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FRENCH VERB

tirer

to pull

  • #157 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: tiré
  • Present participle: tirant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use tirer

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

  1. Present

    Tu tires trop fort, tu vas casser la poignée.

    You're pulling too hard, you'll break the handle.

  2. Past

    J'ai tiré les rideaux pour dormir un peu.

    I drew the curtains to sleep a bit.

  3. Imperfect

    Le petit tirait sa valise à roulettes tout fier.

    The little boy was proudly pulling his wheeled suitcase.

  4. Future

    On tirera au sort pour savoir qui conduit.

    We'll draw lots to see who drives.

  5. Conditional

    Tu tirerais la table vers toi, s'il te plaît ?

    Could you pull the table towards you, please?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que je tire de l'argent avant le marché.

    I need to get cash out before the market.

  7. Imperative

    Tirez la porte vers vous, elle n'est pas fermée.

    Pull the door towards you, it's not locked.

Good to know

  • Tirer is also to shoot; tirer la langue, to stick your tongue out; s'en tirer, to manage.

Verbs like this one

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