Level A1 (Beginner)

Attendre (to wait) is an essential A1 beginner verb. The present tense conjugation of attendre is j’attends (I wait), tu attends (you wait), il, elle attend (he, she waits), nous attendons (we wait), vous attendez (you wait) and il, elles attendent (they wait). Attendre is a regular RE verb.

Attendre conjugation table

Attendre conjugation charts

Present tense (le présent)

In the present tense, j’attends translates to ‘I wait’, ‘I am waiting’ and ‘I do wait’.

J'attends	I wait	J'attends un ami sur le quai.	I'm waiting for a friend on the train platform.
Tu attends	You wait (informal, singular)	Tu attends un train dans la gare.	You're waiting for a train in the train station.
Il, elle attend	He, she waits	Elle attend ses amis.	She's waiting for her friends.
Nous attendons	We wait	Nous attendons les invités.	We're waiting for the guests.
Vous attendez	You wait (formal, plural)	Qu'est-ce que vous attendez?	What are you waiting for?
Ils, elles attendent	They wait	Ils attendent leurs cousins.	They're waiting for their cousins.

Compound past (passé composé)

In the passé composé, j’ai attendu translates to ‘I waited’.

J'ai attendu	I waited	J'ai attendu tes amis pendant une heure.	I waited for your friends for one hour.
Tu as attendu	You waited (informal, singular)	Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne m'as pas attendu?	Why didn't you wait for me?
Il, elle a attendu	He, she waited	Elle a attendu mais tu n'est pas venu!	She waited but you didn't come!
Nous avons attendu	We waited	Nous avons attendu toute la famille devant la maison.	We waited for the entire family in front of the house.
Vous avez attendu	You waited (formal, plural)	Pourquoi est-ce que vous ne nous avez pas attendu?	Why didn't you wait for us?
Ils, elles ont attendu	They waited	Ils ont attendu une heure à l'aéroport.	They waited for an hour at the airport.

Imperfect (l’imparfait)

In the imperfect tense, j’attendais translates to ‘I was waiting’, ‘I used to wait’ and ‘I waited.

J'attendais	I was waiting, used to wait	J'attendais mon ami quand j'ai eu les nouvelles.	I was waiting for my friend when I got the news.
Tu attendais	You were waiting, used to wait (informal, singular)	Est-ce que tu m'attendais longtemps?	Were you waiting for me for a long time?
Il, elle attendait	He, she was waiting, used to wait	Il s'attendait à une réponse pendant très longtemps.	He'd been expecting an answer for a very long time.
Nous attendions	We were waiting, used to wait	Nous n'attendions pas longtemps lorsqu'il est arrivé.	We hadn't been waiting long when he arrived.
Vous attendiez	You were waiting, used to wait (formal, plural)	Pendant combien de temps est-ce que vous nous attendiez?	How long were you waiting for us?
Ils, elles attendaient	They were waiting, used to wait	À quoi est-ce qu'ils s'attendaient?	What were they expecting?

Simple future (le futur simple)

In the future tense, j’attendrai translates to ‘I will wait’.

J'attendrai	I will wait	Je vous attendrai jusqu'à demain.	I will wait for you until tomorrow.
Tu attendras	You will wait (informal, singular)	Est-ce que tu attendras Sylvie?	Will you wait for Sylvie?
Il, elle attendra	He, she will wait	Je pense qu'elle attendra jusqu'à la semaine prochaine.	I think she'll wait until next week.
Nous attendrons	We will wait	Ne vous inquiétez pas, nous attendrons un peu plus si necessaire.	Don't worry. We will wait a bit more if necessary.
Vous attendrez	You will wait (formal, plural)	Est-ce que vous nous attendrez?	Will you wait for us?
Ils, elles attendront	They will wait	Je pense qu'ils attendront mais je ne suis pas certain.	I think they'll wait but I'm not sure.

Conditional (le présent du conditionnel)

In the conditional mood ‘j’attendrais’ translates to ‘I would wait’.

J'attendrais	I would wait	Je vous attendrais si j'avais plus de temps.	I'd wait for you if I had more time.
Tu attendrais	You would wait (familiar, singular)	Tu attendrais Pierre s'il n'était pas en retard.	You would wait for Pierre if he weren't late.
Il, elle attendrait	He, she would wait	Il nous attendrait s'il n'était pas occupé.	He's wait for us if he weren't busy.
Nous attendrions	We would wait	Nous t'attendrions mais nous n'avons plus de patience!	We'd wait for you but we don't have any more patience!
Vous attendriez	You would wait (formal, plural)	Vous attendriez jusqu'à demain si c'était possible.	You would wait until tomorrow if it were possible.
Ils, elles attendraient	They would wait	Ils attendraient le taxi s'ils avaient plus de temps.	They' wait for the taxi if they had more time.

Present subjunctive (le subjonctif)

In the subjunctive mood ‘que j’attende’ translates to ‘that I wait’.

que j'attende	that I wait	Il faut que j'attende un peu plus.	I have to wait a bit more.
que tu attendes	that you wait (informal, singular)	Je veux que tu attendes Martin.	I want you to wait for Martin.
qu'il/elle attende	that he/she waits	Je doute qu'elle vous attende.	I doubt she's waiting for you.
que nous attendions	that we wait	Il faut que nous attendions jusqu'à demain.	We have to wait until tomorrow.
que vous attendiez	that you (formal, plural) wait	Nous exigeons que vous attendiez les invités.	We require that you wait for the guests.
qu'ils, elles attendent	that they wait	Il faut qu'ils nous attendent un peu plus.	They need to wait for us a bit longer.

Imperative (l’impératif)

In the imperative mood ‘Attend!’ translates to “wait!”.

Attends!	Wait! (informal, singular)	Attends! Je n'ai pas fini!	Wait! I haven't finished!
Attendons!	Let's wait!	Attendons un peu plus.	Let's wait a bit longer.
Attendez!	Wait (formal, plural!	Attendez-moi, s'il vous plaît!	Wait for me please!

Attendre usages

Attendre quelque chose / quelqu’un to wait for somebody or something

In French, attendre is followed by a direct object. This means that while ‘wait’ is followed by ‘for’ in English, attendre is not followed by the preposition pour, which means ‘for’. For example: