# être conjugation

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Updated 2026-11-02 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations/etre

> *Être* means "to be". The present is irregular all the way through (*je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont*). The passé composé is *j'ai été*, the imparfait *j'étais*, the future *je serai* and the subjunctive *que je sois*. It's also the helper verb for the passé composé of verbs like *aller*: *je suis allé*.

**Diagram.** être follows no pattern in the present, so it's all red: learn suis, es, est as a set. The future swaps the stem for ser-, then takes the normal endings.
> The conjugation of être as two grids, singular on the left and plural on the right. Present: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont, every form marked as irregular. Future: je serai, tu seras, il sera, nous serons, vous serez, ils seront, with the stem ser- marked.
- être, present: **suis**, **es**, **est**, **sommes**, **êtes**, **sont**.
- être, future: **ser**ai, **ser**as, **ser**a, **ser**ons, **ser**ez, **ser**ont.
- Bold marks the letters that break the pattern.
- **Red pencil** is what breaks the pattern. The endings in **graphite** are the ones every French verb uses in the future.
- *Tu es* and *il est* sound the same: *eh*.

**être** — to be. *Je suis*.

## Present (présent)

*The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.*


| Pronoun | être | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je | suis | zhuh SWEE |
| tu | es | tew EH |
| il / elle / on | est | eel EH |
| nous | sommes | noo SUM |
| vous | êtes | voo ZET |
| ils / elles | sont | eel SOHN |

Nothing to work out here, it's six forms to learn. *Es* and *est* sound the same. *Vous êtes* runs together into *voo-zet*. And *c'est* (it's, that's) is *ce* + *est*, the one you'll say most.

## Past (passé composé)

*The everyday past, for things that happened: "I was", "I had". It's avoir or être plus the past participle.*


| Pronoun | être | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je (j') | ai été | zhay ay-TAY |
| tu | as été | tew ah ay-TAY |
| il / elle / on | a été | eel ah ay-TAY |
| nous | avons été | noo za-VOHN ay-TAY |
| vous | avez été | voo za-VAY ay-TAY |
| ils / elles | ont été | eel ZOHN ay-TAY |

*Être* makes its own past with *avoir*: *j'ai été*, never *je suis été*. *Je* becomes *j'* before a vowel, so it's *j'ai été*. *J'ai été surpris* is "I was surprised".

## Imperfect (imparfait)

*The past for how things were or used to be: "I was tired", "we used to have a dog".*


| Pronoun | être | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je (j') | étais | zhay-TEH |
| tu | étais | tew ay-TEH |
| il / elle / on | était | eel ay-TEH |
| nous | étions | noo zay-TYOHN |
| vous | étiez | voo zay-TYAY |
| ils / elles | étaient | eel zay-TEH |

The stem is *ét-*, then the usual imparfait endings. *J'étais*, *tu étais*, *il était* and *ils étaient* all sound the same. This is the "was" for descriptions: *il était tard* (it was late), *c'était génial* (it was great).

## Future, conditional and subjunctive

*"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form French uses after il faut que, je veux que and other wishes and doubts.*


| Pronoun | Futur | Conditionnel | Subjonctif |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| je | serai | serais | sois |
| tu | seras | serais | sois |
| il / elle / on | sera | serait | soit |
| nous | serons | serions | soyons |
| vous | serez | seriez | soyez |
| ils / elles | seront | seraient | soient |

The future and conditional are built on *ser-*: *je serai là* (I'll be there), *ce serait bien* (that would be nice). The subjunctive is its own thing: *il faut que tu sois prêt* (you need to be ready).

## Participles

*The "-ing" form (étant, being) and the past participle that makes the passé composé (été, been).*


| Form | être | In a sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| present participle | étant | *Étant malade, il est resté* (being sick, he stayed home) |
| past participle | été | *J'ai été malade* (I was sick) |

*Été* is also the word for summer. Same spelling, same sound.

## Imperative (impératif)

*Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.*


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tu | sois | ne sois pas |
| nous | soyons | ne soyons pas |
| vous | soyez | ne soyez pas |

*Sois sage* is what every French parent says to a child: be good. *Soyez les bienvenus* is "welcome".

## What être does

*Four ways you'll see it*

| French | Means |
| --- | --- |
| c'est mon frère | that's my brother: *c'est* for pointing things out |
| je suis allé | I went: *être* as the helper for verbs of moving |
| je suis en train de manger | I'm eating (right now): *être en train de* |
| c'est à moi | it's mine: *être à* for who it belongs to |

**Age is avoir, not être.** *J'ai 30 ans*, literally "I have 30 years". *Je suis 30* doesn't work in French. Same with hunger and heat: *j'ai faim*, *j'ai chaud*.

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## Questions

### What is the passé composé of être?

*J'ai été, tu as été, il a été, nous avons été, vous avez été, ils ont été*. It's *avoir* plus *été*, never *je suis été*.

### What is the imparfait of être?

*J'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient*. *C'était* (it was) is the one you'll hear most.

### What is the future of être?

*Je serai, tu seras, il sera, nous serons, vous serez, ils seront*. The stem is *ser-*.

### What is the subjunctive of être?

*Que je sois, que tu sois, qu'il soit, que nous soyons, que vous soyez, qu'ils soient*. You'll hear it after *il faut que* and *je veux que*.

### What is the past participle of être?

*Été*: *j'ai été* (I was, I've been). It's the same word as summer.

## Related

- [avoir conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations/avoir.md)
- [French verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations.md)
- [French words that will get you laughed at](https://learnwithkin.com/french/embarrassing-words.md)

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