fermer Present Tense Conjugation in French

The present of fermer — close — is the form you need for habits, facts and things happening now. fermer is the verb for leaving the house: it comes up whenever you talk about getting ready for bed or finishing a book. This page gives you the complete present table for fermer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je ferme la porte.” — “I close the door.”

Present conjugation of fermer

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for fermer. fermer is regular (regular in the present), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present — fermer

Person Form
je ferme
tu fermes
il/elle ferme
nous fermons
vous fermez
ils/elles ferment

The gerund of fermer is en fermant and the past participle is fermé. The participle matters here because the present is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the present of fermer is formed

The present of fermer is formed from its stem with the present endings. The six forms are ferme, fermes, ferme, fermons, fermez and ferment. Copy them from the table above exactly as written — do not guess a form from the infinitive.

A note on spelling: the forms in the table are the verified forms. If a form carries an accent, the accent is part of the spelling — for example ferme — so always write it exactly as shown.

The present is the tense to learn first for fermer: every other tense in the full table is built from patterns you meet here, and the present is the form you will use most often in conversation.

When to use the present of fermer

Habits and routines

Use the present for something you do regularly. For example: “Je ferme la porte.” — “I close the door.”

Facts and general truths

Use the present for facts that are true in general. For example: “Il ferme la fenêtre.” — “He closes the window.”

Things happening now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment. For example: “Nous fermons le livre.” — “We close the book.”

Near future plans

French often uses the present with a time word for a plan that is already fixed. For example: “Je ferme les yeux.” — “I close my eyes.”

Present vs passé composé: fermer finished, fermer in progress

The present and the passé composé are the two tenses learners confuse most with fermer. The present is for habits, facts and things happening now; the passé composé is for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the passé composé form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present: “Je ferme la porte.” — “I close the door.”

  • Passé composé: “J'ai fermé la porte cette semaine.” — “I have closed the door this week.”

  • Present: “Il ferme la fenêtre.” — “He closes the window.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a fermé la fenêtre cette semaine.” — “He has closed the window this week.”

  • Present: “Nous fermons le livre.” — “We close the book.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons fermé le livre cette semaine.” — “We have closed the book this week.”

Example sentences: fermer in the present

Six sentences using only the present of fermer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes in the present of fermer

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je fermons la porte.”

✓ Right: “Je ferme la porte.”

fermons is the nous form. With je the present form is ferme.

2. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je fermer la fenêtre.”

✓ Right: “Je ferme la fenêtre.”

The infinitive fermer never takes a subject. After je you need ferme.

3. Using the passé composé for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Tous les jours, j'ai fermé le livre.”

✓ Right: “Tous les jours, je ferme le livre.”

A habit needs the present ferme, not the passé composé.

4. Using the present where the imperfect belongs

✗ Wrong: “Avant, je ferme les yeux tous les jours.” (said of a repeated habit)

✓ Right: “Avant, je fermais les yeux tous les jours.”

For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect fermais.

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu ferme la porte.”

✓ Right: “Tu fermes la porte.”

With tu the present form is fermes, not ferme. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the present of fermer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  5. What is the vous form of fermer in the Present indicative?

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

  6. What is the ils/elles form of fermer in the Present indicative?

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

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

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

  8. What is the gerund of fermer?

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

  9. What is the past participle of fermer?

    • A) bu
    • B) fermé
    • C) dormi

  10. What does fermer mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. A) ferme — The je form of fermer in the present indicative is ferme.
  2. B) fermes — The tu form of fermer in the present indicative is fermes.
  3. A) ferme — The il/elle form of fermer in the present indicative is ferme.
  4. B) fermons — The nous form of fermer in the present indicative is fermons.
  5. B) fermez — The vous form of fermer in the present indicative is fermez.
  6. D) ferment — The ils/elles form of fermer in the present indicative is ferment.
  7. A) ai fermé — The je form of fermer in the present perfect is ai fermé.
  8. C) fermant — The gerund of fermer is en fermant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. B) fermé — The past participle of fermer is fermé; perfect tenses use avoir + fermé.
  10. B) close — fermer means “close” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present of fermer?

Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. For fermer that covers leaving the house, getting ready for bed and finishing a book.

Is the present of fermer regular?

fermer is regular. In the present it is regular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of fermer?

The past participle is fermé. You need it for the passé composé, which uses avoir + fermé.

How do I say “I close” in the present?

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

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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