“Fermer” – Conjugation of the French Verb

The French language is known for its intricate verb conjugations, and one of the common verbs you'll encounter is “fermer”, which means “to close.” In this article, we will look into the conjugation of “fermer” in various tenses and moods, allowing you to use it correctly in different situations.

 

Present Tense (Présent)

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

– Je ferme (I close)
– Tu fermes (You close)
– Il/Elle ferme (He/She closes)
– Nous fermons (We close)
– Vous fermez (You close)
– Ils/Elles ferment (They close)

 

Past Tenses

 

1. Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

The imperfect tense of “fermer” is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Here's how it's conjugated:

– Je fermait (I used to close)
– Tu fermait (You used to close)
– Il/Elle fermait (He/She used to close)
– Nous fermions (We used to close)
– Vous fermiez (You used to close)
– Ils/Elles fermaient (They used to close)

 

2. Simple Past (Passé Simple)

The passé simple is less commonly used in modern French but is still found in literature and formal writing. Here's the conjugation for “fermer” in the passé simple:

– Je fermai (I closed)
– Tu fermas (You closed)
– Il/Elle ferma (He/She closed)
– Nous fermâmes (We closed)
– Vous fermâtes (You closed)
– Ils/Elles fermèrent (They closed)

 

Future Tenses

 

1. Near Future (Futur Proche)

To express actions that will happen in the near future, you can use the futur proche, which is formed by conjugating the verb “aller” (to go) and adding the infinitive of “fermer.” For example:

– Je vais fermer (I am going to close)
– Tu vas fermer (You are going to close)
– Il/Elle va fermer (He/She is going to close)
– Nous allons fermer (We are going to close)
– Vous allez fermer (You are going to close)
– Ils/Elles vont fermer (They are going to close)

 

2. Simple Future (Futur Simple)

The futur simple is used to express actions that will happen in the more distant future. Conjugating “fermer” in this tense is quite straightforward:

– Je fermerai (I will close)
– Tu fermeras (You will close)
– Il/Elle fermera (He/She will close)
– Nous fermerons (We will close)
– Vous fermerez (You will close)
– Ils/Elles fermeront (They will close)

 

Subjunctive Mood (Subjonctif)

The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, desire, or uncertainty. Here's how “fermer” is conjugated in the subjunctive:

– Que je ferme (That I close)
– Que tu fermes (That you close)
– Qu'il/elle ferme (That he/she closes)
– Que nous fermions (That we close)
– Que vous fermiez (That you close)
– Qu'ils/elles ferment (That they close)

 

10 example sentences with the word “fermer”

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

1. Je ferme la porte. (I close the door.) – Present tense
2. Tu as fermé la fenêtre hier. (You closed the window yesterday.) – Past tense (Passé Composé)
3. Il fermera le magasin à 18 heures. (He will close the store at 6 p.m.) – Simple Future
4. Nous fermons le livre après avoir fini de lire. (We close the book after finishing reading.) – Present tense
5. Elle fermerait la boîte si elle le pouvait. (She would close the box if she could.) – Conditional
6. Vous allez fermer la porte à clé? (Are you going to lock the door?) – Near Future (Futur Proche)
7. Ils ont fermé le restaurant pendant les vacances. (They closed the restaurant during the holidays.) – Past tense (Passé Composé)
8. On fermera la discussion à ce sujet. (We will close the discussion on this topic.) – Simple Future
9. Elles fermaient les volets quand il a commencé à pleuvoir. (They were closing the shutters when it started raining.) – Imperfect
10. Que vous fermiez la porte derrière vous, s'il vous plaît. (Please close the door behind you.) – Subjunctive

These examples showcase the versatility of the verb “fermer” across various tenses and moods in the French language.