Manger Conjugation in French
manger means “to eat” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 52 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about eating an apple in the morning, 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 manger — 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 mange une pomme le matin tous les jours.” — “I eat an apple in the morning every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: manger
- English: to eat
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: mangeant
- Past participle: mangé
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -er verbs; pattern er in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for manger, 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 manger in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about manger
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. 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 mangé. 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 mangeant and the participle is mangé: 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 manger. 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 | mange |
| tu | manges |
| il/elle | mange |
| nous | mangeons |
| vous | mangez |
| ils/elles | mangent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With manger 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 mange au restaurant avec Marie tous les jours.” — “I eat at a restaurant with Marie every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mangeai |
| tu | mangeas |
| il/elle | mangea |
| nous | mangeâmes |
| vous | mangeâtes |
| ils/elles | mangèrent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu mangeas au restaurant avec Marie hier.” — “You ate at a restaurant with Marie yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mangeais |
| tu | mangeais |
| il/elle | mangeait |
| nous | mangeions |
| vous | mangeiez |
| ils/elles | mangeaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il mangeait au restaurant avec Marie autrefois.” — “He used to eat at a restaurant with Marie in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mangerai |
| tu | mangeras |
| il/elle | mangera |
| nous | mangerons |
| vous | mangerez |
| ils/elles | mangeront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je mangerai au restaurant avec Marie demain.” — “I will eat at a restaurant with Marie tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mangerais |
| tu | mangerais |
| il/elle | mangerait |
| nous | mangerions |
| vous | mangeriez |
| ils/elles | mangeraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu mangerais au restaurant avec Marie un jour.” — “You would eat at a restaurant with Marie one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai mangé |
| tu | as mangé |
| il/elle | a mangé |
| nous | avons mangé |
| vous | avez mangé |
| ils/elles | ont mangé |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a mangé au restaurant avec Marie cette semaine.” — “He has eaten at a restaurant with Marie this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais mangé |
| tu | avais mangé |
| il/elle | avait mangé |
| nous | avions mangé |
| vous | aviez mangé |
| ils/elles | avaient mangé |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais mangé au restaurant avec Marie avant la fête.” — “I had eaten at a restaurant with Marie before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai mangé |
| tu | auras mangé |
| il/elle | aura mangé |
| nous | aurons mangé |
| vous | aurez mangé |
| ils/elles | auront mangé |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras mangé au restaurant avec Marie pour demain.” — “You will have eaten at a restaurant with Marie by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais mangé |
| tu | aurais mangé |
| il/elle | aurait mangé |
| nous | aurions mangé |
| vous | auriez mangé |
| ils/elles | auraient mangé |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait mangé au restaurant avec Marie hier.” — “He would have eaten at a restaurant with Marie yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mange |
| tu | manges |
| il/elle | mange |
| nous | mangeions |
| vous | mangeiez |
| ils/elles | mangent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With manger 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 mange au restaurant avec Marie.” — “It is important that I eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | mangeasse |
| tu | mangeasses |
| il/elle | mangeât |
| nous | mangeassions |
| vous | mangeassiez |
| ils/elles | mangeassent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu mangeasses au restaurant avec Marie.” — “It is important that you eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | mange |
| nous | mangeons |
| vous | mangez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With manger 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: “Mange au restaurant avec Marie !” — “Eat at a restaurant with Marie!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | mange |
| nous | mangeons |
| vous | mangez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With manger 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 mange pas au restaurant avec Marie.” — “Do not eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en mangeant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En mangeant une pomme le matin, je passe un bon moment.” — “While eating an apple in the morning, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | mangé |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai mangé une pomme le matin cette semaine.” — “I have eaten an apple in the morning this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with manger, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je mange une pomme le matin tous les jours.” — “I eat an apple in the morning every day.”
- “Tu mangeas au restaurant avec Marie hier.” — “You ate at a restaurant with Marie yesterday.”
- “Il mangeait du pain et du fromage autrefois.” — “He used to eat bread and cheese in the past.”
- “Je mangerai une pomme le matin demain.” — “I will eat an apple in the morning tomorrow.”
- “Tu mangerais au restaurant avec Marie un jour.” — “You would eat at a restaurant with Marie one day.”
- “Il a mangé du pain et du fromage cette semaine.” — “He has eaten bread and cheese this week.”
- “J'avais mangé une pomme le matin avant la fête.” — “I had eaten an apple in the morning before the party.”
- “Tu auras mangé au restaurant avec Marie pour demain.” — “You will have eaten at a restaurant with Marie by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il mange du pain et du fromage.” — “It is important that he eat bread and cheese.”
- “Mange une pomme le matin !” — “Eat an apple in the morning!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je manger une pomme le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je mange une pomme le matin.”
The infinitive manger never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form mange.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je mangent une pomme le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je mange une pomme le matin.”
mangent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with mange.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je mangeai une pomme le matin tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je mange une pomme le matin tous les jours.”
The passé simple mangeai describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present mange.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je mange une pomme le matin.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je mange une pomme le matin.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use mange here, not the indicative mange.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis mangé une pomme le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je ai mangé une pomme le matin.”
The passé composé of manger is formed with avoir plus the past participle mangé: the je form is ai mangé. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “mange” written without its accent
✓ Right: “mange”
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 manger. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of manger in the Present indicative?
- A) mange
- B) manges
- C) mangeons
- D) mangez
What is the il/elle form of manger in the Passé simple?
- A) mangeai
- B) mangeas
- C) mangeâmes
- D) mangea
What is the nous form of manger in the Imperfect?
- A) mangeais
- B) mangeait
- C) mangeiez
- D) mangeions
What is the tu form of manger in the Future?
- A) mangera
- B) mangerons
- C) mangeras
- D) mangerai
What is the je form of manger in the Conditional?
- A) mangeriez
- B) mangerais
- C) mangerait
- D) mangerions
What is the il/elle form of manger in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai mangé
- B) as mangé
- C) avons mangé
- D) a mangé
What is the il/elle form of manger in the Present subjunctive?
- A) mange
- B) manges
- C) mangeions
- D) mangeiez
What is the je form of manger in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) mangeasse
- B) mangeasses
- C) mangeât
- D) mangeassions
What is the gerund of manger?
- A) en ayant
- B) en allant
- C) en mangeant
- D) en étant
What does manger mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to go
- D) to eat
Answer key
- A) mange — the je form of manger in the Present indicative is mange. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) mangea — the il/elle form of manger in the Passé simple is mangea. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) mangeions — the nous form of manger in the Imperfect is mangeions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) mangeras — the tu form of manger in the Future is mangeras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) mangerais — the je form of manger in the Conditional is mangerais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) a mangé — the il/elle form of manger in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a mangé. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) mange — the il/elle form of manger in the Present subjunctive is mange. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) mangeasse — the je form of manger in the Imperfect subjunctive is mangeasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) en mangeant — the gerund of manger is en mangeant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- D) to eat — manger means “to eat” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does manger mean in English?
manger means “to eat”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is manger regular or irregular?
manger is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is mangeant and the past participle is mangé.
What are the gerund and past participle of manger?
The gerund is mangeant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is mangé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai mangé.
Which auxiliary does manger take in the passé composé?
manger takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai mangé. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle mangé.
How do I say “I eat” in French?
Say “Je mange une pomme le matin tous les jours.” — “I eat an apple in the morning every day.” The je form of the present is mange, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of manger — every tense of manger in one place.
- Manger in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Manger examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Être conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Avoir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Aller 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 manger with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise manger with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise manger with the interactive tool.