ Right: “Bien que je cuisine un repas.”
After bien que French needs the subjunctive, so use cuisine here, not the indicative cuisine.
6. Using the imperfect for a single finished action
✗ Wrong: “Je cuisinais très bien avant.” (said of one finished moment)
✓ Right: “J'ai cuisiné très bien avant.”
The imperfect cuisinais describes something ongoing or repeated in the past. For one finished action, use the passé composé ai cuisiné.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on cuisiner. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of cuisiner in the Present indicative?
- A) cuisinons
- B) cuisine
- C) cuisinez
- D) cuisinent
What is the il/elle form of cuisiner in the Passé simple?
- A) cuisina
- B) cuisinas
- C) cuisinèrent
- D) cuisinâtes
What is the nous form of cuisiner in the Imperfect?
- A) cuisinaient
- B) cuisiniez
- C) cuisinait
- D) cuisinions
What is the tu form of cuisiner in the Future?
- A) cuisinera
- B) cuisineront
- C) cuisineras
- D) cuisinerez
What is the je form of cuisiner in the Conditional?
- A) cuisineriez
- B) cuisinerait
- C) cuisinerais
- D) cuisinerions
What is the il/elle form of cuisiner in the Present subjunctive?
- A) cuisiniez
- B) cuisinent
- C) cuisines
- D) cuisine
What is the je form of cuisiner in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) cuisinasse
- B) cuisinassions
- C) cuisinassent
- D) cuisinasses
What is the gerund of cuisiner?
- A) cuisinant
- B) dormant
- C) buvant
What is the past participle of cuisiner?
- A) dormi
- B) bu
- C) cuisiné
What does cuisiner mean in English?
- A) cook
- B) sleep
- C) drink
- D) open
Answer key
- B) cuisine — The je form of cuisiner in the present indicative is cuisine.
- A) cuisina — The il/elle form of cuisiner in the passé simple is cuisina.
- D) cuisinions — The nous form of cuisiner in the imperfect is cuisinions.
- C) cuisineras — The tu form of cuisiner in the future is cuisineras.
- C) cuisinerais — The je form of cuisiner in the conditional is cuisinerais.
- D) cuisine — The il/elle form of cuisiner in the present subjunctive is cuisine.
- A) cuisinasse — The je form of cuisiner in the imperfect subjunctive is cuisinasse.
- A) cuisinant — The gerund of cuisiner is en cuisinant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- C) cuisiné — The past participle of cuisiner is cuisiné; perfect tenses use avoir + cuisiné.
- A) cook — cuisiner means “cook” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does cuisiner mean in English?
cuisiner means “cook”. You use it for talking about cooking at home, for describing a recipe, and for preparing dinner. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is cuisiner regular or irregular?
cuisiner is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en cuisinant and the past participle is cuisiné.
What are the gerund and past participle of cuisiner?
The gerund is en cuisinant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is cuisiné — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai cuisiné.
How do I say “I cook” in French?
Say “Je cuisine un repas.” — “I cook a meal.” The je form of the present is cuisine, and it is the form you will use most often.
What is the difference between cuisiner and manger?
cuisiner means “cook” while manger means “eat” — they describe different actions, so they are not interchangeable. Compare the full table for manger and check the meaning in context before you choose.
Related pages
- Cuisiner Present Tense Conjugation in French
- Cuisiner Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French
- Manger conjugation
- Goûter conjugation
- Boire conjugation
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages and tools.
- Verb Conjugator — practise cuisiner with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise cuisiner with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise cuisiner with the interactive tool.