Skip to content
fluentbyear

FRENCH VERB

acheter

to buy

  • #48 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Past participle: acheté
  • Present participle: achetant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I buy
  2. tu you buy
  3. il, elle, on he/she buys
  4. nous we buy
  5. vous you buy
  6. ils, elles they buy

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I bought
  2. tu you bought
  3. il, elle, on he/she bought
  4. nous we bought
  5. vous you bought
  6. ils, elles they bought

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to buy
  2. tu you used to buy
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to buy
  4. nous we used to buy
  5. vous you used to buy
  6. ils, elles they used to buy

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will buy
  2. tu you will buy
  3. il, elle, on he/she will buy
  4. nous we will buy
  5. vous you will buy
  6. ils, elles they will buy

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would buy
  2. tu you would buy
  3. il, elle, on he/she would buy
  4. nous we would buy
  5. vous you would buy
  6. ils, elles they would buy

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I buy
  2. tu (that) you buy
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she buy
  4. nous (that) we buy
  5. vous (that) you buy
  6. ils, elles (that) they buy

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu buy!
  2. nous buy! (let’s)
  3. vous buy! (plural, or formal)

How to use acheter

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    J'achète le pain, tu prends le fromage ?

    I'll buy the bread, you get the cheese?

  2. Past

    On a acheté une maison près de Nantes.

    We bought a house near Nantes.

  3. Imperfect

    Ma mère achetait toujours ses fruits au marché.

    My mother always bought her fruit at the market.

  4. Future

    J'achèterai les billets en ligne ce soir.

    I'll buy the tickets online tonight.

  5. Conditional

    J'achèterais bien ce vélo, mais il est cher.

    I'd buy this bike, but it's expensive.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu achètes du lait en rentrant.

    You need to buy milk on your way home.

  7. Imperative

    Achetez vos billets à l'avance, c'est moins cher.

    Buy your tickets in advance, it's cheaper.

Good to know

  • Acheter quelque chose à quelqu'un can mean buying it from them or for them; the situation tells.

Where you hear acheter

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • J'achète un chapeau. I'm buying a hat.
  • J'ai acheté un savon de Marseille. I bought a Marseille soap.
  • Je vais acheter un cadeau pour Chloé. I'm going to buy a present for Chloe.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • J'achète un chapeau. I'm buying a hat.
  • J'ai acheté un savon de Marseille. I bought a Marseille soap.
  • Je vais acheter un cadeau pour Chloé. I'm going to buy a present for Chloe.
25
The Boat Trip

Beginner Level 1 · j'ai acheté

Needs a subscription 18
Autumn

Beginner Level 2 · acheter

Needs a subscription 28
One Day...

Beginner Level 2 · j'achèterais

Needs a subscription 9
A Neighbour in Bed

Beginner Level 3 · je vous en achète

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.