oublier Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

oublier — forget — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. oublier is the verb for talking about forgetting: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a busy day or missing an appointment. On this page you will find oublier in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with oublier

In the present tense

  • “J'oublie mes clés.” — “I forget my keys.”
  • “Tu oublies mon parapluie.” — “You forget my umbrella.”
  • “Il oublie le rendez-vous.” — “He forgets the appointment.”
  • “Nous oublions son nom.” — “We forget his name.”
  • “Vous oubliez mes clés.” — “You forget my keys.”
  • “Ils oublient mon parapluie.” — “They forget my umbrella.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai oublié mes clés cette semaine.” — “I have forgotten my keys this week.”
  • “Tu as oublié mon parapluie cette semaine.” — “You have forgotten my umbrella this week.”
  • “Il a oublié le rendez-vous cette semaine.” — “He has forgotten the appointment this week.”
  • “Nous avons oublié son nom cette semaine.” — “We have forgotten his name this week.”
  • “Vous avez oublié mes clés cette semaine.” — “You have forgotten my keys this week.”
  • “Ils ont oublié mon parapluie cette semaine.” — “They have forgotten my umbrella this week.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present subjunctive — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “J'oubliais mes clés avant.” — “I used to forget my keys before.”
  • “J'oublierai mon parapluie demain.” — “I will forget my umbrella tomorrow.”
  • “J'oublierais le rendez-vous un jour.” — “I would forget the appointment one day.”
  • “Bien que il oublie son nom” — “Although he forgets his name.”

oublier in context

J'oublie mes clés. Tu oublies mon parapluie. Il oublie le rendez-vous. Nous oublions son nom.

I forget my keys. You forget my umbrella. He forgets the appointment. We forget his name.

J'ai oublié mes clés. Il a oublié mon parapluie. Nous avons oublié le rendez-vous.

I have forgotten my keys this week. He has forgotten my umbrella this week. We have forgotten the appointment this week.

Common mistakes with oublier

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je oublier mes clés.

Right: Je oublie mes clés.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form oublie.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je oublions mon parapluie.

Right: Je oublie mon parapluie.

oublions is the nous form. With je, use oublie.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je oublie le rendez-vous.

Right: Hier, j'ai oublié le rendez-vous.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai oublié, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je oublie son nom.

Right: Bien que je oublie son nom.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive oublie.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je oubliais mes clés hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai oublié mes clés hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on oublier

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

  1. What is the tu form of oublier in the Present indicative?

    • A) oubliez
    • B) oublie
    • C) oublies
    • D) oublient

  2. What is the nous form of oublier in the Present indicative?

    • A) oublie
    • B) oublient
    • C) oublies
    • D) oublions

  3. What is the il/elle form of oublier in the Present perfect?

    • A) ont oublié
    • B) avons oublié
    • C) a oublié
    • D) as oublié

  4. What is the je form of oublier in the Imperfect?

    • A) oubliais
    • B) oubliaient
    • C) oubliions
    • D) oubliiez

  5. What is the nous form of oublier in the Future?

    • A) oublieront
    • B) oublierons
    • C) oubliera
    • D) oublierez

  6. What is the tu form of oublier in the Conditional?

    • A) oublieriez
    • B) oublierait
    • C) oublieraient
    • D) oublierais

  7. What is the je form of oublier in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) oublie
    • B) oublies
    • C) oublient
    • D) oubliiez

  8. What is the il/elle form of oublier in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) oubliassions
    • B) oubliât
    • C) oubliasses
    • D) oubliassent

  9. What is the gerund of oublier?

    • A) oubliant
    • B) buvant
    • C) dormant

  10. What is the past participle of oublier?

  • A) bu
  • B) dormi
  • C) oublié

Answer key

  1. C) oublies — The tu form of oublier in the present indicative is oublies.
  2. D) oublions — The nous form of oublier in the present indicative is oublions.
  3. C) a oublié — The il/elle form of oublier in the present perfect is a oublié.
  4. A) oubliais — The je form of oublier in the imperfect is oubliais.
  5. B) oublierons — The nous form of oublier in the future is oublierons.
  6. D) oublierais — The tu form of oublier in the conditional is oublierais.
  7. A) oublie — The je form of oublier in the present subjunctive is oublie.
  8. B) oubliât — The il/elle form of oublier in the imperfect subjunctive is oubliât.
  9. A) oubliant — The gerund of oublier is en oubliant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. C) oublié — The past participle of oublier is oublié; perfect tenses use avoir + oublié.

Frequently asked questions

What does oublier mean in English?

oublier means “forget”. You use it for talking about forgetting, for describing a busy day, and for missing an appointment.

Is oublier regular or irregular?

oublier is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en oubliant and the past participle is oublié.

How do I say “I forget” in French?

Say “J'oublie mes clés.” — “I forget my keys.” The je form of the present is oublie.

Where can I see the full conjugation of oublier?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Oublier Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise oublier this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with oublier out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — mes clés, mon parapluie and le rendez-vous — and change only the person, so you hear how oublie, oublies and oublie sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai oublié and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en oubliant and oublié in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

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

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