Préparer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of préparer — “to prepare” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for préparer, 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 prépare le dîner pour ma famille.” — “I prepare dinner for my family.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for préparer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of préparer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for préparer. préparer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — préparer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | prépare |
| tu | prépares |
| il/elle | prépare |
| nous | préparons |
| vous | préparez |
| ils/elles | préparent |
The gerund of préparer is en préparant and the past participle is préparé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of préparer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem prépar- (the infinitive préparer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → prépare, tu → prépares, il/elle → prépare, nous → préparons, vous → préparez, ils/elles → préparent. So préparer gives prépare, prépares, prépare, préparons, préparez, préparent.
When to use the present tense of préparer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with préparer: “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.” — “I prepare dinner for my family.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with préparer: “Tu prépares le dîner pour ma famille en général.” — “You prepare dinner for my family.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with préparer: “Il prépare le dîner pour ma famille maintenant.” — “He prepares dinner for my family.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with préparer: “Nous préparons le dîner pour ma famille demain.” — “We prepare dinner for my family.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with préparer: “Ils préparent le dîner pour ma famille souvent.” — “They prepare dinner for my family.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: préparer now, préparer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.” — “I prepare dinner for my family.”
Future: “Je préparerai le dîner pour ma famille demain.” — “I will prepare dinner for my family tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu prépares le dîner pour ma famille maintenant.” — “You prepare dinner for my family.”
Future: “Tu prépareras le dîner pour ma famille demain.” — “You will prepare dinner for my family tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous préparons le dîner pour ma famille en classe.” — “We prepare dinner for my family.”
Future: “Nous préparerons le dîner pour ma famille demain.” — “We will prepare dinner for my family tomorrow.”
Example sentences: préparer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of préparer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.” — “I prepare dinner for my family.”
- “Tu prépares le dîner pour ma famille chaque matin.” — “You prepare dinner for my family.”
- “Il prépare le dîner pour ma famille souvent.” — “He prepares dinner for my family.”
- “Nous préparons le dîner pour ma famille maintenant.” — “We prepare dinner for my family.”
- “Vous préparez le dîner pour ma famille en général.” — “You prepare dinner for my family.”
- “Ils préparent le dîner pour ma famille le week-end.” — “They prepare dinner for my family.”
Common mistakes with préparer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je préparer le dîner pour ma famille.”
Right: “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form prépare.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu prépare le dîner pour ma famille.”
Right: “Tu prépares le dîner pour ma famille.”
After tu you need prépares, not the je form prépare. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je préparerai le dîner pour ma famille.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (préparerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai préparé le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je prépare le dîner pour ma famille tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: préparer in the present tense
What is the je form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) prépares
- B) préparons
- C) préparez
- D) prépare
What is the tu form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) prépare
- B) prépares
- C) préparons
- D) préparez
What is the il/elle form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) préparent
- B) préparez
- C) préparons
- D) prépare
What is the nous form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) préparez
- B) préparons
- C) prépare
- D) préparent
What is the vous form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) prépare
- B) préparent
- C) préparez
- D) préparons
What is the ils/elles form of préparer in the Present indicative?
- A) préparons
- B) prépare
- C) préparez
- D) préparent
What is the gerund of préparer?
- A) prépare
- B) préparé
- C) en préparant
- D) préparerai
What does préparer mean in English?
- A) to go
- B) to prepare
- C) to be
- D) to have
Answer key
- D) prépare — the je form of préparer in the present indicative is prépare.
- B) prépares — the tu form of préparer in the present indicative is prépares.
- D) prépare — the il/elle form of préparer in the present indicative is prépare.
- B) préparons — the nous form of préparer in the present indicative is préparons.
- C) préparez — the vous form of préparer in the present indicative is préparez.
- D) préparent — the ils/elles form of préparer in the present indicative is préparent.
- C) en préparant — the gerund of préparer is en préparant.
- B) to prepare — préparer means “to prepare” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of préparer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is prépare and the ils form is préparent.
When do I use the present tense of préparer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (prépare), while the future is for what will happen (préparerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of préparer?
On the full conjugation page for préparer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of préparer in order, without looking: prépare, prépares, prépare, préparons, préparez, préparent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using prépare, ai préparé and préparerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- préparer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- préparer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Pratiquer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Couter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise préparer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise préparer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.