Updated December 23, 2025 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
✅ Listen to audio — six tenses
✅ Take the quiz!
✅ Attendre conjugation chart
✅ Complete Conjugation of attendre (All Tenses)
The verb attendre (to wait / to wait for) is the primary model for all regular -re verbs in French. Understanding its forms and conjugations is essential for any student looking to master the third group of regular verbs for two key reasons:
- The -re Group Model: It serves as the standard template for regular -re verbs. Once you master the endings for attendre, you can easily conjugate other common verbs like entendre (to hear), répondre (to answer), and perdre (to lose).
- Common Vocabulary: As a core A1/A2 verb, attendre is used constantly in daily life to talk about travel, meetings, and patience, making it a cornerstone of functional French communication.
This lesson includes structured charts by teacher David Issokson and native audio recorded by professional voice artist Marie Assel Cambier. Use this page to practice the six main tenses and access the full reference table below.
Attendre Conjugation & Pronunciation in 6 Main Tenses (with audio)
Present
j’attends – I wait
tu attends – you wait
il, elle, on attend – he, she, one waits
nous attendons – we wait
vous attendez – you wait
ils, elles attendent – they wait
Passé composé
j’ai attendu – I waited
tu as attendu – you waited
il, elle, on a attendu – he, she, one waited
nous avons attendu – we waited
vous avez attendu – you waited
ils, elles ont attendu – they waited
⚠️ Pronunciation Tip: The Silent -d
In the present tense, don’t pronounce the final -d in j’attends, tu attends, il/elle attend. But in the plural form ils/elles attendent, the -d is pronounced. This is one of the most common beginner mistakes — so keep it in mind as you go through the conjugations.
Imperfect
j’attendais – I was waiting / used to wait
tu attendais – you were waiting
il, elle, on attendait – he, she, one was waiting
nous attendions – we were waiting
vous attendiez – you were waiting
ils, elles attendaient – they were waiting
Future
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 will wait
ils, elles attendront – they will wait
Conditional
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 would wait
ils, elles attendraient – they would wait
Subjunctive
que j’attende – that I wait
que tu attendes – that you wait
qu’il, elle, qu’on attende – that he, she, one waits
que nous attendions – that we wait
que vous attendiez – that you wait
qu’ils, elles attendent – that they wait
Now that you’ve gone through the audio conjugations of attendre, take the quiz:
After you’ve practiced devoir, continue with these core French verbs.
These verbs are essential to master alongside devoir:
👉 Être — to be
👉 Avoir — to have
👉 Aller — to go
👉 Faire — to do, to make
👉 Pouvoir — to be able to
Attendre conjugation chart
These are the six main tenses you can start using for conversation today!
Other Regular –RE Verbs Conjugated Like Attendre
Here are some common regular -RE verbs that follow the same endings as attendre:
- vendre – to sell
- entendre – to hear
- perdre – to lose
- répondre – to answer
- descendre – to go down / descend
- défendre – to defend / forbid
- fondre – to melt
- prétendre – to claim
📚 Learn how to conjugate regular -RE verbs in French »
Complete Conjugation of Attendre (All Tenses)
If you need a full reference, here’s a detailed conjugation of attendre in every major tense and mood.
This is a great tool for teachers, advanced learners, or anyone who wants to see the whole picture.
| Present j’attends tu attends il, elle attend nous attendons vous attendez ils, elles attendent | Passé simple j’attendis tu attendis il, elle attendit nous attendîmes vous attendîtes ils, elles attendirent | Imperfect j’attendais tu attendais il, elle attendait nous attendions vous attendiez ils, elles attendaient | Futur simple j’attendrai tu attendras il, elle attendra nous attendrons vous attendrez ils, elles attendront |
| Passé composé j’ai attendu tu as attendu il, elle a attendu nous avons attendu vous avez attendu ils, elles ont attendu | Past anterior j’eus attendu tu eus attendu il, elle eut attendu nous eûmes attendu vous eûtes attendu ils, elles eurent attendu | Pluperfect j’avais attendu tu avais attendu il, elle avait attendu nous avions attendu vous aviez attendu ils, elles avaient attendu | Future perfect j’aurai attendu tu auras attendu il, elle aura attendu nous aurons attendu vous aurez attendu ils, elles auront attendu |
| Present subjunctive que j’attende que tu attendes qu’il, qu’elle attende que nous attendions que vous attendiez qu’ils, qu’elles attendent | Past subjunctive que j’aie attendu que tu aies attendu qu’il, qu’elle ait attendu que nous ayons attendu que vous ayez attendu qu’ils, qu’elles aient attendu | Imperfect subjunctive que j’attendisse que tu attendisses qu’il, qu’elle attendît que nous attendissions que vous attendissiez qu’ils, qu’elles attendissent | Pluperfect subjunctive que j’eusse attendu que tu eusses attendu qu’il, qu’elle eût attendu que nous eussions attendu que vous eussiez attendu qu’ils, qu’elles eussent attendu |
| Present conditional j’attendrais tu attendrais il, elle attendrait nous attendrions vous attendriez ils, elles attendraient | First past conditional j’aurais attendu tu aurais attendu il, elle aurait attendu nous aurions attendu vous auriez attendu ils, elles auraient attendu | Second past conditional j’eusse attendu tu eusses attendu il, elle eût attendu nous eussions attendu vous eussiez attendu ils, elles eussent attendu | |
| Present imperative attends attendons attendez | Present infinitive attendre | Present participle attendant | |
| Past imperative aie attendu ayons attendu ayez attendu | Past infinitive avoir attendu | Past participle attendu |
✅ Ready to use attendre in real sentences?
Now that you’ve mastered all the conjugations, explore some example sentences, expressions, and common mistakes on my attendre Word of the Day lesson.
👉 Attendre — examples and usage »
👉 Attendre quiz »
Master More Core French Verbs
Take your conjugation skills further by mastering these essential verbs next, each featuring native French audio by Marie Assel Cambier.
✨ Need extra help with verbs?
🎯 French Verb Drills — Camille Chevalier’s course from French Today gives you clear, step-by-step audio drills to lock in conjugation patterns.
👉 See Verb Drills »
📖 À Moi Paris — Prefer a complete self-study program? Camille’s flagship course teaches French through stories and includes verb work in real conversations.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
Want to keep learning French? Explore all my verb lessons and learning guides here:
👉 All French verb conjugations
👉 Top 10 French verbs
👉 French verb tenses guide
👉 French for beginners guide
Attendre — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you conjugate attendre in the present tense?
The present tense of attendre is: j’attends, tu attends, il/elle attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils/elles attendent.
How do you conjugate attendre in the passé composé?
The passé composé of attendre is: j’ai attendu, tu as attendu, il/elle a attendu, nous avons attendu, vous avez attendu, ils/elles ont attendu.
How do you conjugate attendre in the future tense?
The simple future tense of attendre is: j’attendrai, tu attendras, il/elle attendra, nous attendrons, vous attendrez, ils/elles attendront.
How do you conjugate attendre in the imperfect tense?
The imperfect tense (imparfait) of attendre is: j’attendais, tu attendais, il/elle attendait, nous attendions, vous attendiez, ils/elles attendaient.
How do you conjugate attendre in the subjunctive?
The present subjunctive of attendre is: que j’attende, que tu attendes, qu’il/elle attende, que nous attendions, que vous attendiez, qu’ils/elles attendent.
