Learn French: 10 Key Steps to Mastering the Conjugation of Mettre

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Master the conjugation of mettre and see it in action in Un Si Grand Soleil on TV5 Monde USA!

 

 



Copyright disclosure for main image of this article:
Un Si Grand Soleil © Fabien Malot/FTV

📺 Practice Mettre in Real-Life Contexts with TV5MONDE USA and TV5MONDEplus

Want to see mettre used naturally by native speakers? Tune in to these French-language shows available on TV5MONDE USA:

  • Un Si Grand Soleil – Experience how characters mettent (put) their emotions on display in this engaging daily drama.
  • L'Art du Crime – Follow detectives who mettent tout en œuvre (do everything possible) to solve complex art-related crimes.

By watching these programs, you'll learn how to use mettre in real conversations—from formal to informal settings. Explore TV5MONDE USA TV Guide for airing times!

Step 1: Understanding Mettre

The French verb mettre means "to put" or "to place", but it has many extended meanings depending on the context. It’s one of the most commonly used irregular verbs in French.

Common Uses of Mettre

  • Je mets la table avant le dîner. (I set the table before dinner.)
  • Elle met son manteau avant de sortir. (She puts on her coat before going out.)
  • Nous mettons une heure pour arriver. (It takes us an hour to arrive.)

Step 2: Is Mettre an Irregular Verb?

Yes! Mettre belongs to the third group of French verbs, meaning its conjugation doesn’t follow regular patterns. However, once you learn its forms, you’ll recognize its structure in related verbs like permettre (to allow), promettre (to promise), and soumettre (to submit).

Step 3: Present Tense (Présent) of Mettre

In the present tense, mettre is conjugated as follows:

  • Je mets (I put)
  • Tu mets (You put, informal)
  • Il/Elle/On met (He/She/One puts)
  • Nous mettons (We put)
  • Vous mettez (You put, formal or plural)
  • Ils/Elles mettent (They put)

Example sentences:

  • Tu mets toujours du sucre dans ton café ? (Do you always put sugar in your coffee?)
  • Ils mettent beaucoup d’efforts dans ce projet. (They put a lot of effort into this project.)

Step 4: Past Tense (Passé Composé) of Mettre

To express completed actions in the past, mettre uses the auxiliary verb avoir followed by the past participle mis:

  • J’ai mis (I put)
  • Tu as mis (You put, informal)
  • Il/Elle/On a mis (He/She/One put)
  • Nous avons mis (We put)
  • Vous avez mis (You put, formal or plural)
  • Ils/Elles ont mis (They put)

Example sentences:

  • J’ai mis mon téléphone dans mon sac. (I put my phone in my bag.)
  • Nous avons mis du temps à comprendre la leçon. (We took time to understand the lesson.)

Step 5: Imperfect Tense (Imparfait) of Mettre

The imparfait is used for past actions that were ongoing or habitual. The stem mett- is used with the imperfect endings:

  • Je mettais (I used to put/I was putting)
  • Tu mettais (You used to put/You were putting, informal)
  • Il/Elle/On mettait (He/She/One used to put/was putting)
  • Nous mettions (We used to put/were putting)
  • Vous mettiez (You used to put/were putting, formal or plural)
  • Ils/Elles mettaient (They used to put/were putting)

Example sentences:

  • Quand j’étais petit, je mettais mes jouets sous mon lit. (When I was little, I used to put my toys under my bed.)
  • Nous mettions toujours la radio en rentrant à la maison. (We always turned on the radio when coming home.)

Step 6: Future Tense (Futur Simple) of Mettre

To talk about future actions, use the stem mettr- and the standard future endings:

  • Je mettrai (I will put)
  • Tu mettras (You will put, informal)
  • Il/Elle/On mettra (He/She/One will put)
  • Nous mettrons (We will put)
  • Vous mettrez (You will put, formal or plural)
  • Ils/Elles mettront (They will put)

Example sentences:

  • Tu mettras ton manteau s’il fait froid ? (Will you put on your coat if it’s cold?)
  • Ils mettront leurs valises dans la voiture avant de partir. (They will put their suitcases in the car before leaving.)

Step 7: Conditional Tense (Conditionnel Présent) of Mettre

For hypothetical situations, mettre takes the future stem mettr- with the imparfait endings:

  • Je mettrais (I would put)
  • Tu mettrais (You would put, informal)
  • Il/Elle/On mettrait (He/She/One would put)
  • Nous mettrions (We would put)
  • Vous mettriez (You would put, formal or plural)
  • Ils/Elles mettraient (They would put)

Example sentences:

  • Je mettrais un pull s’il faisait froid. (I would wear a sweater if it were cold.)
  • Tu mettrais combien de sucre dans ton café ? (How much sugar would you put in your coffee?)

Step 8: Subjunctive (Subjonctif Présent) of Mettre

For expressing doubts, emotions, or necessities, mettre is conjugated as follows in the subjunctive:

  • Que je mette (That I put)
  • Que tu mettes (That you put, informal)
  • Qu’il/elle/on mette (That he/she/one puts)
  • Que nous mettions (That we put)
  • Que vous mettiez (That you put, formal or plural)
  • Qu’ils/elles mettent (That they put)

Example sentence:

  • Il faut que tu mettes ton casque avant de faire du vélo. (You need to put on your helmet before cycling.)

Related French Verb Conjugation Articles

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Click on each link to deepen your understanding and refine your French grammar skills!