Désirer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of désirer — “to desire” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for désirer, 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 désire un café chaud.” — “I desire a hot coffee.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for désirer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of désirer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for désirer. désirer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — désirer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | désire |
| tu | désires |
| il/elle | désire |
| nous | désirons |
| vous | désirez |
| ils/elles | désirent |
The gerund of désirer is en désirant and the past participle is désiré. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of désirer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem désir- (the infinitive désirer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → désire, tu → désires, il/elle → désire, nous → désirons, vous → désirez, ils/elles → désirent. So désirer gives désire, désires, désire, désirons, désirez, désirent.
When to use the present tense of désirer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with désirer: “Je désire un café chaud tous les jours.” — “I desire a hot coffee.” 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 désirer: “Tu désires un café chaud en général.” — “You desire a hot coffee.” 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 désirer: “Il désire un café chaud maintenant.” — “He desires a hot coffee.” 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 désirer: “Nous désirons un café chaud demain.” — “We desire a hot coffee.” 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 désirer: “Ils désirent un café chaud souvent.” — “They desire a hot coffee.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: désirer now, désirer 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 désire un café chaud tous les jours.” — “I desire a hot coffee.”
Future: “Je désirerai un café chaud demain.” — “I will desire a hot coffee tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu désires un café chaud maintenant.” — “You desire a hot coffee.”
Future: “Tu désireras un café chaud demain.” — “You will desire a hot coffee tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous désirons un café chaud en classe.” — “We desire a hot coffee.”
Future: “Nous désirerons un café chaud demain.” — “We will desire a hot coffee tomorrow.”
Example sentences: désirer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of désirer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je désire un café chaud tous les jours.” — “I desire a hot coffee.”
- “Tu désires un café chaud chaque matin.” — “You desire a hot coffee.”
- “Il désire un café chaud souvent.” — “He desires a hot coffee.”
- “Nous désirons un café chaud maintenant.” — “We desire a hot coffee.”
- “Vous désirez un café chaud en général.” — “You desire a hot coffee.”
- “Ils désirent un café chaud le week-end.” — “They desire a hot coffee.”
Common mistakes with désirer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je désirer un café chaud.”
Right: “Je désire un café chaud.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form désire.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu désire un café chaud.”
Right: “Tu désires un café chaud.”
After tu you need désires, not the je form désire. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je désirerai un café chaud.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je désire un café chaud tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (désirerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai désiré un café chaud tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je désire un café chaud tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: désirer in the present tense
What is the je form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désirez
- B) désires
- C) désirent
- D) désire
What is the tu form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désirez
- B) désire
- C) désirent
- D) désires
What is the il/elle form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désirez
- B) désire
- C) désirent
- D) désires
What is the nous form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désirez
- B) désires
- C) désirent
- D) désirons
What is the vous form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désire
- B) désirent
- C) désires
- D) désirez
What is the ils/elles form of désirer in the Present indicative?
- A) désires
- B) désirons
- C) désirent
- D) désire
What is the gerund of désirer?
- A) désire
- B) en désirant
- C) désirerai
- D) désiré
What does désirer mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to desire
- C) to have
- D) to go
Answer key
- D) désire — the je form of désirer in the present indicative is désire.
- D) désires — the tu form of désirer in the present indicative is désires.
- B) désire — the il/elle form of désirer in the present indicative is désire.
- D) désirons — the nous form of désirer in the present indicative is désirons.
- D) désirez — the vous form of désirer in the present indicative is désirez.
- C) désirent — the ils/elles form of désirer in the present indicative is désirent.
- B) en désirant — the gerund of désirer is en désirant.
- B) to desire — désirer means “to desire” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of désirer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is désire and the ils form is désirent.
When do I use the present tense of désirer?
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 (désire), while the future is for what will happen (désirerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of désirer?
On the full conjugation page for désirer, 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 désirer in order, without looking: désire, désires, désire, désirons, désirez, désirent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using désire, ai désiré and désirerai. 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
- désirer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- désirer 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.
- Esperer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Adorer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise désirer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise désirer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.