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FRENCH VERB

essayer

to try

  • #44 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Past participle: essayé
  • Present participle: essayant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use essayer

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

  1. Present

    J'essaie d'appeler Julien, mais ça ne répond pas.

    I'm trying to call Julien, but there's no answer.

  2. Past

    Tu as essayé la veste bleue ?

    Did you try on the blue jacket?

  3. Imperfect

    J'essayais de dormir, mais les voisins faisaient la fête.

    I was trying to sleep, but the neighbours were partying.

  4. Future

    J'essaierai de passer avant dix-neuf heures.

    I'll try to come by before seven.

  5. Conditional

    J'essaierais une autre taille, à ta place.

    I'd try another size, if I were you.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu essaies ce restaurant, c'est super.

    You have to try this restaurant, it's great.

  7. Imperative

    Essayez encore une fois, ça va marcher.

    Try once more, it'll work.

Good to know

  • Essayer de faire quelque chose; essayer un vêtement is to try it on.

Where you hear essayer

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

French · Beginner Level 2

  • J'essaie de parler français tous les jours. I try to speak French every day.
  • J'ai essayé le vélo. I tried the bike.
  • Je vais essayer encore. I'm going to try again.

French · Beginner Level 3

  • J'essaie de parler français tous les jours. I try to speak French every day.
  • J'ai essayé le vélo. I tried the bike.
  • Je vais essayer encore. I'm going to try again.
15
By Bike

Beginner Level 2 · essayer · j'essaie

Needs a subscription 24
Skiing in the Alps

Beginner Level 3 · essayez

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Verbs like this one

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