Suivre Conjugation in French
suivre means “to follow” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 25 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about following the teacher in class, 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 suivre — 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 suis le professeur en classe tous les jours.” — “I follow the teacher in class every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: suivre
- English: to follow
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: suivant
- Past participle: suivi
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -re verbs; pattern suivre in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for suivre, 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 suivre in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about suivre
- 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 suivi. 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 suivant and the participle is suivi: 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 suivre. 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 | suis |
| tu | suis |
| il/elle | suit |
| nous | suivons |
| vous | suivez |
| ils/elles | suivent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With suivre 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 suis un cours de français tous les jours.” — “I follow a French course every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suivis |
| tu | suivis |
| il/elle | suivit |
| nous | suivîmes |
| vous | suivîtes |
| ils/elles | suivirent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. With suivre 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 suivis un cours de français hier.” — “You followed a French course yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suivais |
| tu | suivais |
| il/elle | suivait |
| nous | suivions |
| vous | suiviez |
| ils/elles | suivaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il suivait un cours de français autrefois.” — “He used to follow a French course in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suivrai |
| tu | suivras |
| il/elle | suivra |
| nous | suivrons |
| vous | suivrez |
| ils/elles | suivront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je suivrai un cours de français demain.” — “I will follow a French course tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suivrais |
| tu | suivrais |
| il/elle | suivrait |
| nous | suivrions |
| vous | suivriez |
| ils/elles | suivraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu suivrais un cours de français un jour.” — “You would follow a French course one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai suivi |
| tu | as suivi |
| il/elle | a suivi |
| nous | avons suivi |
| vous | avez suivi |
| ils/elles | ont suivi |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a suivi un cours de français cette semaine.” — “He has followed a French course this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais suivi |
| tu | avais suivi |
| il/elle | avait suivi |
| nous | avions suivi |
| vous | aviez suivi |
| ils/elles | avaient suivi |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais suivi un cours de français avant la fête.” — “I had followed a French course before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai suivi |
| tu | auras suivi |
| il/elle | aura suivi |
| nous | aurons suivi |
| vous | aurez suivi |
| ils/elles | auront suivi |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras suivi un cours de français pour demain.” — “You will have followed a French course by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais suivi |
| tu | aurais suivi |
| il/elle | aurait suivi |
| nous | aurions suivi |
| vous | auriez suivi |
| ils/elles | auraient suivi |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait suivi un cours de français hier.” — “He would have followed a French course yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suive |
| tu | suives |
| il/elle | suive |
| nous | suivions |
| vous | suiviez |
| ils/elles | suivent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With suivre 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 suive un cours de français.” — “It is important that I follow a French course.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | suivisse |
| tu | suivisses |
| il/elle | suivît |
| nous | suivissions |
| vous | suivissiez |
| ils/elles | suivissent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu suivisses un cours de français.” — “It is important that you follow a French course.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | suis |
| nous | suivons |
| vous | suivez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With suivre 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: “Suis un cours de français !” — “Follow a French course!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | suis |
| nous | suivons |
| vous | suivez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With suivre 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 suis pas un cours de français.” — “Do not follow a French course.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en suivant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En suivant le professeur en classe, je passe un bon moment.” — “While following the teacher in class, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | suivi |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai suivi le professeur en classe cette semaine.” — “I have followed the teacher in class this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with suivre, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je suis le professeur en classe tous les jours.” — “I follow the teacher in class every day.”
- “Tu suivis un cours de français hier.” — “You followed a French course yesterday.”
- “Il suivait les conseils de mon père autrefois.” — “He used to follow my father's advice in the past.”
- “Je suivrai le professeur en classe demain.” — “I will follow the teacher in class tomorrow.”
- “Tu suivrais un cours de français un jour.” — “You would follow a French course one day.”
- “Il a suivi les conseils de mon père cette semaine.” — “He has followed my father's advice this week.”
- “J'avais suivi le professeur en classe avant la fête.” — “I had followed the teacher in class before the party.”
- “Tu auras suivi un cours de français pour demain.” — “You will have followed a French course by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il suive les conseils de mon père.” — “It is important that he follow my father's advice.”
- “Suis le professeur en classe !” — “Follow the teacher in class!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je suivre le professeur en classe.”
✓ Right: “Je suis le professeur en classe.”
The infinitive suivre never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form suis.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je suivent le professeur en classe.”
✓ Right: “Je suis le professeur en classe.”
suivent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with suis.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je suivis le professeur en classe tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je suis le professeur en classe tous les jours.”
The passé simple suivis describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present suis.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je suis le professeur en classe.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je suive le professeur en classe.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use suive here, not the indicative suis.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis suivi le professeur en classe.”
✓ Right: “Je ai suivi le professeur en classe.”
The passé composé of suivre is formed with avoir plus the past participle suivi: the je form is ai suivi. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “suis” written without its accent
✓ Right: “suis”
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 suivre. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of suivre in the Present indicative?
- A) suis
- B) suit
- C) suivons
- D) suivez
What is the il/elle form of suivre in the Passé simple?
- A) suivit
- B) suivis
- C) suivîmes
- D) suivîtes
What is the nous form of suivre in the Imperfect?
- A) suivions
- B) suivais
- C) suivait
- D) suiviez
What is the tu form of suivre in the Future?
- A) suivrai
- B) suivra
- C) suivrons
- D) suivras
What is the je form of suivre in the Conditional?
- A) suivrions
- B) suivriez
- C) suivrais
- D) suivrait
What is the il/elle form of suivre in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai suivi
- B) as suivi
- C) avons suivi
- D) a suivi
What is the il/elle form of suivre in the Present subjunctive?
- A) suive
- B) suives
- C) suivions
- D) suiviez
What is the je form of suivre in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) suivissions
- B) suivisse
- C) suivisses
- D) suivît
What is the gerund of suivre?
- A) en pensant
- B) en croyant
- C) en aimant
- D) en suivant
What does suivre mean in English?
- A) to believe
- B) to love, to like
- C) to follow
- D) to think
Answer key
- A) suis — the je form of suivre in the Present indicative is suis. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) suivit — the il/elle form of suivre in the Passé simple is suivit. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) suivions — the nous form of suivre in the Imperfect is suivions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) suivras — the tu form of suivre in the Future is suivras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) suivrais — the je form of suivre in the Conditional is suivrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) a suivi — the il/elle form of suivre in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a suivi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) suive — the il/elle form of suivre in the Present subjunctive is suive. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) suivisse — the je form of suivre in the Imperfect subjunctive is suivisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) en suivant — the gerund of suivre is en suivant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to follow — suivre means “to follow” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does suivre mean in English?
suivre means “to follow”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is suivre regular or irregular?
suivre is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is suivant and the past participle is suivi.
What are the gerund and past participle of suivre?
The gerund is suivant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is suivi — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai suivi.
Which auxiliary does suivre take in the passé composé?
suivre takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai suivi. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle suivi.
How do I say “I follow” in French?
Say “Je suis le professeur en classe tous les jours.” — “I follow the teacher in class every day.” The je form of the present is suis, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of suivre — every tense of suivre in one place.
- Suivre in the passé composé tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Suivre examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Penser conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Croire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Aimer 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 suivre with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise suivre with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise suivre with the interactive tool.