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Conjugate “Attendre” in French: All Forms & Meanings Explained

Conjugate “Attendre” in French: All Forms & Meanings Explained

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 conjguation

Attendre conjugation table

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'attendsI waitJ'attends un ami sur le quai.I'm waiting for a friend on the train platform.
Tu attendsYou wait (informal, singular)Tu attends un train dans la gare.You're waiting for a train in the train station.
Il, elle attendHe, she waitsElle attend ses amis.She's waiting for her friends.
Nous attendonsWe waitNous attendons les invités.We're waiting for the guests.
Vous attendezYou wait (formal, plural)Qu'est-ce que vous attendez?What are you waiting for?
Ils, elles attendentThey waitIls 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 attenduI waitedJ'ai attendu tes amis pendant une heure.I waited for your friends for one hour.
Tu as attenduYou waited (informal, singular)Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne m'as pas attendu?Why didn't you wait for me?
Il, elle a attenduHe, she waitedElle a attendu mais tu n'est pas venu!She waited but you didn't come!
Nous avons attenduWe waitedNous avons attendu toute la famille devant la maison.We waited for the entire family in front of the house.
Vous avez attenduYou waited (formal, plural)Pourquoi est-ce que vous ne nous avez pas attendu?Why didn't you wait for us?
Ils, elles ont attenduThey waitedIls 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'attendaisI was waiting, used to waitJ'attendais mon ami quand j'ai eu les nouvelles.I was waiting for my friend when I got the news.
Tu attendaisYou 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 attendaitHe, she was waiting, used to waitIl s'attendait à une réponse pendant très longtemps.He'd been expecting an answer for a very long time.
Nous attendionsWe were waiting, used to waitNous n'attendions pas longtemps lorsqu'il est arrivé.We hadn't been waiting long when he arrived.
Vous attendiezYou 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 attendaientThey were waiting, used to waitÀ 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'attendraiI will waitJe vous attendrai jusqu'à demain.I will wait for you until tomorrow.
Tu attendrasYou will wait (informal, singular)Est-ce que tu attendras Sylvie?Will you wait for Sylvie?
Il, elle attendraHe, she will waitJe pense qu'elle attendra jusqu'à la semaine prochaine.I think she'll wait until next week.
Nous attendronsWe will waitNe vous inquiétez pas, nous attendrons un peu plus si necessaire.Don't worry. We will wait a bit more if necessary.
Vous attendrezYou will wait (formal, plural)Est-ce que vous nous attendrez?Will you wait for us?
Ils, elles attendrontThey will waitJe 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'attendraisI would waitJe vous attendrais si j'avais plus de temps.I'd wait for you if I had more time.
Tu attendraisYou 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 attendraitHe, she would waitIl nous attendrait s'il n'était pas occupé.He's wait for us if he weren't busy.
Nous attendrionsWe would waitNous t'attendrions mais nous n'avons plus de patience!We'd wait for you but we don't have any more patience!
Vous attendriezYou would wait (formal, plural)Vous attendriez jusqu'à demain si c'était possible.You would wait until tomorrow if it were possible.
Ils, elles attendraientThey would waitIls 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'attendethat I waitIl faut que j'attende un peu plus.I have to wait a bit more.
que tu attendesthat you wait (informal, singular)Je veux que tu attendes Martin.I want you to wait for Martin.
qu'il/elle attendethat he/she waitsJe doute qu'elle vous attende.I doubt she's waiting for you.
que nous attendionsthat we waitIl faut que nous attendions jusqu'à demain.We have to wait until tomorrow.
que vous attendiezthat you (formal, plural) waitNous exigeons que vous attendiez les invités.We require that you wait for the guests.
qu'ils, elles attendentthat they waitIl 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:

  • Marc attend Sylvie. Marc is waiting for Sylvie.
  • Nous attendons le train. We are waiting for the train.

S’attendre à quelque chose to expect something

When appearing as a reflexive verb and followed by the preposition à, s’attendre à means “to expect”. For example:

  • Je m’attends à un miracle. I expect a miracle.
  • Marc s’attend à une reponse. Marc expects a reply.

Essential French Verbs

Verb conjugation charts

David Issokson

David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

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