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