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FRENCH VERB

craindre

to fear

  • #464 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: craint
  • Present participle: craignant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use craindre

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

  1. Present

    Je crains que le magasin soit déjà fermé.

    I'm afraid the shop is already closed.

  2. Past

    On a craint le pire quand l'avion a bougé.

    We feared the worst when the plane shook.

  3. Imperfect

    Enfant, je craignais le noir et les orages.

    As a child, I was scared of the dark and storms.

  4. Future

    Avec ce manteau, tu ne craindras pas le froid.

    With this coat, the cold won't bother you.

  5. Conditional

    Je craindrais de le vexer en disant non.

    I'd be afraid of offending him by saying no.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il n'y a aucune raison que tu craignes l'examen.

    There's no reason for you to fear the exam.

  7. Imperative

    Ne craignez rien, le chien est très gentil.

    Don't be afraid, the dog is very friendly.

Good to know

  • Je crains que is a polite I'm afraid that : je crains que ce soit complet.
  • Ça craint is slang for that sucks, that's dodgy.

Verbs like this one

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