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FRENCH VERB

fermer à clé

to lock

  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: fermé à clé
  • Present participle: fermant à clé

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use fermer à clé

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

  1. Present

    Je ferme toujours la porte à clé en partant.

    I always lock the door when I leave.

  2. Past

    Tu as fermé la voiture à clé ?

    Did you lock the car?

  3. Imperfect

    Dans mon village, personne ne fermait à clé.

    In my village, nobody locked up.

  4. Future

    Je fermerai le bureau à clé ce soir, pars tranquille.

    I'll lock the office tonight, go without worrying.

  5. Conditional

    Je fermerais la cave à clé, il y a du vin dedans.

    I'd lock the cellar, there's wine in it.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que vous fermiez le portail à clé la nuit.

    You need to lock the gate at night.

  7. Imperative

    Ferme bien à clé, on a eu des cambriolages.

    Lock up properly, we've had burglaries.

Good to know

  • Fermer à clé is to lock, with a key; fermer alone is just to close.
  • What you lock goes in the middle : fermer la porte à clé.

Where you hear fermer à clé

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

French · Intermediate Level 1

  • Le soir, je ferme la porte à clé. In the evening, I lock the door.
  • J'ai fermé la voiture à clé. I locked the car.
  • Ce soir, je vais fermer la porte à clé. Tonight, I'm going to lock the door.

Verbs like this one

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