Traverser Conjugation in French
traverser means “to cross” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of traverser — 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 traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “I cross the street carefully.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and traverser is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: traverser
- English: to cross
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en traversant
- Past participle: traversé
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
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.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for traverser. 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 | traverse |
| tu | traverses |
| il/elle | traverse |
| nous | traversons |
| vous | traversez |
| ils/elles | traversent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traversai |
| tu | traversas |
| il/elle | traversa |
| nous | traversâmes |
| vous | traversâtes |
| ils/elles | traversèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traversais |
| tu | traversais |
| il/elle | traversait |
| nous | traversions |
| vous | traversiez |
| ils/elles | traversaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traverserai |
| tu | traverseras |
| il/elle | traversera |
| nous | traverserons |
| vous | traverserez |
| ils/elles | traverseront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traverserais |
| tu | traverserais |
| il/elle | traverserait |
| nous | traverserions |
| vous | traverseriez |
| ils/elles | traverseraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai traversé |
| tu | as traversé |
| il/elle | a traversé |
| nous | avons traversé |
| vous | avez traversé |
| ils/elles | ont traversé |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais traversé |
| tu | avais traversé |
| il/elle | avait traversé |
| nous | avions traversé |
| vous | aviez traversé |
| ils/elles | avaient traversé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai traversé |
| tu | auras traversé |
| il/elle | aura traversé |
| nous | aurons traversé |
| vous | aurez traversé |
| ils/elles | auront traversé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais traversé |
| tu | aurais traversé |
| il/elle | aurait traversé |
| nous | aurions traversé |
| vous | auriez traversé |
| ils/elles | auraient traversé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traverse |
| tu | traverses |
| il/elle | traverse |
| nous | traversions |
| vous | traversiez |
| ils/elles | traversent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | traversasse |
| tu | traversasses |
| il/elle | traversât |
| nous | traversassions |
| vous | traversassiez |
| ils/elles | traversassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | traverse |
| nous | traversons |
| vous | traversez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | traverse |
| nous | traversons |
| vous | traversez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en traversant |
| Past participle | traversé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “I cross the street carefully.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu traversas la rue avec prudence.” — “You crossed the street carefully one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il traversait la rue avec prudence quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to cross the street carefully.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous traverserons la rue avec prudence.” — “We will cross the street carefully tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous traverseriez la rue avec prudence.” — “You would cross the street carefully if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With traverser it is formed with avoir + the past participle traversé. For example: “Ils ont traversé la rue avec prudence hier.” — “They have crossed the street carefully.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais traversé la rue avec prudence avant la fête.” — “I had crossed the street carefully before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras traversé la rue avec prudence.” — “You will have crossed the street carefully by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait traversé la rue avec prudence.” — “He would have crossed the street carefully if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “It is important that I cross the street carefully.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je traversasse la rue avec prudence.” — “It was important that I cross the street carefully.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Traverse la rue avec prudence !” — “Cross the street carefully!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Traverse la rue avec prudence !” — “Do not cross the street carefully!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en traversant — “while crossing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is traversé, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai traversé.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with traverser, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “I cross the street carefully.”
- “Tu traverses la rue avec prudence.” — “You cross the street carefully.”
- “Il traversait la rue avec prudence.” — “He used to cross the street carefully.”
- “Nous traverserons la rue avec prudence.” — “We will cross the street carefully tomorrow.”
- “Je traverserais la rue avec prudence.” — “I would cross the street carefully if I could.”
- “Tu as traversé la rue avec prudence.” — “You have crossed the street carefully.”
- “Il avait traversé la rue avec prudence.” — “He had crossed the street carefully before the party.”
- “Nous aurons traversé la rue avec prudence.” — “We will have crossed the street carefully by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “It is important that I cross the street carefully.”
- “Traverse la rue avec prudence !” — “Cross the street carefully!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je traverser la rue avec prudence.”
✓ Right: “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.”
The infinitive traverser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form traverse.
2. Confusing traverser with tourner
✗ Wrong: “Je traverse à gauche au carrefour.” (meant as “tourner”)
✓ Right: “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.”
traverser means “to cross”; tourner means “to turn”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis traversé la rue avec prudence.”
✓ Right: “J'ai traversé la rue avec prudence.”
With traverser the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai traversé.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je traverse la rue avec prudence.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je traverse la rue avec prudence.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use traverse here, not the indicative traverse.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je traverse la rue avec prudence hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai traversé la rue avec prudence hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai traversé), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of traverser in the Present indicative?
- A) traversons
- B) traverses
- C) traverse
- D) traversez
What is the ils/elles form of traverser in the Present indicative?
- A) traverse
- B) traversons
- C) traversez
- D) traversent
What is the il/elle form of traverser in the Passé simple?
- A) traversâtes
- B) traversa
- C) traversâmes
- D) traversai
What is the nous form of traverser in the Imperfect?
- A) traversait
- B) traversaient
- C) traversions
- D) traversais
What is the tu form of traverser in the Future?
- A) traverseras
- B) traverseront
- C) traverserez
- D) traversera
What is the je form of traverser in the Conditional?
- A) traverserait
- B) traverseraient
- C) traverseriez
- D) traverserais
What is the il/elle form of traverser in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai traversé
- B) avez traversé
- C) ont traversé
- D) a traversé
What is the vous form of traverser in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avaient traversé
- B) avions traversé
- C) avait traversé
- D) aviez traversé
What is the gerund of traverser?
- A) en traversant
- B) traverserai
- C) traversé
- D) traverse
What is the past participle of traverser?
- A) traversais
- B) en traversant
- C) traversé
- D) traverse
Answer key
- C) traverse — the je form of traverser in the present indicative is traverse.
- D) traversent — the ils/elles form of traverser in the present indicative is traversent.
- B) traversa — the il/elle form of traverser in the passé simple is traversa.
- C) traversions — the nous form of traverser in the imperfect is traversions.
- A) traverseras — the tu form of traverser in the future is traverseras.
- D) traverserais — the je form of traverser in the conditional is traverserais.
- D) a traversé — the il/elle form of traverser in the present perfect (passé composé) is a traversé.
- D) aviez traversé — the vous form of traverser in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez traversé.
- A) en traversant — the gerund of traverser is en traversant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- C) traversé — the past participle of traverser is traversé; perfect tenses use avoir + traversé.
Frequently asked questions
What does traverser mean in English?
traverser means “to cross”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.” (“I cross the street carefully.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is traverser regular or irregular?
traverser is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en traversant and the past participle is traversé.
What are the gerund and past participle of traverser?
The gerund is en traversant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is traversé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai traversé.
What is the difference between traverser and tourner?
traverser means “to cross”, while tourner means “to turn”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for tourner and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I cross” in French?
Say “Je traverse la rue avec prudence.” — “I cross the street carefully.” The je form of the present is traverse, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn traverser
Start with the present tense: traverse, traverses, traverse, traversons, traversez, traversent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai traversé — and the imperfect — traversais. Next, learn the future (traverserai) and the conditional (traverserais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (traverse) and the imperative (traverse). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
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.