nager Present Tense Conjugation in French

The present of nager — swim — is the form you need for habits, facts and things happening now. nager is the verb for talking about swimming and holidays: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a lesson at the pool or explaining a summer habit. This page gives you the complete present table for nager, 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 nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”

Present conjugation of nager

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

Present — nager

Person Form
je nage
tu nages
il/elle nage
nous nageons
vous nagez
ils/elles nagent

The gerund of nager is en nageant and the past participle is nagé. The participle matters here because the present is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the present of nager is formed

The present of nager is formed from its stem with the present endings. The six forms are nage, nages, nage, nageons, nagez and nagent. Watch the spelling change (ger): the stem changes in some persons, exactly as the table shows. 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 nage — so always write it exactly as shown.

The present is the tense to learn first for nager: 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 nager

Habits and routines

Use the present for something you do regularly. For example: “Je nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”

Facts and general truths

Use the present for facts that are true in general. For example: “Il nage à la mer.” — “He swims in the sea.”

Things happening now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment. For example: “Nous nageons tous les étés.” — “We swim every summer.”

Near future plans

French often uses the present with a time word for a plan that is already fixed. For example: “Je nage bien.” — “I swim well.”

Present vs passé composé: nager finished, nager in progress

The present and the passé composé are the two tenses learners confuse most with nager. 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 nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”

  • Passé composé: “J'ai nagé dans la piscine cette semaine.” — “I have swum in the pool this week.”

  • Present: “Il nage à la mer.” — “He swims in the sea.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a nagé à la mer cette semaine.” — “He has swum in the sea this week.”

  • Present: “Nous nageons tous les étés.” — “We swim every summer.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons nagé tous les étés cette semaine.” — “We have swum every summer this week.”

Example sentences: nager in the present

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

  • “Je nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”
  • “Tu nages à la mer.” — “You swim in the sea.”
  • “Il nage tous les étés.” — “He swims every summer.”
  • “Nous nageons bien.” — “We swim well.”
  • “Vous nagez dans la piscine.” — “You swim in the pool.”
  • “Ils nagent à la mer.” — “They swim in the sea.”

Common mistakes in the present of nager

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je nageons dans la piscine.”

✓ Right: “Je nage dans la piscine.”

nageons is the nous form. With je the present form is nage.

2. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je nager à la mer.”

✓ Right: “Je nage à la mer.”

The infinitive nager never takes a subject. After je you need nage.

3. Using the passé composé for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Tous les jours, j'ai nagé tous les étés.”

✓ Right: “Tous les jours, je nage tous les étés.”

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

4. Using the present where the imperfect belongs

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

✓ Right: “Avant, je nageais bien tous les jours.”

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

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu nage dans la piscine.”

✓ Right: “Tu nages dans la piscine.”

With tu the present form is nages, not nage. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the present of nager

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

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

    • A) nageons
    • B) nage
    • C) nagent
    • D) nages

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

    • A) nages
    • B) nage
    • C) nagez
    • D) nagent

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

    • A) nage
    • B) nages
    • C) nagez
    • D) nagent

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

    • A) nagent
    • B) nage
    • C) nageons
    • D) nagez

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

    • A) nagent
    • B) nagez
    • C) nage
    • D) nageons

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

    • A) nages
    • B) nageons
    • C) nagent
    • D) nage

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

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

  8. What is the gerund of nager?

    • A) buvant
    • B) dormant
    • C) nageant

  9. What is the past participle of nager?

    • A) dormi
    • B) nagé
    • C) bu

  10. What does nager mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) nage — The je form of nager in the present indicative is nage.
  2. A) nages — The tu form of nager in the present indicative is nages.
  3. A) nage — The il/elle form of nager in the present indicative is nage.
  4. C) nageons — The nous form of nager in the present indicative is nageons.
  5. B) nagez — The vous form of nager in the present indicative is nagez.
  6. C) nagent — The ils/elles form of nager in the present indicative is nagent.
  7. C) ai nagé — The je form of nager in the present perfect is ai nagé.
  8. C) nageant — The gerund of nager is en nageant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. B) nagé — The past participle of nager is nagé; perfect tenses use avoir + nagé.
  10. A) swim — nager means “swim” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present of nager?

Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. For nager that covers talking about swimming and holidays, describing a lesson at the pool and explaining a summer habit.

Is the present of nager regular?

nager is regular with a spelling change (ger). In the present it is irregular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of nager?

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

How do I say “I swim” in the present?

Say “Je nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.” The je form is nage.

Pronunciation

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

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