Être Conjugation in French
être means “to be” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 1 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about being a teacher in Paris, 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 être — 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 suis professeur à Paris tous les jours.” — “I be a teacher in Paris every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: être
- English: to be
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle
- Gerund: étant
- Past participle: été
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -re verbs; pattern re in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for être, 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 être in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about être
- It is irregular in 15 tense(s): present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. 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 avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle été. 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 étant and the participle is été: 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 être. 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 | suis |
| tu | es |
| il/elle | est |
| nous | sommes |
| vous | êtes |
| ils/elles | sont |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With être 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 suis fatigué aujourd'hui tous les jours.” — “I be tired today every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | fus |
| tu | fus |
| il/elle | fut |
| nous | fûmes |
| vous | fûtes |
| ils/elles | furent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With être 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 fus fatigué aujourd'hui hier.” — “You were tired today yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | étais |
| tu | étais |
| il/elle | était |
| nous | étions |
| vous | étiez |
| ils/elles | étaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With être 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 était fatigué aujourd'hui autrefois.” — “He used to be tired today in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | serai |
| tu | seras |
| il/elle | sera |
| nous | serons |
| vous | serez |
| ils/elles | seront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. With être 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 serai fatigué aujourd'hui demain.” — “I will be tired today tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | serais |
| tu | serais |
| il/elle | serait |
| nous | serions |
| vous | seriez |
| ils/elles | seraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With être 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 serais fatigué aujourd'hui un jour.” — “You would be tired today one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai été |
| tu | as été |
| il/elle | a été |
| nous | avons été |
| vous | avez été |
| ils/elles | ont été |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With être 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 a été fatigué aujourd'hui cette semaine.” — “He has been tired today this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais été |
| tu | avais été |
| il/elle | avait été |
| nous | avions été |
| vous | aviez été |
| ils/elles | avaient été |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. With être 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'avais été fatigué aujourd'hui avant la fête.” — “I had been tired today before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai été |
| tu | auras été |
| il/elle | aura été |
| nous | aurons été |
| vous | aurez été |
| ils/elles | auront été |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With être 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 auras été fatigué aujourd'hui pour demain.” — “You will have been tired today by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais été |
| tu | aurais été |
| il/elle | aurait été |
| nous | aurions été |
| vous | auriez été |
| ils/elles | auraient été |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With être 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 aurait été fatigué aujourd'hui hier.” — “He would have been tired today yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | sois |
| tu | sois |
| il/elle | soit |
| nous | soyons |
| vous | soyez |
| ils/elles | soient |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With être 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 sois fatigué aujourd'hui.” — “It is important that I be tired today.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | fusse |
| tu | fusses |
| il/elle | fût |
| nous | fussions |
| vous | fussiez |
| ils/elles | fussent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. With être 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 tu fusses fatigué aujourd'hui.” — “It is important that you be tired today.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sois |
| nous | soyons |
| vous | soyez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With être 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: “Sois fatigué aujourd'hui !” — “Be tired today!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | sois |
| nous | soyons |
| vous | soyez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With être 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 sois pas fatigué aujourd'hui.” — “Do not be tired today.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en étant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En étant professeur à Paris, je passe un bon moment.” — “While being a teacher in Paris, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | été |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai été professeur à Paris cette semaine.” — “I have been a teacher in Paris this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with être, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je suis professeur à Paris tous les jours.” — “I be a teacher in Paris every day.”
- “Tu fus fatigué aujourd'hui hier.” — “You were tired today yesterday.”
- “Il était à la maison ce soir autrefois.” — “He used to be at home this evening in the past.”
- “Je serai professeur à Paris demain.” — “I will be a teacher in Paris tomorrow.”
- “Tu serais fatigué aujourd'hui un jour.” — “You would be tired today one day.”
- “Il a été à la maison ce soir cette semaine.” — “He has been at home this evening this week.”
- “J'avais été professeur à Paris avant la fête.” — “I had been a teacher in Paris before the party.”
- “Tu auras été fatigué aujourd'hui pour demain.” — “You will have been tired today by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il soit à la maison ce soir.” — “It is important that he be at home this evening.”
- “Sois professeur à Paris !” — “Be a teacher in Paris!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je être professeur à Paris.”
✓ Right: “Je suis professeur à Paris.”
The infinitive être never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form suis.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je sont professeur à Paris.”
✓ Right: “Je suis professeur à Paris.”
sont is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with suis.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je fus professeur à Paris tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je suis professeur à Paris tous les jours.”
The passé simple fus describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present suis.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je suis professeur à Paris.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je sois professeur à Paris.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use sois here, not the indicative suis.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis été professeur à Paris.”
✓ Right: “Je ai été professeur à Paris.”
The passé composé of être is formed with avoir plus the past participle été: the je form is ai été. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “suis” written without its accent
✓ Right: “suis”
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 être. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of être in the Present indicative?
- A) suis
- B) es
- C) est
- D) sommes
What is the il/elle form of être in the Passé simple?
- A) fûtes
- B) fut
- C) fus
- D) fûmes
What is the nous form of être in the Imperfect?
- A) était
- B) étiez
- C) étions
- D) étais
What is the tu form of être in the Future?
- A) sera
- B) serons
- C) seras
- D) serai
What is the je form of être in the Conditional?
- A) seriez
- B) serais
- C) serait
- D) serions
What is the il/elle form of être in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avons été
- B) a été
- C) ai été
- D) as été
What is the il/elle form of être in the Present subjunctive?
- A) soyez
- B) soit
- C) sois
- D) soyons
What is the je form of être in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) fût
- B) fussions
- C) fusse
- D) fusses
What is the gerund of être?
- A) en faisant
- B) en étant
- C) en ayant
- D) en allant
What does être mean in English?
- A) to go
- B) to do, to make
- C) to be
- D) to have
Answer key
- A) suis — the je form of être in the Present indicative is suis. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) fut — the il/elle form of être in the Passé simple is fut. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) étions — the nous form of être in the Imperfect is étions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) seras — the tu form of être in the Future is seras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) serais — the je form of être in the Conditional is serais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) a été — the il/elle form of être in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a été. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) soit — the il/elle form of être in the Present subjunctive is soit. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) fusse — the je form of être in the Imperfect subjunctive is fusse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) en étant — the gerund of être is en étant; 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 be — être means “to be” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does être mean in English?
être means “to be”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is être regular or irregular?
être is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, imperfect, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, gerund, past-participle. The gerund is étant and the past participle is été.
What are the gerund and past participle of être?
The gerund is étant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is été — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai été.
Which auxiliary does être take in the passé composé?
être takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai été. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle été.
How do I say “I be” in French?
Say “Je suis professeur à Paris tous les jours.” — “I be a teacher in Paris every day.” The je form of the present is suis, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of être — every tense of être in one place.
- Être in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Être examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Avoir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Aller conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Faire 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 être with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise être with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise être with the interactive tool.