Se disputer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of se disputer — “to argue” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for se disputer, 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 me dispute avec mon frère pour rien.” — “I argue with my brother over nothing.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for se disputer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of se disputer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for se disputer. se disputer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — se disputer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | dispute |
| tu | disputes |
| il/elle | dispute |
| nous | disputons |
| vous | disputez |
| ils/elles | disputent |
The gerund of se disputer is en disputant and the past participle is disputé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of se disputer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem se disput- (the infinitive se disputer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → dispute, tu → disputes, il/elle → dispute, nous → disputons, vous → disputez, ils/elles → disputent. So se disputer gives dispute, disputes, dispute, disputons, disputez, disputent. se disputer is reflexive: the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) goes before the verb — “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien”. The tables show the bare verb form; the examples add the pronoun.
When to use the present tense of se disputer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with se disputer: “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien tous les jours.” — “I argue with my brother over nothing.” 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 se disputer: “Tu te disputes avec mon frère pour rien en général.” — “You argue with my brother over nothing.” 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 se disputer: “Il se dispute avec mon frère pour rien maintenant.” — “He argues with my brother over nothing.” 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 se disputer: “Nous nous disputons avec mon frère pour rien demain.” — “We argue with my brother over nothing.” 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 se disputer: “Ils se disputent avec mon frère pour rien souvent.” — “They argue with my brother over nothing.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: se disputer now, se disputer 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 me dispute avec mon frère pour rien tous les jours.” — “I argue with my brother over nothing.”
Future: “Je me disputerai avec mon frère pour rien demain.” — “I will argue with my brother over nothing tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu te disputes avec mon frère pour rien maintenant.” — “You argue with my brother over nothing.”
Future: “Tu te disputeras avec mon frère pour rien demain.” — “You will argue with my brother over nothing tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous nous disputons avec mon frère pour rien en classe.” — “We argue with my brother over nothing.”
Future: “Nous nous disputerons avec mon frère pour rien demain.” — “We will argue with my brother over nothing tomorrow.”
Example sentences: se disputer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of se disputer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien tous les jours.” — “I argue with my brother over nothing.”
- “Tu te disputes avec mon frère pour rien chaque matin.” — “You argue with my brother over nothing.”
- “Il se dispute avec mon frère pour rien souvent.” — “He argues with my brother over nothing.”
- “Nous nous disputons avec mon frère pour rien maintenant.” — “We argue with my brother over nothing.”
- “Vous vous disputez avec mon frère pour rien en général.” — “You argue with my brother over nothing.”
- “Ils se disputent avec mon frère pour rien le week-end.” — “They argue with my brother over nothing.”
Common mistakes with se disputer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je se disputer avec mon frère pour rien.”
Right: “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form dispute.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu dispute avec mon frère pour rien.”
Right: “Tu te disputes avec mon frère pour rien.”
After tu you need disputes, not the je form dispute. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je me disputerai avec mon frère pour rien.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (disputerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Wrong: “Je dispute avec mon frère pour rien.”
Right: “Je me dispute avec mon frère pour rien.”
se disputer is reflexive: the pronoun is part of the verb.
Quiz: se disputer in the present tense
What is the je form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) disputent
- B) disputons
- C) disputez
- D) dispute
What is the tu form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) disputons
- B) dispute
- C) disputent
- D) disputes
What is the il/elle form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) dispute
- B) disputes
- C) disputent
- D) disputez
What is the nous form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) disputes
- B) disputez
- C) disputent
- D) disputons
What is the vous form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) disputez
- B) disputent
- C) dispute
- D) disputes
What is the ils/elles form of se disputer in the Present indicative?
- A) dispute
- B) disputes
- C) disputent
- D) disputez
What is the gerund of se disputer?
- A) disputé
- B) disputerai
- C) dispute
- D) en disputant
What does se disputer mean in English?
- A) to argue
- B) to be
- C) to have
- D) to go
Answer key
- D) dispute — the je form of se disputer in the present indicative is dispute.
- D) disputes — the tu form of se disputer in the present indicative is disputes.
- A) dispute — the il/elle form of se disputer in the present indicative is dispute.
- D) disputons — the nous form of se disputer in the present indicative is disputons.
- A) disputez — the vous form of se disputer in the present indicative is disputez.
- C) disputent — the ils/elles form of se disputer in the present indicative is disputent.
- D) en disputant — the gerund of se disputer is en disputant.
- A) to argue — se disputer means “to argue” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of se disputer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is dispute and the ils form is disputent.
When do I use the present tense of se disputer?
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 (dispute), while the future is for what will happen (disputerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of se disputer?
On the full conjugation page for se disputer, 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 se disputer in order, without looking: dispute, disputes, dispute, disputons, disputez, disputent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using dispute, suis disputé and disputerai. 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
- se disputer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- se disputer 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.
- Se facher conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise se disputer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise se disputer with the interactive tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.