Skip to content
fluentbyear

FRENCH VERB

nourrir

to feed

  • #451 most used
  • Regular -ir verb
  • Past participle: nourri
  • Present participle: nourrissant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use nourrir

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

  1. Present

    Qui nourrit le chat quand vous partez ?

    Who feeds the cat when you go away?

  2. Past

    On a nourri les canards avec du pain, c'était une erreur.

    We fed the ducks bread, that was a mistake.

  3. Imperfect

    Ma grand-mère nourrissait dix personnes avec un poulet.

    My grandmother fed ten people with one chicken.

  4. Future

    Je nourrirai tes poissons pendant tes vacances.

    I'll feed your fish while you're on holiday.

  5. Conditional

    Ce potager nourrirait toute la famille l'été.

    This vegetable garden would feed the whole family in summer.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu nourrisses le chien avant de partir.

    You need to feed the dog before leaving.

  7. Imperative

    Ne nourrissez pas les animaux, c'est écrit partout.

    Don't feed the animals, it's written everywhere.

Good to know

  • Nourrir le chat, nourrir une famille. Se nourrir de is to live on : il se nourrit de pâtes.
  • La nourriture is food.

Verbs like this one

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