Nager Conjugation in French

nager means “swim” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early — it sits in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French. You use it for talking about swimming and holidays, for describing a lesson at the pool, and for explaining a summer habit. 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 nager — 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 nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: nager
  • English: swim
  • Verb type: Regular with a spelling change (ger)
  • Irregular in: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
  • Gerund: en nageant
  • Past participle: nagé
  • Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)

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.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for nager. 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 nage
tu nages
il/elle nage
nous nageons
vous nagez
ils/elles nagent

Passé simple

Person Form
je nageai
tu nageas
il/elle nagea
nous nageâmes
vous nageâtes
ils/elles nagèrent

Imperfect

Person Form
je nageais
tu nageais
il/elle nageait
nous nageions
vous nageiez
ils/elles nageaient

Future

Person Form
je nagerai
tu nageras
il/elle nagera
nous nagerons
vous nagerez
ils/elles nageront

Conditional

Person Form
je nagerais
tu nagerais
il/elle nagerait
nous nagerions
vous nageriez
ils/elles nageraient

Present subjunctive

Person Form
je nage
tu nages
il/elle nage
nous nageions
vous nageiez
ils/elles nagent

Imperfect subjunctive

Person Form
je nageasse
tu nageasses
il/elle nageât
nous nageassions
vous nageassiez
ils/elles nageassent

Present perfect

Person Form
je ai nagé
tu as nagé
il/elle a nagé
nous avons nagé
vous avez nagé
ils/elles ont nagé

Pluperfect (past perfect)

Person Form
je avais nagé
tu avais nagé
il/elle avait nagé
nous avions nagé
vous aviez nagé
ils/elles avaient nagé

Future perfect

Person Form
je aurai nagé
tu auras nagé
il/elle aura nagé
nous aurons nagé
vous aurez nagé
ils/elles auront nagé

Conditional perfect

Person Form
je aurais nagé
tu aurais nagé
il/elle aurait nagé
nous aurions nagé
vous auriez nagé
ils/elles auraient nagé

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tu nage
nous nageons
vous nagez

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tu nage
nous nageons
vous nagez

Gerund and past participle

Form French
Gerund en nageant
Past participle nagé

When to use each tense

Present indicative

The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With nager 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 nage à la mer.” — “I swim in the sea.”

Passé simple

The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Je nageai à la mer hier.” — “I swam in the sea yesterday.”

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Je nageais à la mer avant.” — “I used to swim in the sea before.”

Future

The future is used for what will happen, predictions and plans. For example: “Je nagerai à la mer demain.” — “I will swim in the sea tomorrow.”

Conditional

The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Je nagerais à la mer un jour.” — “I would swim in the sea one day.”

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With nager 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: “Bien que je nage à la mer” — “Although I swim in the sea.”

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, in formal and literary French. For example: “Bien que je nageasse à la mer” — “Although I swim in the sea.”

Present perfect

The present perfect is used for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. For example: “J'ai nagé à la mer cette semaine.” — “I have swum in the sea this week.”

Pluperfect (past perfect)

The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais nagé à la mer avant la fête.” — “I had swum in the sea before the party.”

Future perfect

The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “J'aurai nagé à la mer pour demain.” — “I will have swum in the sea by tomorrow.”

Conditional perfect

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “J'aurais nagé à la mer hier.” — “I would have swum in the sea yesterday.”

Imperative (affirmative)

The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With nager 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: “nage à la mer !” — “Swim in the sea!”

Imperative (negative)

The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With nager 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 nage pas à la mer !” — “Don't swim in the sea!”

Gerund and past participle

The gerund en nageant is used after en for an action in progress, and the past participle nagé builds the perfect tenses with avoir. For example: “J'ai nagé tous les étés cette semaine.” — “I have swum every summer this week.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with nager, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Je nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.”
  2. “Tu nageas à la mer hier.” — “You swam in the sea yesterday.”
  3. “Il nageait tous les étés avant.” — “He used to swim every summer before.”
  4. “Je nagerai bien demain.” — “I will swim well tomorrow.”
  5. “Tu nagerais dans la piscine un jour.” — “You would swim in the pool one day.”
  6. “Il a nagé à la mer cette semaine.” — “He has swum in the sea this week.”
  7. “J'avais nagé tous les étés avant la fête.” — “I had swum every summer before the party.”
  8. “Tu auras nagé bien pour demain.” — “You will have swum well by tomorrow.”
  9. “Bien que il nage dans la piscine” — “Although he swims in the pool.”
  10. “nage à la mer !” — “Swim in the sea!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je nager dans la piscine.”

✓ Right: “Je nage dans la piscine.”

The infinitive nager never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form nage.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je nageons à la mer.”

✓ Right: “Je nage à la mer.”

nageons is the nous form. With je the present form is nage — check the person in the table before you speak.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je nage dans la piscine.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai nagé dans la piscine.”

The present nage describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai nagé.

4. Using the passé simple in everyday speech

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je nageai tous les étés.” (in casual conversation)

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai nagé tous les étés.”

The passé simple nageai belongs in novels and formal writing. In everyday speech, say the passé composé ai nagé.

5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Bien que je nage dans la piscine.”

✓ Right: “Bien que je nage dans la piscine.”

After bien que French needs the subjunctive, so use nage here, not the indicative nage.

6. Using the imperfect for a single finished action

✗ Wrong: “Je nageais bien avant.” (said of one finished moment)

✓ Right: “J'ai nagé bien avant.”

The imperfect nageais describes something ongoing or repeated in the past. For one finished action, use the passé composé ai nagé.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  2. What is the il/elle form of nager in the Passé simple?

    • A) nagea
    • B) nageâmes
    • C) nagèrent
    • D) nageas

  3. What is the nous form of nager in the Imperfect?

    • A) nageiez
    • B) nageaient
    • C) nageions
    • D) nageais

  4. What is the tu form of nager in the Future?

    • A) nagera
    • B) nageras
    • C) nageront
    • D) nagerons

  5. What is the je form of nager in the Conditional?

    • A) nageraient
    • B) nagerais
    • C) nagerait
    • D) nagerions

  6. What is the il/elle form of nager in the Present subjunctive?

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

  7. What is the je form of nager in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) nageât
    • B) nageassions
    • C) nageasse
    • D) nageassiez

  8. What is the gerund of nager?

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

  9. What is the past participle of nager?

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

  10. What does nager mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. A) nage — The je form of nager in the present indicative is nage.
  2. A) nagea — The il/elle form of nager in the passé simple is nagea.
  3. C) nageions — The nous form of nager in the imperfect is nageions.
  4. B) nageras — The tu form of nager in the future is nageras.
  5. B) nagerais — The je form of nager in the conditional is nagerais.
  6. D) nage — The il/elle form of nager in the present subjunctive is nage.
  7. C) nageasse — The je form of nager in the imperfect subjunctive is nageasse.
  8. C) nageant — The gerund of nager is en nageant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. A) nagé — The past participle of nager is nagé; perfect tenses use avoir + nagé.
  10. B) swim — nager means “swim” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does nager mean in English?

nager means “swim”. You use it for talking about swimming and holidays, for describing a lesson at the pool, and for explaining a summer habit. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is nager regular or irregular?

nager is regular with a spelling change (ger), and it is irregular in these tenses: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is en nageant and the past participle is nagé.

What are the gerund and past participle of nager?

The gerund is en nageant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is nagé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai nagé.

How do I say “I swim” in French?

Say “Je nage dans la piscine.” — “I swim in the pool.” The je form of the present is nage, and it is the form you will use most often.

What is the difference between nager and courir?

nager means “swim” while courir means “run” — they describe different actions, so they are not interchangeable. Compare the full table for courir and check the meaning in context before you choose.

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