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FRENCH VERB

raconter

to tell, to recount

  • #87 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: raconté
  • Present participle: racontant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use raconter

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

  1. Present

    Il raconte toujours la même blague à Noël.

    He always tells the same joke at Christmas.

  2. Past

    Elle m'a raconté son voyage au Japon.

    She told me about her trip to Japan.

  3. Imperfect

    Mon grand-père racontait des histoires de la guerre.

    My grandfather used to tell stories about the war.

  4. Future

    Je te raconterai tout ce soir, promis.

    I'll tell you everything tonight, promise.

  5. Conditional

    Je ne raconterais pas ça à mes parents.

    I wouldn't tell my parents that.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je veux que tu me racontes ta journée.

    I want you to tell me about your day.

  7. Imperative

    Racontez-moi comment ça s'est passé.

    Tell me how it went.

Good to know

  • Raconter is to tell a story; dire is to say something short.

Where you hear raconter

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

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je raconte ma journée à Chloé. I tell Chloe about my day.
  • J'ai raconté mon voyage à Chloé. I told Chloe about my trip.
  • Je vais te raconter une histoire. I'm going to tell you a story.

French · Beginner Level 3

  • Alors, la Bretagne ? Raconte ! So, Brittany? Tell me everything!
  • Elle nous a raconté des histoires. She told us stories.
  • Je vais vous raconter une histoire. I'm going to tell you a story.
12
A Day in My Life

Beginner Level 2 · Raconte-moi !

Needs a subscription 18
The Storm

Beginner Level 3 · il racontait

Needs a subscription 20
Back from Brittany

Beginner Level 3 · Raconte ! · racontez

Needs a subscription 22
Dinner with Hugo

Beginner Level 3 · tu me racontes

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

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