Prendre Conjugation in French
prendre means “to take” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 16 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about taking a coffee 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 prendre — 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 prends un café le matin tous les jours.” — “I take a coffee in the morning every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: prendre
- English: to take
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: prenant
- Past participle: pris
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -re verbs; pattern prendre in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for prendre, 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 prendre in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about prendre
- It is irregular in 5 tense(s): present, passe-simple, 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 pris. 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 prenant and the participle is pris: 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 prendre. 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 | prends |
| tu | prends |
| il/elle | prend |
| nous | prenons |
| vous | prenez |
| ils/elles | prennent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With prendre 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 prends le train à huit heures tous les jours.” — “I take the train at eight o'clock every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | pris |
| tu | pris |
| il/elle | prit |
| nous | prîmes |
| vous | prîtes |
| ils/elles | prirent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With prendre 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: “Tu pris le train à huit heures hier.” — “You took the train at eight o'clock yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prenais |
| tu | prenais |
| il/elle | prenait |
| nous | prenions |
| vous | preniez |
| ils/elles | prenaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il prenait le train à huit heures autrefois.” — “He used to take the train at eight o'clock in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prendrai |
| tu | prendras |
| il/elle | prendra |
| nous | prendrons |
| vous | prendrez |
| ils/elles | prendront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je prendrai le train à huit heures demain.” — “I will take the train at eight o'clock tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prendrais |
| tu | prendrais |
| il/elle | prendrait |
| nous | prendrions |
| vous | prendriez |
| ils/elles | prendraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu prendrais le train à huit heures un jour.” — “You would take the train at eight o'clock one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai pris |
| tu | as pris |
| il/elle | a pris |
| nous | avons pris |
| vous | avez pris |
| ils/elles | ont pris |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a pris le train à huit heures cette semaine.” — “He has taken the train at eight o'clock this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais pris |
| tu | avais pris |
| il/elle | avait pris |
| nous | avions pris |
| vous | aviez pris |
| ils/elles | avaient pris |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais pris le train à huit heures avant la fête.” — “I had taken the train at eight o'clock before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai pris |
| tu | auras pris |
| il/elle | aura pris |
| nous | aurons pris |
| vous | aurez pris |
| ils/elles | auront pris |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras pris le train à huit heures pour demain.” — “You will have taken the train at eight o'clock by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais pris |
| tu | aurais pris |
| il/elle | aurait pris |
| nous | aurions pris |
| vous | auriez pris |
| ils/elles | auraient pris |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait pris le train à huit heures hier.” — “He would have taken the train at eight o'clock yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prenne |
| tu | prennes |
| il/elle | prenne |
| nous | prenions |
| vous | preniez |
| ils/elles | prennent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With prendre 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 prenne le train à huit heures.” — “It is important that I take the train at eight o'clock.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prisse |
| tu | prisses |
| il/elle | prît |
| nous | prissions |
| vous | prissiez |
| ils/elles | prissent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu prisses le train à huit heures.” — “It is important that you take the train at eight o'clock.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | prends |
| nous | prenons |
| vous | prenez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With prendre 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: “Prends le train à huit heures !” — “Take the train at eight o'clock!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | prends |
| nous | prenons |
| vous | prenez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With prendre 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 prends pas le train à huit heures.” — “Do not take the train at eight o'clock.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en prenant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En prenant un café le matin, je passe un bon moment.” — “While taking a coffee in the morning, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | pris |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai pris un café le matin cette semaine.” — “I have taken a coffee in the morning this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with prendre, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je prends un café le matin tous les jours.” — “I take a coffee in the morning every day.”
- “Tu pris le train à huit heures hier.” — “You took the train at eight o'clock yesterday.”
- “Il prenait une photo de Paris autrefois.” — “He used to take a photo of Paris in the past.”
- “Je prendrai un café le matin demain.” — “I will take a coffee in the morning tomorrow.”
- “Tu prendrais le train à huit heures un jour.” — “You would take the train at eight o'clock one day.”
- “Il a pris une photo de Paris cette semaine.” — “He has taken a photo of Paris this week.”
- “J'avais pris un café le matin avant la fête.” — “I had taken a coffee in the morning before the party.”
- “Tu auras pris le train à huit heures pour demain.” — “You will have taken the train at eight o'clock by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il prenne une photo de Paris.” — “It is important that he take a photo of Paris.”
- “Prends un café le matin !” — “Take a coffee in the morning!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je prendre un café le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je prends un café le matin.”
The infinitive prendre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form prends.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je prennent un café le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je prends un café le matin.”
prennent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with prends.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je pris un café le matin tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je prends un café le matin tous les jours.”
The passé simple pris describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present prends.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je prends un café le matin.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je prenne un café le matin.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use prenne here, not the indicative prends.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis pris un café le matin.”
✓ Right: “Je ai pris un café le matin.”
The passé composé of prendre is formed with avoir plus the past participle pris: the je form is ai pris. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “prends” written without its accent
✓ Right: “prends”
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 prendre. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of prendre in the Present indicative?
- A) prends
- B) prend
- C) prenons
- D) prenez
What is the il/elle form of prendre in the Passé simple?
- A) prîtes
- B) prit
- C) pris
- D) prîmes
What is the nous form of prendre in the Imperfect?
- A) prenait
- B) preniez
- C) prenions
- D) prenais
What is the tu form of prendre in the Future?
- A) prendrons
- B) prendras
- C) prendrai
- D) prendra
What is the je form of prendre in the Conditional?
- A) prendrais
- B) prendrait
- C) prendrions
- D) prendriez
What is the il/elle form of prendre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avons pris
- B) a pris
- C) ai pris
- D) as pris
What is the il/elle form of prendre in the Present subjunctive?
- A) prenne
- B) prennes
- C) prenions
- D) preniez
What is the je form of prendre in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) prît
- B) prissions
- C) prisse
- D) prisses
What is the gerund of prendre?
- A) en donnant
- B) en prenant
- C) en mettant
- D) en devant
What does prendre mean in English?
- A) to take
- B) to put
- C) to must, to owe
- D) to give
Answer key
- A) prends — the je form of prendre in the Present indicative is prends. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) prit — the il/elle form of prendre in the Passé simple is prit. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) prenions — the nous form of prendre in the Imperfect is prenions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) prendras — the tu form of prendre in the Future is prendras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) prendrais — the je form of prendre in the Conditional is prendrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) a pris — the il/elle form of prendre in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a pris. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) prenne — the il/elle form of prendre in the Present subjunctive is prenne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) prisse — the je form of prendre in the Imperfect subjunctive is prisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) en prenant — the gerund of prendre is en prenant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to take — prendre means “to take” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does prendre mean in English?
prendre means “to take”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is prendre regular or irregular?
prendre is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is prenant and the past participle is pris.
What are the gerund and past participle of prendre?
The gerund is prenant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is pris — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai pris.
Which auxiliary does prendre take in the passé composé?
prendre takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai pris. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle pris.
How do I say “I take” in French?
Say “Je prends un café le matin tous les jours.” — “I take a coffee in the morning every day.” The je form of the present is prends, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of prendre — every tense of prendre in one place.
- Prendre in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Prendre examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Mettre conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Devoir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Donner 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 prendre with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise prendre with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise prendre with the interactive tool.