Dessiner Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

dessiner — to draw — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find dessiner in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts 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. The full conjugation tables are on the dessiner conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the dessiner present tense page.

Example sentences with dessiner

In the present tense

  • “Je dessine la maison tous les jours.” — “I draw the house every day.”
  • “Tu dessines la maison à la maison.” — “You draw the house at home.”
  • “Il dessine la maison ce matin.” — “He draws the house this morning.”
  • “Nous dessinons la maison avec Paul.” — “We draw the house with Paul.”
  • “Vous dessinez la maison.” — “You draw the house.”
  • “Ils dessinent la maison tous les jours.” — “They draw the house every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai dessiné la maison hier.” — “I have drawn the house yesterday.”
  • “Tu as dessiné la maison la semaine dernière.” — “You have drawn the house last week.”
  • “Il a dessiné la maison ce matin.” — “He has drawn the house this morning.”
  • “Nous avons dessiné la maison avant la fête.” — “We have drawn the house before the party.”
  • “Vous avez dessiné la maison.” — “You have drawn the house.”
  • “Ils ont dessiné la maison hier.” — “They have drawn the house yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je dessinais la maison à la maison.” — “I used to draw the house at home.”
  • “Tu dessineras la maison bientôt.” — “You will draw the house soon.”
  • “Il dessinerait la maison avec Paul.” — “He would draw the house with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous dessinions la maison tous les jours.” — “It is important that We draw the house every day.”
  • “Dessine la maison !” — “Draw the house!”

Dessiner in context

Je dessine la maison tous les jours. Tu dessines la maison à la maison. Il dessine la maison ce matin. Nous dessinons la maison avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de dessiner est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — dessine, dessines, dessine, dessinons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to draw. J'ai dessiné la maison hier. Tu as dessiné la maison la semaine dernière. Il a dessiné la maison ce matin. Nous avons dessiné la maison avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de dessiner apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to draw — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je dessiner la maison.”

✓ Right: “Je dessine la maison tous les jours.”

The infinitive dessiner never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form dessine.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je dessines la maison.”

✓ Right: “Je dessine la maison tous les jours.”

dessines is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is dessine — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je dessine la maison hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai dessiné la maison hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai dessiné here, not the present dessine.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je dessinons la maison.”

✓ Right: “Je dessine la maison tous les jours.”

dessinons is the nous form. The je form is dessine — the two persons never share a form in the present of dessiner.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on dessiner across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of dessiner in the Present indicative?

    • A) dessinasses
    • B) dessinez
    • C) dessines
    • D) auras dessiné

  2. What is the je form of dessiner in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) dessinasse
    • B) dessinerais
    • C) ai dessiné
    • D) ont dessiné

  3. What is the il/elle form of dessiner in the Imperfect?

    • A) dessine
    • B) dessinera
    • C) dessiniez
    • D) dessinait

  4. What is the nous form of dessiner in the Future?

    • A) aurons dessiné
    • B) dessinons
    • C) dessinerons
    • D) dessinassions

  5. What is the tu form of dessiner in the Conditional?

    • A) dessinas
    • B) dessines
    • C) dessineraient
    • D) dessinerais

  6. What is the je form of dessiner in the Passé simple?

    • A) aurais dessiné
    • B) dessinai
    • C) dessinerais
    • D) aurai dessiné

  7. What is the nous form of dessiner in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) avions dessiné
    • B) dessiniez
    • C) dessinons
    • D) dessinions

  8. What is the gerund of dessiner?

    • A) commentant
    • B) considérant
    • C) en dessinant
    • D) approchant

  9. What is the past participle of dessiner?

    • A) amené
    • B) analysé
    • C) attiré
    • D) dessiné

  10. What does dessiner mean in English?

  • A) belong
  • B) draw
  • C) remove
  • D) notice

Answer key

  1. C) dessines — the tu form of dessiner in the present indicative is dessines. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) ai dessiné — the je form of dessiner in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai dessiné. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) dessinait — the il/elle form of dessiner in the imperfect is dessinait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) dessinerons — the nous form of dessiner in the future is dessinerons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) dessinerais — the tu form of dessiner in the conditional is dessinerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) dessinai — the je form of dessiner in the passé simple is dessinai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) dessinions — the nous form of dessiner in the present subjunctive is dessinions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en dessinant — the gerund of dessiner is en dessinant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. D) dessiné — the past participle of dessiner is dessiné; perfect tenses use avoir + dessiné. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. B) draw — dessiner means “to draw” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does dessiner mean in English?

dessiner means “to draw”. You use it whenever you talk about to draw in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is dessiner regular or irregular?

dessiner is regular. dessiner is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of dessiner?

The gerund is en dessinant and the past participle is dessiné. The perfect tenses use avoir + dessiné.

Where can I see the full conjugation of dessiner?

On the dessiner conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The dessiner present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

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

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