French verb

Conjugation of commencer

The French verb commencer means "to begin". Below are its 7 tenses as tables, with the irregular forms marked, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.

Meaning
to begin
Type
Regular -er verb
Auxiliary
avoir
Present participle
commençant
Past participle
commencé
Quick answer

The present tense of commencer is je commence, tu commences, il/elle commence, nous commençons, vous commencez, ils/elles commencent. It counts as a regular -er verb, though 6 of its forms differ from the model pattern and are marked in the tables. The tables below cover 7 tenses, from the present to the imperative. Its compound tenses are formed with avoir.

Present tense of commencer

Forms in orange break the regular -er pattern.

Present Présent
je commence
tu commences
il/elle commence
nous commençons (irregular)
vous commencez
ils/elles commencent

More tenses of commencer

Compound past Passé composé
j' ai commencé
tu as commencé
il/elle a commencé
nous avons commencé
vous avez commencé
ils/elles ont commencé
Imperfect Imparfait
je commençais (irregular)
tu commençais (irregular)
il/elle commençait (irregular)
nous commencions
vous commenciez
ils/elles commençaient (irregular)
Future Futur simple
je commencerai
tu commenceras
il/elle commencera
nous commencerons
vous commencerez
ils/elles commenceront
Conditional Conditionnel présent
je commencerais
tu commencerais
il/elle commencerait
nous commencerions
vous commenceriez
ils/elles commenceraient
Present subjunctive Subjonctif présent
que je commence
que tu commences
qu'il/elle commence
que nous commencions
que vous commenciez
qu'ils/elles commencent
Imperative Impératif
tu commence
nous commençons (irregular)
vous commencez

Notes on commencer

Commencer is regular, with spelling changes only. The c becomes ç before a and o in commençons, commençais, and commençaient, while the present participle is commençant.

Meet commencer in real French books

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Example sentences with commencer

  • Nous commençons le cours à neuf heures. We begin the class at nine o'clock.
  • Elle a commencé son travail après le déjeuner. She started her work after lunch.
  • Je commençais toujours par un café. I always started with a coffee.
  • Vous commencerez la réunion dans cinq minutes. You will begin the meeting in five minutes.
parler to speak manger to eat changer to change

Conjugate any other French verb in the conjugator →

All 151 common French verbs →

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Frequently asked questions

Is commencer a regular French verb?

Yes, commencer is regular, with spelling changes only. Its forms follow the regular -er model, with c becoming ç before a and o in forms such as commençons and commençais.

Why does commencer become commençons and commençais?

The c changes to ç before a and o to keep the same sound. The table shows commençons, commençais, commençait, commençaient, and commençant.

What are the past participle and present participle of commencer?

The past participle is commencé. The present participle is commençant.