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FRENCH VERB

se brosser

to brush

  • #420 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: brossé
  • Present participle: se brossant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use se brosser

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

  1. Present

    Je me brosse les dents après chaque repas.

    I brush my teeth after every meal.

  2. Past

    Tu t'es brossé les dents ? Montre-moi.

    Did you brush your teeth? Show me.

  3. Imperfect

    Elle se brossait les cheveux cent fois chaque soir.

    She brushed her hair a hundred times every evening.

  4. Future

    Je me brosserai les dents à l'aéroport.

    I'll brush my teeth at the airport.

  5. Conditional

    Avec une brosse électrique, tu te brosserais mieux les dents.

    With an electric toothbrush, you'd brush your teeth better.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu te brosses les dents avant de dormir.

    You have to brush your teeth before bed.

  7. Imperative

    Brosse-toi les cheveux, on part dans cinq minutes.

    Brush your hair, we're leaving in five minutes.

Good to know

  • Se brosser les dents, les cheveux : the body part comes after, with les.
  • Brosser without se is to brush something else : brosser le chien.

Verbs like this one

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