Envoyer Conjugation in French

envoyer means “send” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early — it sits in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French. You use it for sending post, for writing to a friend, and for sending a parcel. 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 envoyer — 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'envoie une lettre.” — “I send a letter.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: envoyer
  • English: send
  • Verb type: Regular with a spelling change (yer)
  • Irregular in: future, conditional, future-perfect, conditional-perfect
  • Gerund: en envoyant
  • Past participle: envoyé
  • 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 envoyer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for envoyer. 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 envoie
tu envoies
il/elle envoie
nous envoyons
vous envoyez
ils/elles envoient

Passé simple

Person Form
je envoyai
tu envoyas
il/elle envoya
nous envoyâmes
vous envoyâtes
ils/elles envoyèrent

Imperfect

Person Form
je envoyais
tu envoyais
il/elle envoyait
nous envoyions
vous envoyiez
ils/elles envoyaient

Future

Person Form
je enverrai
tu enverras
il/elle enverra
nous enverrons
vous enverrez
ils/elles enverront

Conditional

Person Form
je enverrais
tu enverrais
il/elle enverrait
nous enverrions
vous enverriez
ils/elles enverraient

Present subjunctive

Person Form
je envoie
tu envoies
il/elle envoie
nous envoyions
vous envoyiez
ils/elles envoient

Imperfect subjunctive

Person Form
je envoyasse
tu envoyasses
il/elle envoyât
nous envoyassions
vous envoyassiez
ils/elles envoyassent

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect (past perfect)

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tu envoie
nous envoyons
vous envoyez

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tu envoie
nous envoyons
vous envoyez

Gerund and past participle

Form French
Gerund en envoyant
Past participle envoyé

When to use each tense

Present indicative

The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “J'envoie un message.” — “I send a message.”

Passé simple

The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “J'envoyai un message hier.” — “I sent a message yesterday.”

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “J'envoyais un message avant.” — “I used to send a message before.”

Future

The future is used for what will happen, predictions and plans. With envoyer 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: “J'enverrai un message demain.” — “I will send a message tomorrow.”

Conditional

The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. With envoyer 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: “J'enverrais un message un jour.” — “I would send a message one day.”

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Bien que j'envoie un message” — “Although I send a message.”

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'envoyasse un message” — “Although I send a message.”

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 envoyé un message cette semaine.” — “I have sent a message this week.”

Pluperfect (past perfect)

The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais envoyé un message avant la fête.” — “I had sent a message before the party.”

Future perfect

The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With envoyer 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: “J'aurai envoyé un message pour demain.” — “I will have sent a message by tomorrow.”

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With envoyer 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: “J'aurais envoyé un message hier.” — “I would have sent a message yesterday.”

Imperative (affirmative)

The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “envoie un message !” — “Send a message!”

Imperative (negative)

The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Ne envoie pas un message !” — “Don't send a message!”

Gerund and past participle

The gerund en envoyant is used after en for an action in progress, and the past participle envoyé builds the perfect tenses with avoir. For example: “J'ai envoyé un colis cette semaine.” — “I have sent a parcel this week.”

Example sentences

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

  1. “J'envoie une lettre.” — “I send a letter.”
  2. “Tu envoyas un message hier.” — “You sent a message yesterday.”
  3. “Il envoyait un colis avant.” — “He used to send a parcel before.”
  4. “J'enverrai un e-mail demain.” — “I will send an e-mail tomorrow.”
  5. “Tu enverrais une lettre un jour.” — “You would send a letter one day.”
  6. “Il a envoyé un message cette semaine.” — “He has sent a message this week.”
  7. “J'avais envoyé un colis avant la fête.” — “I had sent a parcel before the party.”
  8. “Tu auras envoyé un e-mail pour demain.” — “You will have sent an e-mail by tomorrow.”
  9. “Bien que il envoie une lettre” — “Although he sends a letter.”
  10. “envoie un message !” — “Send a message!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je envoyer une lettre.”

✓ Right: “Je envoie une lettre.”

The infinitive envoyer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form envoie.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je envoyons un message.”

✓ Right: “Je envoie un message.”

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

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je envoie une lettre.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai envoyé une lettre.”

The present envoie describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai envoyé.

4. Using the passé simple in everyday speech

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je envoyai un colis.” (in casual conversation)

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai envoyé un colis.”

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

5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Bien que je envoie une lettre.”

✓ Right: “Bien que je envoie une lettre.”

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

6. Using the imperfect for a single finished action

✗ Wrong: “Je envoyais un e-mail avant.” (said of one finished moment)

✓ Right: “J'ai envoyé un e-mail avant.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) envoie
    • B) envoyons
    • C) envoies
    • D) envoyez

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

    • A) envoyâmes
    • B) envoyâtes
    • C) envoya
    • D) envoyai

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

    • A) envoyions
    • B) envoyiez
    • C) envoyait
    • D) envoyais

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

    • A) enverrez
    • B) enverras
    • C) enverrai
    • D) enverront

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

    • A) enverrait
    • B) enverrais
    • C) enverriez
    • D) enverraient

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

    • A) envoyiez
    • B) envoies
    • C) envoie
    • D) envoient

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

    • A) envoyassiez
    • B) envoyassions
    • C) envoyasse
    • D) envoyasses

  8. What is the gerund of envoyer?

    • A) dormant
    • B) buvant
    • C) envoyant

  9. What is the past participle of envoyer?

    • A) bu
    • B) dormi
    • C) envoyé

  10. What does envoyer mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. A) envoie — The je form of envoyer in the present indicative is envoie.
  2. C) envoya — The il/elle form of envoyer in the passé simple is envoya.
  3. A) envoyions — The nous form of envoyer in the imperfect is envoyions.
  4. B) enverras — The tu form of envoyer in the future is enverras.
  5. B) enverrais — The je form of envoyer in the conditional is enverrais.
  6. C) envoie — The il/elle form of envoyer in the present subjunctive is envoie.
  7. C) envoyasse — The je form of envoyer in the imperfect subjunctive is envoyasse.
  8. C) envoyant — The gerund of envoyer is en envoyant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. C) envoyé — The past participle of envoyer is envoyé; perfect tenses use avoir + envoyé.
  10. D) send — envoyer means “send” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does envoyer mean in English?

envoyer means “send”. You use it for sending post, for writing to a friend, and for sending a parcel. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is envoyer regular or irregular?

envoyer is regular with a spelling change (yer), and it is irregular in these tenses: future, conditional, future-perfect, conditional-perfect. The gerund is en envoyant and the past participle is envoyé.

What are the gerund and past participle of envoyer?

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

How do I say “I send” in French?

Say “J'envoie une lettre.” — “I send a letter.” The je form of the present is envoie, and it is the form you will use most often.

What is the difference between envoyer and recevoir?

envoyer means “send” while recevoir means “receive” — they describe different actions, so they are not interchangeable. Compare the full table for recevoir and check the meaning in context before you choose.

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