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FRENCH VERB

attendre

to wait

  • #29 most used
  • Regular -re verb
  • Past participle: attendu
  • Present participle: attendant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use attendre

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

  1. Present

    On attend le train depuis vingt minutes.

    We've been waiting for the train for twenty minutes.

  2. Past

    J'ai attendu une heure chez le médecin.

    I waited an hour at the doctor's.

  3. Imperfect

    Elle attendait devant le cinéma quand il a plu.

    She was waiting in front of the cinema when it rained.

  4. Future

    Je t'attendrai à la sortie du métro.

    I'll wait for you at the metro exit.

  5. Conditional

    On attendrait moins longtemps en prenant le vélo.

    We'd wait less time by taking the bike.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je préfère que tu m'attendes à l'intérieur.

    I'd rather you waited for me inside.

  7. Imperative

    Attendez, je cherche ma monnaie.

    Wait, I'm looking for my change.

Good to know

  • Attendre takes no preposition : j'attends le bus, je t'attends.
  • Attendre un bébé is to be expecting a baby.

Where you hear attendre

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

French · Beginner Level 3

  • J'attends dans la salle d'attente. I'm waiting in the waiting room.
  • J'ai attendu une heure à la préfecture. I waited an hour at the prefecture.
  • Je vais t'attendre devant la gare. I'm going to wait for you in front of the station.
2
A Letter from the Préfecture

Beginner Level 3 · Attendez ! · Attends ! · Attends-moi !

Free

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -re verb.