Grandir Conjugation in French
grandir means “to grow” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of grandir — 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 grandis vite cette année.” — “I grow fast this year.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and grandir is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: grandir
- English: to grow
- Verb type: Regular -ir verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en grandissant
- Past participle: grandi
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
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.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for grandir. 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 | grandis |
| tu | grandis |
| il/elle | grandit |
| nous | grandissons |
| vous | grandissez |
| ils/elles | grandissent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandis |
| tu | grandis |
| il/elle | grandit |
| nous | grandîmes |
| vous | grandîtes |
| ils/elles | grandirent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandissais |
| tu | grandissais |
| il/elle | grandissait |
| nous | grandissions |
| vous | grandissiez |
| ils/elles | grandissaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandirai |
| tu | grandiras |
| il/elle | grandira |
| nous | grandirons |
| vous | grandirez |
| ils/elles | grandiront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandirais |
| tu | grandirais |
| il/elle | grandirait |
| nous | grandirions |
| vous | grandiriez |
| ils/elles | grandiraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai grandi |
| tu | as grandi |
| il/elle | a grandi |
| nous | avons grandi |
| vous | avez grandi |
| ils/elles | ont grandi |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais grandi |
| tu | avais grandi |
| il/elle | avait grandi |
| nous | avions grandi |
| vous | aviez grandi |
| ils/elles | avaient grandi |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai grandi |
| tu | auras grandi |
| il/elle | aura grandi |
| nous | aurons grandi |
| vous | aurez grandi |
| ils/elles | auront grandi |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais grandi |
| tu | aurais grandi |
| il/elle | aurait grandi |
| nous | aurions grandi |
| vous | auriez grandi |
| ils/elles | auraient grandi |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandisse |
| tu | grandisses |
| il/elle | grandisse |
| nous | grandissions |
| vous | grandissiez |
| ils/elles | grandissent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | grandisse |
| tu | grandisses |
| il/elle | grandît |
| nous | grandissions |
| vous | grandissiez |
| ils/elles | grandissent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | grandis |
| nous | grandissons |
| vous | grandissez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | grandis |
| nous | grandissons |
| vous | grandissez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en grandissant |
| Past participle | grandi |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je grandis vite cette année.” — “I grow fast this year.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu grandis vite cette année.” — “You grew fast this year one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il grandissait vite cette année quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to grow fast this year.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous grandirons vite cette année.” — “We will grow fast this year tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous grandiriez vite cette année.” — “You would grow fast this year if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With grandir it is formed with avoir + the past participle grandi. For example: “Ils ont grandi vite cette année hier.” — “They have grown fast this year.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais grandi vite cette année avant la fête.” — “I had grown fast this year before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras grandi vite cette année.” — “You will have grown fast this year by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait grandi vite cette année.” — “He would have grown fast this year if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je grandisse vite cette année.” — “It is important that I grow fast this year.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je grandisse vite cette année.” — “It was important that I grow fast this year.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Grandis vite cette année !” — “Grow fast this year!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Grandis vite cette année !” — “Do not grow fast this year!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en grandissant — “while growing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is grandi, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai grandi.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with grandir, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je grandis vite cette année.” — “I grow fast this year.”
- “Tu grandis vite cette année.” — “You grow fast this year.”
- “Il grandissait vite cette année.” — “He used to grow fast this year.”
- “Nous grandirons vite cette année.” — “We will grow fast this year tomorrow.”
- “Je grandirais vite cette année.” — “I would grow fast this year if I could.”
- “Tu as grandi vite cette année.” — “You have grown fast this year.”
- “Il avait grandi vite cette année.” — “He had grown fast this year before the party.”
- “Nous aurons grandi vite cette année.” — “We will have grown fast this year by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je grandisse vite cette année.” — “It is important that I grow fast this year.”
- “Grandis vite cette année !” — “Grow fast this year!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je grandir vite cette année.”
✓ Right: “Je grandis vite cette année.”
The infinitive grandir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form grandis.
2. Confusing grandir with vieillir
✗ Wrong: “Je grandis avec le temps.” (meant as “vieillir”)
✓ Right: “Je grandis vite cette année.”
grandir means “to grow”; vieillir means “to grow old”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis grandi vite cette année.”
✓ Right: “J'ai grandi vite cette année.”
With grandir the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai grandi.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je grandis vite cette année.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je grandisse vite cette année.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use grandisse here, not the indicative grandis.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je grandis vite cette année hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai grandi vite cette année hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai grandi), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandis
- B) grandissez
- C) grandissons
- D) grandit
What is the ils/elles form of grandir in the Present indicative?
- A) grandis
- B) grandissent
- C) grandissons
- D) grandissez
What is the il/elle form of grandir in the Passé simple?
- A) grandîtes
- B) grandis
- C) grandit
- D) grandîmes
What is the nous form of grandir in the Imperfect?
- A) grandissions
- B) grandissais
- C) grandissait
- D) grandissaient
What is the tu form of grandir in the Future?
- A) grandirons
- B) grandirai
- C) grandiras
- D) grandiront
What is the je form of grandir in the Conditional?
- A) grandirais
- B) grandiriez
- C) grandirions
- D) grandirait
What is the il/elle form of grandir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai grandi
- B) a grandi
- C) ont grandi
- D) as grandi
What is the vous form of grandir in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) aviez grandi
- B) avait grandi
- C) avais grandi
- D) avaient grandi
What is the gerund of grandir?
- A) grandirai
- B) en grandissant
- C) grandi
- D) grandis
What is the past participle of grandir?
- A) grandi
- B) en grandissant
- C) grandis
- D) grandissais
Answer key
- A) grandis — the je form of grandir in the present indicative is grandis.
- B) grandissent — the ils/elles form of grandir in the present indicative is grandissent.
- C) grandit — the il/elle form of grandir in the passé simple is grandit.
- A) grandissions — the nous form of grandir in the imperfect is grandissions.
- C) grandiras — the tu form of grandir in the future is grandiras.
- A) grandirais — the je form of grandir in the conditional is grandirais.
- B) a grandi — the il/elle form of grandir in the present perfect (passé composé) is a grandi.
- A) aviez grandi — the vous form of grandir in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez grandi.
- B) en grandissant — the gerund of grandir is en grandissant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- A) grandi — the past participle of grandir is grandi; perfect tenses use avoir + grandi.
Frequently asked questions
What does grandir mean in English?
grandir means “to grow”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je grandis vite cette année.” (“I grow fast this year.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is grandir regular or irregular?
grandir is regular: its endings follow the standard -ir pattern in every tense. The gerund is en grandissant and the past participle is grandi.
What are the gerund and past participle of grandir?
The gerund is en grandissant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is grandi — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai grandi.
What is the difference between grandir and vieillir?
grandir means “to grow”, while vieillir means “to grow old”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for vieillir and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I grow” in French?
Say “Je grandis vite cette année.” — “I grow fast this year.” The je form of the present is grandis, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn grandir
Start with the present tense: grandis, grandis, grandit, grandissons, grandissez, grandissent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai grandi — and the imperfect — grandissais. Next, learn the future (grandirai) and the conditional (grandirais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (grandisse) and the imperative (grandis). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
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.