Enlever Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

enlever — to remove — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, grave-accent (é → è) spelling change -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find enlever 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 enlever conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the enlever present tense page.

Example sentences with enlever

In the present tense

  • “J'enlève la boîte tous les jours.” — “I remove the box every day.”
  • “Tu enlèves la boîte à la maison.” — “You remove the box at home.”
  • “Il enlève la boîte ce matin.” — “He removes the box this morning.”
  • “Nous enlevons la boîte avec Paul.” — “We remove the box with Paul.”
  • “Vous enlevez la boîte.” — “You remove the box.”
  • “Ils enlèvent la boîte tous les jours.” — “They remove the box every day.”

In the passé composé

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

  • “J'enlevais la boîte à la maison.” — “I used to remove the box at home.”
  • “Tu enlèveras la boîte bientôt.” — “You will remove the box soon.”
  • “Il enlèverait la boîte avec Paul.” — “He would remove the box with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous enlevions la boîte tous les jours.” — “It is important that We remove the box every day.”
  • “Enlève la boîte !” — “Remove the box!”

Enlever in context

J'enlève la boîte tous les jours. Tu enlèves la boîte à la maison. Il enlève la boîte ce matin. Nous enlevons la boîte avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de enlever 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 — enlève, enlèves, enlève, enlevons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to remove. J'ai enlevé la boîte hier. Tu as enlevé la boîte la semaine dernière. Il a enlevé la boîte ce matin. Nous avons enlevé la boîte avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de enlever 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 remove — 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 enlever la boîte.”

✓ Right: “J'enlève la boîte tous les jours.”

The infinitive enlever never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form enlève.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je enlèves la boîte.”

✓ Right: “J'enlève la boîte tous les jours.”

enlèves is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is enlève — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “J'enlève la boîte hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai enlevé la boîte hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai enlevé here, not the present enlève.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je enlevons la boîte.”

✓ Right: “J'enlève la boîte tous les jours.”

enlever is a grave-e verb: the stem vowel e becomes è in the stressed forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative — for example je enlève against nous enlevons, which keeps e. The future and conditional keep the è on the stem as well: je enlèverai. Learn the è forms as a set; the rest of the verb follows the regular -er pattern.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) enlève
    • B) enlèverais
    • C) enlèves
    • D) auras enlevé

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

    • A) enlève
    • B) ont enlevé
    • C) aurais enlevé
    • D) ai enlevé

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

    • A) enlevait
    • B) aurait enlevé
    • C) enlevais
    • D) enlèvera

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

    • A) enlèveras
    • B) enlèverions
    • C) enlèverons
    • D) enlèverez

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

    • A) enlèverais
    • B) enlèves
    • C) auras enlevé
    • D) enlèverait

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

    • A) enlevas
    • B) enlevai
    • C) enlevasse
    • D) ai enlevé

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

    • A) enlèverions
    • B) enlève
    • C) enlevions
    • D) enlèvent

  8. What is the gerund of enlever?

    • A) considérant
    • B) brûlant
    • C) arrangeant
    • D) en enlevant

  9. What is the past participle of enlever?

    • A) arrangé
    • B) considéré
    • C) causé
    • D) enlevé

  10. What does enlever mean in English?

  • A) consult
  • B) attract
  • C) turn off
  • D) remove

Answer key

  1. C) enlèves — the tu form of enlever in the present indicative is enlèves. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) ai enlevé — the je form of enlever in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai enlevé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. A) enlevait — the il/elle form of enlever in the imperfect is enlevait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. C) enlèverons — the nous form of enlever in the future is enlèverons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) enlèverais — the tu form of enlever in the conditional is enlèverais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) enlevai — the je form of enlever in the passé simple is enlevai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) enlevions — the nous form of enlever in the present subjunctive is enlevions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) en enlevant — the gerund of enlever is en enlevant; 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) enlevé — the past participle of enlever is enlevé; perfect tenses use avoir + enlevé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. D) remove — enlever means “to remove” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does enlever mean in English?

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

Is enlever regular or irregular?

enlever is irregular. enlever is a grave-e verb: the stem vowel e becomes è in the stressed forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative — for example je enlève against nous enlevons, which keeps e. The future and conditional keep the è on the stem as well: je enlèverai. Learn the è forms as a set; the rest of the verb follows the regular -er pattern.

What are the gerund and past participle of enlever?

The gerund is en enlevant and the past participle is enlevé. The perfect tenses use avoir + enlevé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of enlever?

On the enlever conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The enlever 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 enlever, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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