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FRENCH VERB

porter

to carry, to wear

  • #58 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: porté
  • Present participle: portant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use porter

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

  1. Present

    Elle porte toujours des lunettes de soleil, même l'hiver.

    She always wears sunglasses, even in winter.

  2. Past

    J'ai porté les courses jusqu'au cinquième sans ascenseur.

    I carried the shopping up to the fifth floor with no lift.

  3. Imperfect

    Mon grand-père portait un chapeau tous les jours.

    My grandfather wore a hat every day.

  4. Future

    Je porterai ta valise, elle a l'air lourde.

    I'll carry your suitcase, it looks heavy.

  5. Conditional

    Tu porterais une cravate pour le mariage ?

    Would you wear a tie for the wedding?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu portes un casque à vélo.

    You have to wear a helmet on a bike.

  7. Imperative

    Porte ce carton dans la cuisine, s'il te plaît.

    Carry this box into the kitchen, please.

Good to know

  • Porter is to wear; mettre is to put on; s'habiller is to get dressed.
  • Porter plainte is to file a complaint; porter bonheur, to bring luck.

Verbs like this one

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