se taire Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

se taire — be quiet — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. se taire is the verb for asking for quiet: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a lesson or talking about being quiet. On this page you will find se taire 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 se taire

In the present tense

  • “Je me tais souvent.” — “I be quiet often.”
  • “Tu te tais pendant le film.” — “You be quiet during the film.”
  • “Il se tait tout de suite.” — “He bes quiet right away.”
  • “Nous nous taisons en classe.” — “We be quiet in class.”
  • “Vous vous taisez souvent.” — “You be quiet often.”
  • “Ils se taisent pendant le film.” — “They be quiet during the film.”

In the passé composé

  • “Je me suis tu souvent cette semaine.” — “I have been quiet often this week.”
  • “Tu te es tu pendant le film cette semaine.” — “You have been quiet during the film this week.”
  • “Il se est tu tout de suite cette semaine.” — “He has been quiet right away this week.”
  • “Nous nous sommes tu en classe cette semaine.” — “We have been quiet in class this week.”
  • “Vous vous êtes tu souvent cette semaine.” — “You have been quiet often this week.”
  • “Ils se sont tu pendant le film cette semaine.” — “They have been quiet during the film 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.

  • “Je me taisais souvent avant.” — “I used to be quiet often before.”
  • “Je me tairai pendant le film demain.” — “I will be quiet during the film tomorrow.”
  • “Je me tairais tout de suite un jour.” — “I would be quiet right away one day.”
  • “Bien que il se taise en classe” — “Although he bes quiet in class.”

se taire in context

Je me tais souvent. Tu te tais pendant le film. Il se tait tout de suite. Nous nous taisons en classe.

I be quiet often. You be quiet during the film. He bes quiet right away. We be quiet in class.

Je me suis tu souvent. Il se est tu pendant le film. Nous nous sommes tu tout de suite.

I have been quiet often this week. He has been quiet during the film this week. We have been quiet right away this week.

Common mistakes with se taire

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je se taire souvent.

Right: Je tais souvent.

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

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je taisons pendant le film.

Right: Je tais pendant le film.

taisons is the nous form. With je, use tais.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je tais tout de suite.

Right: Hier, j'suis tu tout de suite.

Yesterday needs the passé composé suis tu, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je tais en classe.

Right: Bien que je taise en classe.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive taise.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je taisais souvent hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'suis tu souvent hier.

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

Quiz: test yourself on se taire

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

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

    • A) tais
    • B) taisent
    • C) tait
    • D) taisons

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

    • A) tais
    • B) taisent
    • C) taisez
    • D) taisons

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

    • A) êtes tu
    • B) est tu
    • C) suis tu
    • D) sont tu

  4. What is the je form of se taire in the Imperfect?

    • A) taisait
    • B) taisais
    • C) taisions
    • D) taisaient

  5. What is the nous form of se taire in the Future?

    • A) tairont
    • B) taira
    • C) tairons
    • D) tairez

  6. What is the tu form of se taire in the Conditional?

    • A) tairais
    • B) tairiez
    • C) tairions
    • D) tairait

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

    • A) taise
    • B) taisions
    • C) taisent
    • D) taisiez

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

    • A) tussions
    • B) tût
    • C) tusses
    • D) tusse

  9. What is the gerund of se taire?

    • A) buvant
    • B) dormant
    • C) taisant

  10. What is the past participle of se taire?

  • A) tu
  • B) dormi
  • C) bu

Answer key

  1. A) tais — The tu form of se taire in the present indicative is tais.
  2. D) taisons — The nous form of se taire in the present indicative is taisons.
  3. B) est tu — The il/elle form of se taire in the present perfect is est tu.
  4. B) taisais — The je form of se taire in the imperfect is taisais.
  5. C) tairons — The nous form of se taire in the future is tairons.
  6. A) tairais — The tu form of se taire in the conditional is tairais.
  7. A) taise — The je form of se taire in the present subjunctive is taise.
  8. B) tût — The il/elle form of se taire in the imperfect subjunctive is tût.
  9. C) taisant — The gerund of se taire is en taisant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. A) tu — The past participle of se taire is tu; perfect tenses use être + tu.

Frequently asked questions

What does se taire mean in English?

se taire means “be quiet”. You use it for asking for quiet, for describing a lesson, and for talking about being quiet.

Is se taire regular or irregular?

se taire is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is en taisant and the past participle is tu.

How do I say “I be quiet” in French?

Say “Je me tais souvent.” — “I be quiet often.” The je form of the present is tais.

Where can I see the full conjugation of se taire?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Se taire in Passé Composé Tense — French Conjugation Tables page.

How to practise se taire this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with se taire 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 — souvent, pendant le film and tout de suite — and change only the person, so you hear how tais, tais and tait sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with suis tu 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 taisant and tu 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 se taire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages