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