Welcome to the full attendre conjugation in French (to wait). Mastering verb conjugations is essential in learning any language, and "attendre" is a fundamental verb in French. Let's explore its conjugation across various tenses to help you become more fluent in French!

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We will cover the following tenses in this article:

• Le Présent (Present) - Indicates actions happening now or habitual actions.
• L'Imparfait (Imperfect) - Expresses past ongoing actions or habitual past actions.
• Le Futur (Future) - Indicates actions that will happen in the future.
• Le Conditionnel (Conditional) - Describes actions that would occur under certain conditions.
• Le Subjonctif (Subjunctive) - Expresses subjective actions or hypothetical situations.
• L'Impératif (Imperative) - Commands or requests.
• Le Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) - Refers to actions that had occurred before another past action.
• Le Passé Simple (Simple Past) - Refers to specific actions completed in the past.

For each tense, we will provide our French learners with three very concrete examples rooted in French culture and lifestyle.

 

Present (Présent)

- J'attends - I wait
- Tu attends - You wait
- Il/Elle/On attend - He/She/One waits
- Nous attendons - We wait
- Vous attendez - You (plural/formal) wait
- Ils/Elles attendent - They wait

Examples:
1. J'attends ton appel avec impatience. - I'm eagerly waiting for your call.
2. Tu attends le bus depuis longtemps? - Have you been waiting for the bus for a long time?
3. Elle attend son amie à la gare. - She is waiting for her friend at the station.

 

Imperfect (Imparfait)

- J'attendais - I used to wait / I was waiting
- Tu attendais - You used to wait / You were waiting
- Il/Elle/On attendait - He/She/One used to wait / He/She/One was waiting
- Nous attendions - We used to wait / We were waiting
- Vous attendiez - You (plural/formal) used to wait / You were waiting
- Ils/Elles attendaient - They used to wait / They were waiting

Examples:
1. Quand j'étais jeune, j'attendais souvent à la bibliothèque. - When I was young, I used to wait often at the library.
2. Nous attendions le train pendant des heures. - We were waiting for the train for hours.
3. Ils attendaient toujours la fin du film avec impatience. - They were always eagerly waiting for the end of the movie.

 

Future (Futur)

- J'attendrai - I will wait
- Tu attendras - You will wait
- Il/Elle/On attendra - He/She/One will wait
- Nous attendrons - We will wait
- Vous attendrez - You (plural/formal) will wait
- Ils/Elles attendront - They will wait

Examples:
1. J'attendrai ici jusqu'à ton retour. - I will wait here until you come back.
2. Tu attendras ton tour sagement. - You will wait your turn patiently.
3. Nous attendrons la réponse avant de prendre une décision. - We will wait for the answer before making a decision.

 

Conditional (Conditionnel)

- J'attendrais - I would wait
- Tu attendrais - You would wait
- Il/Elle/On attendrait - He/She/One would wait
- Nous attendrions - We would wait
- Vous attendriez - You (plural/formal) would wait
- Ils/Elles attendraient - They would wait

Examples:
1. Si j'avais le temps, j'attendrais la fin du concert. - If I had the time, I would wait until the end of the concert.
2. Tu attendrais son arrivée si tu savais l'heure exacte? - Would you wait for his arrival if you knew the exact time?
3. Nous attendrions leur approbation avant de procéder. - We would wait for their approval before proceeding.

 

Subjunctive (Subjonctif)

- Que j'attende - That I wait
- Que tu attendes - That you wait
- Qu'il/Elle/On attende - That he/she/one waits
- Que nous attendions - That we wait
- Que vous attendiez - That you (plural/formal) wait
- Qu'ils/Elles attendent - That they wait

Examples:
1. Il faut que j'attende qu'il fasse beau pour sortir. - I have to wait for the weather to be nice to go out.
2. Je souhaite que tu attendes mon arrivée avant de commencer. - I hope that you wait for my arrival before starting.
3. Il est nécessaire que nous attendions leur consentement. - It's necessary that we wait for their consent.

 

Imperative (Impératif)

- Attends - Wait (singular, informal)
- Attendons - Let's wait
- Attendez - Wait (plural/formal)

Examples:
1. Attends-moi ici s'il te plaît. - Wait for me here, please.
2. Attendons un instant avant de partir. - Let's wait for a moment before leaving.
3. Attendez votre tour pour entrer. - Wait your turn to enter.

 

Plus-que-parfait

- J'avais attendu - I had waited
- Tu avais attendu - You had waited
- Il/Elle/On avait attendu - He/She/One had waited
- Nous avions attendu - We had waited
- Vous aviez attendu - You (plural/formal) had waited
- Ils/Elles avaient attendu - They had waited

Examples:
1. J'avais attendu longtemps avant de comprendre. - I had waited a long time before understanding.
2. Ils avaient attendu l'arrivée du train pendant des heures. - They had waited for the train's arrival for hours.
3. Nous avions attendu la fin du match pour partir. - We had waited for the end of the match before leaving.

 

Passé Simple

- J'attendis - I waited
- Tu attendis - You waited
- Il/Elle/On attendit - He/She/One waited
- Nous attendîmes - We waited
- Vous attendîtes - You (plural/formal) waited
- Ils/Elles attendirent - They waited

Examples:
1. Elle attendit patiemment son tour. - She waited patiently for her turn.
2. Nous attendîmes jusqu'à minuit avant de partir. - We waited until midnight before leaving.
3. Ils attendirent la réponse avec anxiété. - They waited for the answer anxiously.

Learning verb conjugations like "attendre" is a significant step towards fluency in French. Keep practicing to enhance your language skills and confidently use these tenses in various contexts.
 

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