fermer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

fermer — close — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. fermer is the verb for leaving the house: it comes up whenever you talk about getting ready for bed or finishing a book. On this page you will find fermer 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.

Example sentences with fermer

In the present tense

  • “Je ferme la porte.” — “I close the door.”
  • “Tu fermes la fenêtre.” — “You close the window.”
  • “Il ferme le livre.” — “He closes the book.”
  • “Nous fermons les yeux.” — “We close my eyes.”
  • “Vous fermez la porte.” — “You close the door.”
  • “Ils ferment la fenêtre.” — “They close the window.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai fermé la porte cette semaine.” — “I have closed the door this week.”
  • “Tu as fermé la fenêtre cette semaine.” — “You have closed the window this week.”
  • “Il a fermé le livre cette semaine.” — “He has closed the book this week.”
  • “Nous avons fermé les yeux cette semaine.” — “We have closed my eyes this week.”
  • “Vous avez fermé la porte cette semaine.” — “You have closed the door this week.”
  • “Ils ont fermé la fenêtre cette semaine.” — “They have closed the window this week.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present subjunctive — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je fermais la porte avant.” — “I used to close the door before.”
  • “Je fermerai la fenêtre demain.” — “I will close the window tomorrow.”
  • “Je fermerais le livre un jour.” — “I would close the book one day.”
  • “Bien que il ferme les yeux” — “Although he closes my eyes.”

fermer in context

Je ferme la porte. Tu fermes la fenêtre. Il ferme le livre. Nous fermons les yeux.

I close the door. You close the window. He closes the book. We close my eyes.

J'ai fermé la porte. Il a fermé la fenêtre. Nous avons fermé le livre.

I have closed the door this week. He has closed the window this week. We have closed the book this week.

Common mistakes with fermer

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je fermer la porte.

Right: Je ferme la porte.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form ferme.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je fermons la fenêtre.

Right: Je ferme la fenêtre.

fermons is the nous form. With je, use ferme.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je ferme le livre.

Right: Hier, j'ai fermé le livre.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai fermé, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je ferme les yeux.

Right: Bien que je ferme les yeux.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive ferme.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je fermais la porte hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai fermé la porte hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on fermer

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

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

    • A) fermez
    • B) ferment
    • C) fermons
    • D) fermes

  2. What is the nous form of fermer in the Present indicative?

    • A) fermez
    • B) fermons
    • C) ferment
    • D) ferme

  3. What is the il/elle form of fermer in the Present perfect?

    • A) a fermé
    • B) ont fermé
    • C) ai fermé
    • D) avons fermé

  4. What is the je form of fermer in the Imperfect?

    • A) fermaient
    • B) fermais
    • C) fermiez
    • D) fermions

  5. What is the nous form of fermer in the Future?

    • A) fermerai
    • B) fermera
    • C) fermerez
    • D) fermerons

  6. What is the tu form of fermer in the Conditional?

    • A) fermerions
    • B) fermerais
    • C) fermeraient
    • D) fermerait

  7. What is the je form of fermer in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) ferme
    • B) fermes
    • C) ferment
    • D) fermions

  8. What is the il/elle form of fermer in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) fermassiez
    • B) fermât
    • C) fermasse
    • D) fermasses

  9. What is the gerund of fermer?

    • A) dormant
    • B) fermant
    • C) buvant

  10. What is the past participle of fermer?

  • A) fermé
  • B) dormi
  • C) bu

Answer key

  1. D) fermes — The tu form of fermer in the present indicative is fermes.
  2. B) fermons — The nous form of fermer in the present indicative is fermons.
  3. A) a fermé — The il/elle form of fermer in the present perfect is a fermé.
  4. B) fermais — The je form of fermer in the imperfect is fermais.
  5. D) fermerons — The nous form of fermer in the future is fermerons.
  6. B) fermerais — The tu form of fermer in the conditional is fermerais.
  7. A) ferme — The je form of fermer in the present subjunctive is ferme.
  8. B) fermât — The il/elle form of fermer in the imperfect subjunctive is fermât.
  9. B) fermant — The gerund of fermer is en fermant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. A) fermé — The past participle of fermer is fermé; perfect tenses use avoir + fermé.

Frequently asked questions

What does fermer mean in English?

fermer means “close”. You use it for leaving the house, for getting ready for bed, and for finishing a book.

Is fermer regular or irregular?

fermer is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en fermant and the past participle is fermé.

How do I say “I close” in French?

Say “Je ferme la porte.” — “I close the door.” The je form of the present is ferme.

Where can I see the full conjugation of fermer?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Fermer Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise fermer this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with fermer out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — la porte, la fenêtre and le livre — and change only the person, so you hear how ferme, fermes and ferme sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai fermé and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en fermant and fermé in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

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

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