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FRENCH VERB

posséder

to own

  • #338 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: possédé
  • Present participle: possédant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use posséder

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

  1. Present

    Mes parents possèdent une petite maison en Normandie.

    My parents own a small house in Normandy.

  2. Past

    Il a possédé trois restaurants avant de prendre sa retraite.

    He owned three restaurants before retiring.

  3. Imperfect

    À l'époque, personne ne possédait de voiture au village.

    Back then, nobody in the village owned a car.

  4. Future

    Un jour, je posséderai mon propre bateau.

    One day I'll own my own boat.

  5. Conditional

    Si je gagnais au loto, je posséderais un château.

    If I won the lottery, I'd own a castle.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je doute qu'il possède vraiment tout ça.

    I doubt he really owns all that.

  7. Imperative

    Possède peu, voyage léger, c'est ma devise.

    Own little, travel light, that's my motto.

Good to know

  • Posséder is the formal word; in speech people say avoir : j'ai une maison.

Verbs like this one

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