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FRENCH VERB

s'engager

to commit

  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: engagé
  • Present participle: s’engageant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use s'engager

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

  1. Present

    Je m'engage à vous rappeler avant vendredi.

    I commit to calling you back before Friday.

  2. Past

    Elle s'est engagée dans une association de quartier.

    She got involved in a neighbourhood association.

  3. Imperfect

    À vingt ans, il s'engageait dans toutes les causes.

    At twenty, he threw himself into every cause.

  4. Future

    Je ne m'engagerai pas avant d'avoir lu les conditions.

    I won't commit before reading the terms.

  5. Conditional

    Tu t'engagerais pour trois ans à l'étranger ?

    Would you commit to three years abroad?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je veux que vous vous engagiez par écrit.

    I want you to commit in writing.

  7. Imperative

    Ne t'engage pas trop vite, réfléchis une nuit.

    Don't commit too fast, sleep on it.

Good to know

  • S'engager à + infinitive is to commit to doing : je m'engage à répondre demain.
  • S'engager is also to join the army, and to get involved, dans une association.

Where you hear s'engager

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

French · Advanced Level 1

  • Je m'y engage. I commit to that.
  • Elle s'est engagée à en reparler en mai. She committed to talking about it again in May.
  • Je ne m'engagerai pas sans avoir lu le contrat. I won't commit without having read the contract.
3
Telling the Teachers

Advanced Level 1 · Je m'y engage.

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Verbs like this one

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