Grandir Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of grandir — “to grow” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for grandir, 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 grandis vite cette année.” — “I grow fast this year.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for grandir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of grandir
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for grandir. grandir is a regular -ir verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — grandir
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandis |
| tu | grandis |
| il/elle | grandit |
| nous | grandissons |
| vous | grandissez |
| ils/elles | grandissent |
The gerund of grandir is en grandissant and the past participle is grandi. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of grandir is formed
For a regular -ir verb, the present tense is built on the stem grand- (the infinitive grandir without its -ir ending) plus the present tense endings: je → grandis, tu → grandis, il/elle → grandit, nous → grandissons, vous → grandissez, ils/elles → grandissent. So grandir gives grandis, grandis, grandit, grandissons, grandissez, grandissent.
When to use the present tense of grandir
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with grandir: “Je grandis vite cette année tous les jours.” — “I grow fast this year.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with grandir: “Tu grandis vite cette année en général.” — “You grow fast this year.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with grandir: “Il grandit vite cette année maintenant.” — “He grows fast this year.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with grandir: “Nous grandissons vite cette année demain.” — “We grow fast this year.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with grandir: “Ils grandissent vite cette année souvent.” — “They grow fast this year.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: grandir now, grandir later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je grandis vite cette année tous les jours.” — “I grow fast this year.”
Future: “Je grandirai vite cette année demain.” — “I will grow fast this year tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu grandis vite cette année maintenant.” — “You grow fast this year.”
Future: “Tu grandiras vite cette année demain.” — “You will grow fast this year tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous grandissons vite cette année en classe.” — “We grow fast this year.”
Future: “Nous grandirons vite cette année demain.” — “We will grow fast this year tomorrow.”
Example sentences: grandir in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of grandir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je grandis vite cette année tous les jours.” — “I grow fast this year.”
- “Tu grandis vite cette année chaque matin.” — “You grow fast this year.”
- “Il grandit vite cette année souvent.” — “He grows fast this year.”
- “Nous grandissons vite cette année maintenant.” — “We grow fast this year.”
- “Vous grandissez vite cette année en général.” — “You grow fast this year.”
- “Ils grandissent vite cette année le week-end.” — “They grow fast this year.”
Common mistakes with grandir in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je grandir vite cette année.”
Right: “Je grandis vite cette année.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form grandis.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu grandis vite cette année.”
Right: “Tu grandis vite cette année.”
After tu you need grandis, not the je form grandis. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je grandirai vite cette année.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je grandis vite cette année tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (grandirai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai grandi vite cette année tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je grandis vite cette année tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: grandir in the present tense
What is the je form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandis
- B) grandissez
- C) grandissons
- D) grandit
What is the tu form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandissent
- B) grandit
- C) grandis
- D) grandissez
What is the il/elle form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandissons
- B) grandissent
- C) grandit
- D) grandis
What is the nous form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandis
- B) grandit
- C) grandissons
- D) grandissez
What is the vous form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandissent
- B) grandit
- C) grandissons
- D) grandissez
What is the ils/elles form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandissez
- B) grandissons
- C) grandis
- D) grandissent
What is the gerund of grandir?
- A) grandirai
- B) grandi
- C) en grandissant
- D) grandis
What does grandir mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to grow
- C) to go
- D) to have
Answer key
- A) grandis — the je form of grandir in the present indicative is grandis.
- C) grandis — the tu form of grandir in the present indicative is grandis.
- C) grandit — the il/elle form of grandir in the present indicative is grandit.
- C) grandissons — the nous form of grandir in the present indicative is grandissons.
- D) grandissez — the vous form of grandir in the present indicative is grandissez.
- D) grandissent — the ils/elles form of grandir in the present indicative is grandissent.
- C) en grandissant — the gerund of grandir is en grandissant.
- B) to grow — grandir means “to grow” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of grandir formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is grandis and the ils form is grandissent.
When do I use the present tense of grandir?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (grandis), while the future is for what will happen (grandirai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of grandir?
On the full conjugation page for grandir, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of grandir in order, without looking: grandis, grandis, grandit, grandissons, grandissez, grandissent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using grandis, ai grandi and grandirai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- grandir in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- grandir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Vieillir conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise grandir with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise grandir with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.