“Demander” – Conjugation of the French Verb

The French language is known for its intricate verb conjugation system, and one of the fundamental verbs you'll encounter is “demander”, which means “to ask” or “to request.” Conjugating “demander” properly is essential for effective communication in French. In this article, we will explore how to conjugate this verb in various tenses and moods.

 

Present Tense (Présent)

In the present tense, “demander” is conjugated as follows:

– Je demande (I ask)
– Tu demandes (You ask)
– Il/Elle demande (He/She asks)
– Nous demandons (We ask)
– Vous demandez (You ask)
– Ils/Elles demandent (They ask)

 

Past Tense (Passé Composé)

To form the passé composé (past tense), you'll need to use the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle of “demander”, which is “demandé.” Here's how it looks:

– J'ai demandé (I asked)
– Tu as demandé (You asked)
– Il/Elle a demandé (He/She asked)
– Nous avons demandé (We asked)
– Vous avez demandé (You asked)
– Ils/Elles ont demandé (They asked)

 

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

The imperfect tense is used for describing ongoing or habitual actions in the past. To conjugate “demander” in the imperfect tense, you simply add the appropriate endings to the root “demand-“:

– Je demandais (I used to ask)
– Tu demandais (You used to ask)
– Il/Elle demandait (He/She used to ask)
– Nous demandions (We used to ask)
– Vous demandiez (You used to ask)
– Ils/Elles demandaient (They used to ask)

 

Future Tense (Futur Simple)

For future actions, use the futur simple tense with the following conjugations:

– Je demanderai (I will ask)
– Tu demanderas (You will ask)
– Il/Elle demandera (He/She will ask)
– Nous demanderons (We will ask)
– Vous demanderez (You will ask)
– Ils/Elles demanderont (They will ask)

 

Conditional Mood (Conditionnel Présent)

The conditional mood is used to express hypothetical situations or polite requests. Conjugate “demander” in the conditional tense as follows:

– Je demanderais (I would ask)
– Tu demanderais (You would ask)
– Il/Elle demanderait (He/She would ask)
– Nous demanderions (We would ask)
– Vous demanderiez (You would ask)
– Ils/Elles demanderaient (They would ask)

 

10 example sentences with the word “demander”

Here are 10 example sentences with the word “demander” in different grammatical tenses:

1. Je demande un café, s'il vous plaît. – (I am asking for a coffee, please.) – Present Tense
2. Tu as demandé de l'aide hier. – (You asked for help yesterday.) – Past Tense (Passé Composé)
3. Il demandait des informations quand je suis arrivé. – (He was asking for information when I arrived.) – Imperfect Tense
4. Nous demanderons le chemin à un passant. – (We will ask a passerby for directions.) – Future Tense
5. Elle demanderait un conseil à son professeur. – (She would ask her teacher for advice.) – Conditional Mood
6. Vous avez demandé une réservation pour deux. – (You requested a reservation for two.) – Past Tense (Passé Composé)
7. Nous demandions souvent des bonbons à notre grand-mère. – (We used to ask our grandmother for candy often.) – Imperfect Tense
8. Ils demanderont à leur mère de les accompagner. – (They will ask their mother to accompany them.) – Future Tense
9. Elle aimerait te demander quelque chose d'important. – (She would like to ask you something important.) – Conditional Mood
10. Le professeur demande aux élèves de faire leurs devoirs. – (The teacher is asking the students to do their homework.) – Present Tense

These sentences demonstrate how “demander” can be used in different contexts and tenses to convey various meanings and requests in French.