Rentrer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of rentrer — “to return (home)” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for rentrer, 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 rentre à la maison le soir.” — “I return home in the evening.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for rentrer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of rentrer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for rentrer. rentrer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — rentrer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | rentre |
| tu | rentres |
| il/elle | rentre |
| nous | rentrons |
| vous | rentrez |
| ils/elles | rentrent |
The gerund of rentrer is en rentrant and the past participle is rentré. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of rentrer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem rentr- (the infinitive rentrer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → rentre, tu → rentres, il/elle → rentre, nous → rentrons, vous → rentrez, ils/elles → rentrent. So rentrer gives rentre, rentres, rentre, rentrons, rentrez, rentrent.
When to use the present tense of rentrer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with rentrer: “Je rentre à la maison le soir tous les jours.” — “I return home in the evening.” 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 rentrer: “Tu rentres à la maison le soir en général.” — “You return home in the evening.” 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 rentrer: “Il rentre à la maison le soir maintenant.” — “He returns home in the evening.” 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 rentrer: “Nous rentrons à la maison le soir demain.” — “We return home in the evening.” 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 rentrer: “Ils rentrent à la maison le soir souvent.” — “They return home in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: rentrer now, rentrer 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 rentre à la maison le soir tous les jours.” — “I return home in the evening.”
Future: “Je rentrerai à la maison le soir demain.” — “I will return home in the evening tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu rentres à la maison le soir maintenant.” — “You return home in the evening.”
Future: “Tu rentreras à la maison le soir demain.” — “You will return home in the evening tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous rentrons à la maison le soir en classe.” — “We return home in the evening.”
Future: “Nous rentrerons à la maison le soir demain.” — “We will return home in the evening tomorrow.”
Example sentences: rentrer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of rentrer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je rentre à la maison le soir tous les jours.” — “I return home in the evening.”
- “Tu rentres à la maison le soir chaque matin.” — “You return home in the evening.”
- “Il rentre à la maison le soir souvent.” — “He returns home in the evening.”
- “Nous rentrons à la maison le soir maintenant.” — “We return home in the evening.”
- “Vous rentrez à la maison le soir en général.” — “You return home in the evening.”
- “Ils rentrent à la maison le soir le week-end.” — “They return home in the evening.”
Common mistakes with rentrer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je rentrer à la maison le soir.”
Right: “Je rentre à la maison le soir.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form rentre.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu rentre à la maison le soir.”
Right: “Tu rentres à la maison le soir.”
After tu you need rentres, not the je form rentre. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je rentrerai à la maison le soir.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je rentre à la maison le soir tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (rentrerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “Je suis rentré à la maison le soir tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je rentre à la maison le soir tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: rentrer in the present tense
What is the je form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentrez
- B) rentre
- C) rentrons
- D) rentrent
What is the tu form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentres
- B) rentrent
- C) rentrez
- D) rentre
What is the il/elle form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentrez
- B) rentrent
- C) rentres
- D) rentre
What is the nous form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentrons
- B) rentres
- C) rentrent
- D) rentre
What is the vous form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentres
- B) rentre
- C) rentrez
- D) rentrent
What is the ils/elles form of rentrer in the Present indicative?
- A) rentrez
- B) rentres
- C) rentrons
- D) rentrent
What is the gerund of rentrer?
- A) rentrerai
- B) rentré
- C) en rentrant
- D) rentre
What does rentrer mean in English?
- A) to go
- B) to be
- C) to have
- D) to return (home)
Answer key
- B) rentre — the je form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentre.
- A) rentres — the tu form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentres.
- D) rentre — the il/elle form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentre.
- A) rentrons — the nous form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentrons.
- C) rentrez — the vous form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentrez.
- D) rentrent — the ils/elles form of rentrer in the present indicative is rentrent.
- C) en rentrant — the gerund of rentrer is en rentrant.
- D) to return (home) — rentrer means “to return (home)” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of rentrer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is rentre and the ils form is rentrent.
When do I use the present tense of rentrer?
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 (rentre), while the future is for what will happen (rentrerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of rentrer?
On the full conjugation page for rentrer, 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 rentrer in order, without looking: rentre, rentres, rentre, rentrons, rentrez, rentrent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using rentre, suis rentré and rentrerai. 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
- rentrer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- rentrer 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.
- Entrer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise rentrer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise rentrer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.