Devenir Conjugation in French
devenir means “to become” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 273 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about becoming a teacher one day, and 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 devenir — 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 deviens professeur un jour tous les jours.” — “I become a teacher one day every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: devenir
- English: to become
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: devenant
- Past participle: devenu
- Auxiliary: être (all perfect tenses are formed with être + the past participle)
- Ending: -ir verbs; pattern venir in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for devenir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read devenir in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about devenir
- It is irregular in 5 tense(s): present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use être: the present perfect is formed with être in the present plus the past participle devenu. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is devenant and the participle is devenu: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for devenir. 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 | deviens |
| tu | deviens |
| il/elle | devient |
| nous | devenons |
| vous | devenez |
| ils/elles | deviennent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With devenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Je deviens célèbre à Paris tous les jours.” — “I become famous in Paris every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | devins |
| tu | devins |
| il/elle | devint |
| nous | devînmes |
| vous | devîntes |
| ils/elles | devinrent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With devenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tu devins célèbre à Paris hier.” — “You became famous in Paris yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | devenais |
| tu | devenais |
| il/elle | devenait |
| nous | devenions |
| vous | deveniez |
| ils/elles | devenaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il devenait célèbre à Paris autrefois.” — “He used to become famous in Paris in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | deviendrai |
| tu | deviendras |
| il/elle | deviendra |
| nous | deviendrons |
| vous | deviendrez |
| ils/elles | deviendront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je deviendrai célèbre à Paris demain.” — “I will become famous in Paris tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | deviendrais |
| tu | deviendrais |
| il/elle | deviendrait |
| nous | deviendrions |
| vous | deviendriez |
| ils/elles | deviendraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu deviendrais célèbre à Paris un jour.” — “You would become famous in Paris one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suis devenu |
| tu | es devenu |
| il/elle | est devenu |
| nous | sommes devenu |
| vous | êtes devenu |
| ils/elles | sont devenu |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il est devenu célèbre à Paris cette semaine.” — “He has become famous in Paris this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | étais devenu |
| tu | étais devenu |
| il/elle | était devenu |
| nous | étions devenu |
| vous | étiez devenu |
| ils/elles | étaient devenu |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'étais devenu célèbre à Paris avant la fête.” — “I had become famous in Paris before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | serai devenu |
| tu | seras devenu |
| il/elle | sera devenu |
| nous | serons devenu |
| vous | serez devenu |
| ils/elles | seront devenu |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu seras devenu célèbre à Paris pour demain.” — “You will have become famous in Paris by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | serais devenu |
| tu | serais devenu |
| il/elle | serait devenu |
| nous | serions devenu |
| vous | seriez devenu |
| ils/elles | seraient devenu |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il serait devenu célèbre à Paris hier.” — “He would have become famous in Paris yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | devienne |
| tu | deviennes |
| il/elle | devienne |
| nous | devenions |
| vous | deveniez |
| ils/elles | deviennent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With devenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Il est important que je devienne célèbre à Paris.” — “It is important that I become famous in Paris.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | devinsse |
| tu | devinsses |
| il/elle | devînt |
| nous | devinssions |
| vous | devinssiez |
| ils/elles | devinssent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu devinsses célèbre à Paris.” — “It is important that you become famous in Paris.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | deviens |
| nous | devenons |
| vous | devenez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With devenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Deviens célèbre à Paris !” — “Become famous in Paris!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | deviens |
| nous | devenons |
| vous | devenez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With devenir this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ne deviens pas célèbre à Paris.” — “Do not become famous in Paris.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en devenant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En devenant professeur un jour, je passe un bon moment.” — “While becoming a teacher one day, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | devenu |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Je suis devenu professeur un jour cette semaine.” — “I have become a teacher one day this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with devenir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je deviens professeur un jour tous les jours.” — “I become a teacher one day every day.”
- “Tu devins célèbre à Paris hier.” — “You became famous in Paris yesterday.”
- “Il devenait grand et fort autrefois.” — “He used to become big and strong in the past.”
- “Je deviendrai professeur un jour demain.” — “I will become a teacher one day tomorrow.”
- “Tu deviendrais célèbre à Paris un jour.” — “You would become famous in Paris one day.”
- “Il est devenu grand et fort cette semaine.” — “He has become big and strong this week.”
- “J'étais devenu professeur un jour avant la fête.” — “I had become a teacher one day before the party.”
- “Tu seras devenu célèbre à Paris pour demain.” — “You will have become famous in Paris by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il devienne grand et fort.” — “It is important that he become big and strong.”
- “Deviens professeur un jour !” — “Become a teacher one day!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je devenir professeur un jour.”
✓ Right: “Je deviens professeur un jour.”
The infinitive devenir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form deviens.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je deviennent professeur un jour.”
✓ Right: “Je deviens professeur un jour.”
deviennent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with deviens.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je devins professeur un jour tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je deviens professeur un jour tous les jours.”
The passé simple devins describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present deviens.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je deviens professeur un jour.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je devienne professeur un jour.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use devienne here, not the indicative deviens.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je ai devenu professeur un jour.”
✓ Right: “Je suis devenu professeur un jour.”
The passé composé of devenir is formed with être plus the past participle devenu: the je form is suis devenu. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “deviens” written without its accent
✓ Right: “deviens”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on devenir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of devenir in the Present indicative?
- A) devenons
- B) devenez
- C) deviens
- D) devient
What is the il/elle form of devenir in the Passé simple?
- A) devînmes
- B) devîntes
- C) devint
- D) devins
What is the nous form of devenir in the Imperfect?
- A) deveniez
- B) devenions
- C) devenais
- D) devenait
What is the tu form of devenir in the Future?
- A) deviendrai
- B) deviendra
- C) deviendrons
- D) deviendras
What is the je form of devenir in the Conditional?
- A) deviendrions
- B) deviendriez
- C) deviendrais
- D) deviendrait
What is the il/elle form of devenir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) sommes devenu
- B) est devenu
- C) suis devenu
- D) es devenu
What is the il/elle form of devenir in the Present subjunctive?
- A) devenions
- B) deveniez
- C) devienne
- D) deviennes
What is the je form of devenir in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) devinsses
- B) devînt
- C) devinssions
- D) devinsse
What is the gerund of devenir?
- A) en devenant
- B) en revenant
- C) en écrivant
- D) en lisant
What does devenir mean in English?
- A) to write
- B) to read
- C) to become
- D) to come back
Answer key
- C) deviens — the je form of devenir in the Present indicative is deviens. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) devint — the il/elle form of devenir in the Passé simple is devint. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) devenions — the nous form of devenir in the Imperfect is devenions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) deviendras — the tu form of devenir in the Future is deviendras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) deviendrais — the je form of devenir in the Conditional is deviendrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) est devenu — the il/elle form of devenir in the Present perfect (passé composé) is est devenu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) devienne — the il/elle form of devenir in the Present subjunctive is devienne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) devinsse — the je form of devenir in the Imperfect subjunctive is devinsse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) en devenant — the gerund of devenir is en devenant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to become — devenir means “to become” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does devenir mean in English?
devenir means “to become”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is devenir regular or irregular?
devenir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is devenant and the past participle is devenu.
What are the gerund and past participle of devenir?
The gerund is devenant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is devenu — use it with être for the perfect tenses, as in suis devenu.
Which auxiliary does devenir take in the passé composé?
devenir takes être in the passé composé: the je form is suis devenu. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with être plus the past participle devenu.
How do I say “I become” in French?
Say “Je deviens professeur un jour tous les jours.” — “I become a teacher one day every day.” The je form of the present is deviens, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of devenir — every tense of devenir in one place.
- Devenir in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Devenir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Revenir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Écrire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Lire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise devenir with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise devenir with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise devenir with the interactive tool.