Enseigner Conjugation in French

enseigner means “teach” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early — it sits in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French. You use it for talking about a teacher's job, for describing school subjects, and for explaining a lesson. 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 enseigner — 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: “J'enseigne le français.” — “I teach French.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: enseigner
  • English: teach
  • Verb type: Regular
  • Irregular in: none — it is regular in every tense
  • Gerund: en enseignant
  • Past participle: enseigné
  • Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)

Pronunciation

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

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for enseigner. 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 enseigne
tu enseignes
il/elle enseigne
nous enseignons
vous enseignez
ils/elles enseignent

Passé simple

Person Form
je enseignai
tu enseignas
il/elle enseigna
nous enseignâmes
vous enseignâtes
ils/elles enseignèrent

Imperfect

Person Form
je enseignais
tu enseignais
il/elle enseignait
nous enseignions
vous enseigniez
ils/elles enseignaient

Future

Person Form
je enseignerai
tu enseigneras
il/elle enseignera
nous enseignerons
vous enseignerez
ils/elles enseigneront

Conditional

Person Form
je enseignerais
tu enseignerais
il/elle enseignerait
nous enseignerions
vous enseigneriez
ils/elles enseigneraient

Present subjunctive

Person Form
je enseigne
tu enseignes
il/elle enseigne
nous enseignions
vous enseigniez
ils/elles enseignent

Imperfect subjunctive

Person Form
je enseignasse
tu enseignasses
il/elle enseignât
nous enseignassions
vous enseignassiez
ils/elles enseignassent

Present perfect

Person Form
je ai enseigné
tu as enseigné
il/elle a enseigné
nous avons enseigné
vous avez enseigné
ils/elles ont enseigné

Pluperfect (past perfect)

Person Form
je avais enseigné
tu avais enseigné
il/elle avait enseigné
nous avions enseigné
vous aviez enseigné
ils/elles avaient enseigné

Future perfect

Person Form
je aurai enseigné
tu auras enseigné
il/elle aura enseigné
nous aurons enseigné
vous aurez enseigné
ils/elles auront enseigné

Conditional perfect

Person Form
je aurais enseigné
tu aurais enseigné
il/elle aurait enseigné
nous aurions enseigné
vous auriez enseigné
ils/elles auraient enseigné

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tu enseigne
nous enseignons
vous enseignez

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tu enseigne
nous enseignons
vous enseignez

Gerund and past participle

Form French
Gerund en enseignant
Past participle enseigné

When to use each tense

Present indicative

The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “J'enseigne les mathématiques.” — “I teach mathematics.”

Passé simple

The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “J'enseignai les mathématiques hier.” — “I taught mathematics yesterday.”

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “J'enseignais les mathématiques avant.” — “I used to teach mathematics before.”

Future

The future is used for what will happen, predictions and plans. For example: “J'enseignerai les mathématiques demain.” — “I will teach mathematics tomorrow.”

Conditional

The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “J'enseignerais les mathématiques un jour.” — “I would teach mathematics one day.”

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Bien que j'enseigne les mathématiques” — “Although I teach mathematics.”

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, in formal and literary French. For example: “Bien que j'enseignasse les mathématiques” — “Although I teach mathematics.”

Present perfect

The present perfect is used for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. For example: “J'ai enseigné les mathématiques cette semaine.” — “I have taught mathematics this week.”

Pluperfect (past perfect)

The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais enseigné les mathématiques avant la fête.” — “I had taught mathematics before the party.”

Future perfect

The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “J'aurai enseigné les mathématiques pour demain.” — “I will have taught mathematics by tomorrow.”

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “J'aurais enseigné les mathématiques hier.” — “I would have taught mathematics yesterday.”

Imperative (affirmative)

The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “enseigne les mathématiques !” — “Teach mathematics!”

Imperative (negative)

The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Ne enseigne pas les mathématiques !” — “Don't teach mathematics!”

Gerund and past participle

The gerund en enseignant is used after en for an action in progress, and the past participle enseigné builds the perfect tenses with avoir. For example: “J'ai enseigné à l'école cette semaine.” — “I have taught at school this week.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with enseigner, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “J'enseigne le français.” — “I teach French.”
  2. “Tu enseignas les mathématiques hier.” — “You taught mathematics yesterday.”
  3. “Il enseignait à l'école avant.” — “He used to teach at school before.”
  4. “J'enseignerai l'histoire demain.” — “I will teach history tomorrow.”
  5. “Tu enseignerais le français un jour.” — “You would teach French one day.”
  6. “Il a enseigné les mathématiques cette semaine.” — “He has taught mathematics this week.”
  7. “J'avais enseigné à l'école avant la fête.” — “I had taught at school before the party.”
  8. “Tu auras enseigné l'histoire pour demain.” — “You will have taught history by tomorrow.”
  9. “Bien que il enseigne le français” — “Although he teaches French.”
  10. “enseigne les mathématiques !” — “Teach mathematics!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je enseigner le français.”

✓ Right: “Je enseigne le français.”

The infinitive enseigner never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form enseigne.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je enseignons les mathématiques.”

✓ Right: “Je enseigne les mathématiques.”

enseignons is the nous form. With je the present form is enseigne — check the person in the table before you speak.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je enseigne le français.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai enseigné le français.”

The present enseigne describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai enseigné.

4. Using the passé simple in everyday speech

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je enseignai à l'école.” (in casual conversation)

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai enseigné à l'école.”

The passé simple enseignai belongs in novels and formal writing. In everyday speech, say the passé composé ai enseigné.

5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Bien que je enseigne le français.”

✓ Right: “Bien que je enseigne le français.”

After bien que French needs the subjunctive, so use enseigne here, not the indicative enseigne.

6. Using the imperfect for a single finished action

✗ Wrong: “Je enseignais l'histoire avant.” (said of one finished moment)

✓ Right: “J'ai enseigné l'histoire avant.”

The imperfect enseignais describes something ongoing or repeated in the past. For one finished action, use the passé composé ai enseigné.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on enseigner. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the je form of enseigner in the Present indicative?

    • A) enseignent
    • B) enseignes
    • C) enseigne
    • D) enseignez

  2. What is the il/elle form of enseigner in the Passé simple?

    • A) enseignâmes
    • B) enseigna
    • C) enseignas
    • D) enseignâtes

  3. What is the nous form of enseigner in the Imperfect?

    • A) enseignait
    • B) enseignaient
    • C) enseigniez
    • D) enseignions

  4. What is the tu form of enseigner in the Future?

    • A) enseignera
    • B) enseigneront
    • C) enseigneras
    • D) enseignerons

  5. What is the je form of enseigner in the Conditional?

    • A) enseigneraient
    • B) enseignerions
    • C) enseignerait
    • D) enseignerais

  6. What is the il/elle form of enseigner in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) enseignions
    • B) enseigniez
    • C) enseignent
    • D) enseigne

  7. What is the je form of enseigner in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) enseignassiez
    • B) enseignasse
    • C) enseignasses
    • D) enseignassions

  8. What is the gerund of enseigner?

    • A) dormant
    • B) enseignant
    • C) buvant

  9. What is the past participle of enseigner?

    • A) dormi
    • B) bu
    • C) enseigné

  10. What does enseigner mean in English?

  • A) open
  • B) sleep
  • C) teach
  • D) drink

Answer key

  1. C) enseigne — The je form of enseigner in the present indicative is enseigne.
  2. B) enseigna — The il/elle form of enseigner in the passé simple is enseigna.
  3. D) enseignions — The nous form of enseigner in the imperfect is enseignions.
  4. C) enseigneras — The tu form of enseigner in the future is enseigneras.
  5. D) enseignerais — The je form of enseigner in the conditional is enseignerais.
  6. D) enseigne — The il/elle form of enseigner in the present subjunctive is enseigne.
  7. B) enseignasse — The je form of enseigner in the imperfect subjunctive is enseignasse.
  8. B) enseignant — The gerund of enseigner is en enseignant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. C) enseigné — The past participle of enseigner is enseigné; perfect tenses use avoir + enseigné.
  10. C) teach — enseigner means “teach” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does enseigner mean in English?

enseigner means “teach”. You use it for talking about a teacher's job, for describing school subjects, and for explaining a lesson. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is enseigner regular or irregular?

enseigner is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en enseignant and the past participle is enseigné.

What are the gerund and past participle of enseigner?

The gerund is en enseignant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is enseigné — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai enseigné.

How do I say “I teach” in French?

Say “J'enseigne le français.” — “I teach French.” The je form of the present is enseigne, and it is the form you will use most often.

What is the difference between enseigner and apprendre?

enseigner means “teach” while apprendre means “learn” — they describe different actions, so they are not interchangeable. Compare the full table for apprendre and check the meaning in context before you choose.

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