Updated February 8, 2026 — 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!
✅ Craindre conjugation chart
✅ Complete Conjugation of craindre (all tenses)
Craindre Conjugation & Pronunciation in 6 Main Tenses (with audio)
Present (présent)
je crains – I fear
tu crains – you fear
il, elle craint – he, she fears
nous craignons – we fear
vous craignez – you fear
ils, elles craignent – they fear
Passé composé
j’ai craint – I feared
tu as craint – you feared
il, elle a craint – he, she feared
nous avons craint – we feared
vous avez craint – you feared
ils, elles ont craint – they feared
Imperfect (imparfait)
je craignais – I was afraid / feared
tu craignais – you were afraid
il, elle craignait – he, she was afraid
nous craignions – we were afraid
vous craigniez – you were afraid
ils, elles craignaient – they were afraid
Simple future (futur simple)
je craindrai – I will fear
tu craindras – you will fear
il, elle craindra – he, she will fear
nous craindrons – we will fear
vous craindrez – you will fear
ils, elles craindront – they will fear
Conditional (conditionnel)
je craindrais – I would fear
tu craindrais – you would fear
il, elle craindrait – he, she would fear
nous craindrions – we would fear
vous craindriez – you would fear
ils, elles craindraient – they would fear
Subjunctive (subjonctif)
que je craigne – that I fear
que tu craignes – that you fear
qu’il, elle craigne – that he, she fear
que nous craignions – that we fear
que vous craigniez – that you fear
qu’ils, elles craignent – that they fear
Now that you’ve gone through the audio conjugations of craindre, take the quiz:
After you’ve listened to craindre, continue with these essential verbs
Most learners study these next:
👉 Être (to be)
👉 Avoir (to have)
👉 Aller (to go)
👉 Faire (to do / make)
👉 Venir (to come)
Other Verbs Conjugated Like Craindre
Here are some common verbs that follow the same endings as craindre.
- plaindre — to pity / to complain
- peindre — to paint
- joindre — to join
- atteindre — to reach / to attain
- éteindre — to turn off / to extinguish
- feindre — to pretend
- contraindre — to force / to compel
- rejoindre — to rejoin / to meet up with
- oindre — to anoint
Craindre conjugation chart
These are the six most important tenses you can start using for French conversation today!
Complete Conjugation of Craindre (All Tenses)
If you need a full reference, here’s a detailed conjugation of craindre 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 je crains tu crains il, elle craint nous craignons vous craignez ils, elles craignent | Passé simple je craignis tu craignis il, elle craignit nous craignîmes vous craignîtes ils, elles craignirent | Imperfect je craignais tu craignais il, elle craignait nous craignions vous craigniez ils, elles craignaient | Simple future je craindrai tu craindras il, elle craindra nous craindrons vous craindrez ils, elles craindront |
| Passé composé j’ai craint tu as craint il, elle a craint nous avons craint vous avez craint ils, elles ont craint | Past anterior j’eus craint tu eus craint il, elle eut craint nous eûmes craint vous eûtes craint ils, elles eurent craint | Pluperfect j’avais craint tu avais craint il, elle avait craint nous avions craint vous aviez craint ils, elles avaient craint | Future perfect j’aurai craint tu auras craint il, elle aura craint nous aurons craint vous aurez craint ils, elles auront craint |
| Present subjunctive que je craigne que tu craignes qu’il, qu’elle craigne que nous craignions que vous craigniez qu’ils, qu’elles craignent | Past subjunctive que j’aie craint que tu aies craint qu’il, qu’elle ait craint que nous ayons craint que vous ayez craint qu’ils, qu’elles aient craint | Imperfect subjunctive que je craignisse que tu craignisses qu’il, qu’elle craignît que nous craignissions que vous craignissiez qu’ils, qu’elles craignissent | Pluperfect subjunctive que j’eusse craint que tu eusses craint qu’il, qu’elle eût craint que nous eussions craint que vous eussiez craint qu’ils, qu’elles eussent craint |
| Present conditional je craindrais tu craindrais il, elle craindrait nous craindrions vous craindriez ils, elles craindraient | Past conditional I j’aurais craint tu aurais craint il, elle aurait craint nous aurions craint vous auriez craint ils, elles auraient craint | Past conditional II j’eusse craint tu eusses craint il, elle eût craint nous eussions craint vous eussiez craint ils, elles eussent craint | |
| Present imperative crains craignons craignez | Present infinitive craindre | Present participle craignant | |
| Past imperative aie craint ayons craint ayez craint | Past infinitive avoir craint | Past participle craint |
✅ Ready to use craindre in real sentences?
Now that you’ve mastered all the conjugations, explore some example sentences, expressions, and common mistakes on my craindre Word of the Day lesson.
👉 Craindre — usage examples »
Related verb: Joindre
Joindre (to join) follows a similar conjugation patterns to craindre and is therefore very easy to learn!
👉 Joindre — usage examples »
👉 Joindre conjugation chart »
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 »
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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
Craindre Conjugation — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you conjugate craindre in the present tense?
The present tense of craindre is: je crains, tu crains, il/elle craint, nous craignons, vous craignez, ils/elles craignent.
How do you conjugate craindre in the passé composé?
The passé composé of craindre is: j’ai craint, tu as craint, il/elle a craint, nous avons craint, vous avez craint, ils/elles ont craint.
How do you conjugate craindre in the future tense?
The simple future tense of craindre is: je craindrai, tu craindras, il/elle craindra, nous craindrons, vous craindrez, ils/elles craindront.
How do you conjugate craindre in the imperfect tense?
The imperfect tense (imparfait) of craindre is: je craignais, tu craignais, il/elle craignait, nous craignions, vous craigniez, ils/elles craignaient.
How do you conjugate craindre in the subjunctive?
The present subjunctive of craindre is: que je craigne, que tu craignes, qu’il/elle craigne, que nous craignions, que vous craigniez, qu’ils/elles craignent.
