Dépenser Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of dépenser — “to spend (money)” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for dépenser, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances.” — “I spend too much money on holiday.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for dépenser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of dépenser
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for dépenser. dépenser is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — dépenser
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | dépense |
| tu | dépenses |
| il/elle | dépense |
| nous | dépensons |
| vous | dépensez |
| ils/elles | dépensent |
The gerund of dépenser is en dépensant and the past participle is dépensé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of dépenser is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem dépens- (the infinitive dépenser without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → dépense, tu → dépenses, il/elle → dépense, nous → dépensons, vous → dépensez, ils/elles → dépensent. So dépenser gives dépense, dépenses, dépense, dépensons, dépensez, dépensent.
When to use the present tense of dépenser
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with dépenser: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.” — “I spend too much money on holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with dépenser: “Tu dépenses trop d’argent en vacances en général.” — “You spend too much money on holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with dépenser: “Il dépense trop d’argent en vacances maintenant.” — “He spends too much money on holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with dépenser: “Nous dépensons trop d’argent en vacances demain.” — “We spend too much money on holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with dépenser: “Ils dépensent trop d’argent en vacances souvent.” — “They spend too much money on holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: dépenser now, dépenser later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.” — “I spend too much money on holiday.”
Future: “Je dépenserai trop d’argent en vacances demain.” — “I will spend too much money on holiday tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu dépenses trop d’argent en vacances maintenant.” — “You spend too much money on holiday.”
Future: “Tu dépenseras trop d’argent en vacances demain.” — “You will spend too much money on holiday tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous dépensons trop d’argent en vacances en classe.” — “We spend too much money on holiday.”
Future: “Nous dépenserons trop d’argent en vacances demain.” — “We will spend too much money on holiday tomorrow.”
Example sentences: dépenser in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of dépenser, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.” — “I spend too much money on holiday.”
- “Tu dépenses trop d’argent en vacances chaque matin.” — “You spend too much money on holiday.”
- “Il dépense trop d’argent en vacances souvent.” — “He spends too much money on holiday.”
- “Nous dépensons trop d’argent en vacances maintenant.” — “We spend too much money on holiday.”
- “Vous dépensez trop d’argent en vacances en général.” — “You spend too much money on holiday.”
- “Ils dépensent trop d’argent en vacances le week-end.” — “They spend too much money on holiday.”
Common mistakes with dépenser in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je dépenser trop d’argent en vacances.”
Right: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form dépense.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu dépense trop d’argent en vacances.”
Right: “Tu dépenses trop d’argent en vacances.”
After tu you need dépenses, not the je form dépense. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je dépenserai trop d’argent en vacances.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (dépenserai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai dépensé trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je dépense trop d’argent en vacances tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: dépenser in the present tense
What is the je form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépense
- B) dépensez
- C) dépensent
- D) dépenses
What is the tu form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépenses
- B) dépensez
- C) dépense
- D) dépensons
What is the il/elle form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépense
- B) dépensons
- C) dépensent
- D) dépensez
What is the nous form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépense
- B) dépenses
- C) dépensons
- D) dépensez
What is the vous form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépenses
- B) dépensez
- C) dépense
- D) dépensons
What is the ils/elles form of dépenser in the Present indicative?
- A) dépensent
- B) dépensez
- C) dépensons
- D) dépense
What is the gerund of dépenser?
- A) en dépensant
- B) dépensé
- C) dépense
- D) dépenserai
What does dépenser mean in English?
- A) to spend (money)
- B) to be
- C) to go
- D) to have
Answer key
- A) dépense — the je form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépense.
- A) dépenses — the tu form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépenses.
- A) dépense — the il/elle form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépense.
- C) dépensons — the nous form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépensons.
- B) dépensez — the vous form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépensez.
- A) dépensent — the ils/elles form of dépenser in the present indicative is dépensent.
- A) en dépensant — the gerund of dépenser is en dépensant.
- A) to spend (money) — dépenser means “to spend (money)” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of dépenser formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is dépense and the ils form is dépensent.
When do I use the present tense of dépenser?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (dépense), while the future is for what will happen (dépenserai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of dépenser?
On the full conjugation page for dépenser, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of dépenser in order, without looking: dépense, dépenses, dépense, dépensons, dépensez, dépensent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using dépense, ai dépensé and dépenserai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- dépenser in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- dépenser 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.
- Economiser conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise dépenser with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise dépenser with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.