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FRENCH VERB

acquérir

to acquire

  • Irregular -ir verb
  • Past participle: acquis
  • Present participle: acquérant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use acquérir

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

  1. Present

    On acquiert de l'expérience en se trompant.

    You acquire experience by making mistakes.

  2. Past

    J'ai acquis la nationalité française en octobre.

    I acquired French nationality in October.

  3. Imperfect

    Chaque année, la ville acquérait de nouveaux terrains.

    Every year, the town acquired new land.

  4. Future

    Tu acquerras le droit de vote avec la nationalité.

    You'll acquire the right to vote with nationality.

  5. Conditional

    Avec ce prêt, on acquerrait la maison voisine.

    With this loan, we'd acquire the house next door.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que les élèves acquièrent de bonnes bases.

    Pupils need to acquire a solid grounding.

  7. Imperative

    Acquérez d'abord les bases, le reste viendra.

    Get the basics first, the rest will come.

Good to know

  • Acquérir la nationalité, de l'expérience, un bien; c'est acquis means that's settled, and un acquis is something gained for good.

Where you hear acquérir

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

French · Fluency Level 3

  • On acquiert la nationalité par décret. One acquires nationality by decree.
  • J'ai acquis la nationalité française en octobre. I acquired French nationality in October.
  • Tu acquerras le droit de vote avec la nationalité. You'll acquire the right to vote with nationality.
1
The Decree in the Post

Fluency Level 3 · « Madame, par décret du dix octobre, vous avez acquis la nationalité française. »

Free

Verbs like this one

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