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FRENCH VERB

appeler

to call

  • #33 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Past participle: appelé
  • Present participle: appelant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use appeler

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

  1. Present

    J'appelle ma mère tous les dimanches soir.

    I call my mother every Sunday evening.

  2. Past

    Tu as appelé le médecin ?

    Did you call the doctor?

  3. Imperfect

    Il appelait tous les jours pour prendre des nouvelles.

    He called every day to ask how we were.

  4. Future

    Je vous appellerai dès que j'arrive.

    I'll call you as soon as I arrive.

  5. Conditional

    On appellerait bien un taxi, mais il n'y a pas de réseau.

    We'd happily call a taxi, but there's no signal.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que j'appelle la banque avant midi.

    I need to call the bank before noon.

  7. Imperative

    Appelez-moi quand vous êtes devant la porte.

    Call me when you're at the door.

Good to know

  • Appeler quelqu'un is to call them, by name or by phone; nothing comes between the verb and the person.

Where you hear appeler

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

French · Beginner Level 1

  • J'appelle ma mère tous les soirs. I call my mother every evening.
  • Hier, j'ai appelé Chloé. Yesterday I called Chloe.
  • Je vais t'appeler ce soir. I'm going to call you tonight.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • J'appelle ma mère tous les soirs. I call my mother every evening.
  • Hier, j'ai appelé Chloé. Yesterday I called Chloe.
  • Je vais t'appeler ce soir. I'm going to call you tonight.
9
What's Your Number?

Beginner Level 1 · Appelle-moi !

Needs a subscription 30
I'm Staying!

Beginner Level 1 · appeler

Needs a subscription 2
The Interview

Beginner Level 2 · On vous appelle.

Free 30
A Year in France

Beginner Level 2 · ils m'ont appelée

Needs a subscription 7
A Parcel for Chicago

Beginner Level 3 · je t'appellerai

Needs a subscription 9
A Neighbour in Bed

Beginner Level 3 · Appelez-moi !

Needs a subscription 12
A Car in Rennes

Beginner Level 3 · appelez ce numéro

Needs a subscription 23
We Kissed

Beginner Level 3 · on s'est appelés

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

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