FrenchConjugationAll tenses
Prendre (to take) · All tenses
By TutorLily Editorial Team
Prendre means 'to take' — and uniquely in French, 'to have' food or drink ('je prends un café' = I'll have a coffee). Top-10 frequency. Irregular present (prennent with double n), participle 'pris', regular futur (prendrai). Model for compounds: apprendre (learn), comprendre (understand), surprendre (surprise).
Conjugation
prendre · Présent
I take, I have...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I take | je prends |
| you take | tu prends |
| he/she takes | il/elle/on prend |
| we take | nous prenons |
| you take | vous prenez |
| they take | ils/elles prennent |
Conjugation
prendre · Passé Composé
I took, I had (food)...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I took | j'ai pris |
| you took | tu as pris |
| he/she took | il/elle/on a pris |
| we took | nous avons pris |
| you took | vous avez pris |
| they took | ils/elles ont pris |
Conjugation
prendre · Imparfait
I used to take, I was taking...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I used to take | je prenais |
| you used to take | tu prenais |
| he/she used to take | il/elle/on prenait |
| we used to take | nous prenions |
| you used to take | vous preniez |
| they used to take | ils/elles prenaient |
Conjugation
prendre · Subjonctif Présent
(that) I take, (that) I have...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I take | je prenne |
| you take | tu prennes |
| he/she take | il/elle/on prenne |
| we take | nous prenions |
| you take | vous preniez |
| they take | ils/elles prennent |
Conjugation
prendre · Futur Simple
I will take, I will have...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I will take | je prendrai |
| you will take | tu prendras |
| he/she will take | il/elle/on prendra |
| we will take | nous prendrons |
| you will take | vous prendrez |
| they will take | ils/elles prendront |
Conjugation
prendre · Conditionnel Présent
I would take, I would have...
| To Take | Prendre |
|---|---|
| I would take | je prendrais |
| you would take | tu prendrais |
| he/she would take | il/elle/on prendrait |
| we would take | nous prendrions |
| you would take | vous prendriez |
| they would take | ils/elles prendraient |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate prendre in the present tense?
Prendre in the present is: je prends, tu prends, il/elle/on prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils/elles prennent. Three stems: 'prend-' (singular), 'pren-' (nous/vous), 'prenn-' (ils with double n). The doubled 'n' in 'prennent' is critical — single 'n' is a misspelling.
What does 'je prends un café' really mean?
'Je prends un café' literally means 'I take a coffee' but idiomatically means 'I'll have a coffee' — the standard café/restaurant order. Same pattern for any food/drink: 'je prends une bière' (I'll have a beer), 'je prends une salade' (I'll have a salad). French uses 'prendre' where English uses 'have' for ordering. 'Je prendrai' (futur) works too but 'je prends' (present) is more conversational.
How do prendre compounds work?
Prendre is the model for several compound verbs: apprendre (to learn), comprendre (to understand), entreprendre (to undertake), reprendre (to take again), surprendre (to surprise). All share prendre's conjugation pattern exactly — including the doubled 'n' in ils ('ils comprennent', 'ils apprennent'). Learning prendre gives you ~10 verbs for free.
How do you form the passé composé of prendre?
Use avoir + the past participle 'pris': j'ai pris, tu as pris, il a pris, nous avons pris, vous avez pris, ils ont pris. The 's' of 'pris' is silent.
Does 'pris' agree with the subject?
Since prendre takes avoir as auxiliary, 'pris' is invariable in standard cases. Exception: when a direct object PRECEDES the verb, 'pris' agrees with it in gender and number — 'la décision que j'ai prise' (the decision I made — feminine, so 'prise'). This is the avoir-verb direct-object-agreement rule, which applies to all avoir verbs.
Should I use 'j'ai pris' or 'je prenais'?
Use 'j'ai pris' for a specific completed taking: 'ce matin, j'ai pris le train' (this morning, I took the train). Use 'je prenais' for habitual past taking: 'chaque jour, je prenais le train' (every day, I used to take the train). The contrast is one-time vs habitual.
How do you conjugate prendre in the imparfait?
Prendre is regular in the imparfait: je prenais, tu prenais, il/elle/on prenait, nous prenions, vous preniez, ils/elles prenaient. Stem 'pren-' from nous form 'prenons'.
When do I use 'je prenais' instead of 'j'ai pris'?
Use 'je prenais' for habitual past taking or ongoing action: 'chaque jour, je prenais le métro' (every day, I used to take the metro). Use 'j'ai pris' for a specific completed taking: 'hier, j'ai pris le métro' (yesterday, I took the metro). 'Je prenais' also works for an interrupted ongoing action: 'je prenais mon café quand le téléphone a sonné' (I was having my coffee when the phone rang).
Why is 'je prenais' useful in storytelling?
The imparfait of prendre is a workhorse for descriptive past narration: 'il prenait son café tous les matins' (he used to have his coffee every morning). It sets up routines, habits, or background scenes. Pair it with a passé composé event to create the classic French narrative structure: imparfait for backdrop, passé composé for the disrupting event.
How do you conjugate prendre in the subjonctif?
The subjonctif of prendre is: que je prenne, que tu prennes, qu'il prenne, que nous prenions, que vous preniez, qu'ils prennent. Singular + ils use 'prenn-' (double n); nous/vous use 'pren-' (same as the imparfait).
When do I need to use the subjonctif of prendre?
Use it after triggers of necessity, will, doubt, or condition: 'il faut que je prenne le train' (I need to take the train), 'je veux qu'il prenne soin' (I want him to take care), 'avant que nous prenions une décision' (before we make a decision).
Why does 'prenne' have double n?
The doubled 'n' in 'prenne' preserves the original Latin geminate consonant from 'prehendere'. The doubling appears in singular subjonctif forms + ils ('prennent') and in ils of the present indicative ('ils prennent') — wherever a final unstressed -e or -ent attaches to the stem. Same pattern affects venir (vienne, viennent) and tenir (tienne, tiennent).
How do you conjugate prendre in the futur?
The futur of prendre is regular: je prendrai, tu prendras, il/elle/on prendra, nous prendrons, vous prendrez, ils/elles prendront. The full infinitive 'prendre' serves as the future stem, with standard future endings.
Why doesn't prendre have a contracted futur stem?
A handful of high-frequency French verbs developed contracted future stems (être → ser-, avoir → aur-, faire → fer-, etc.), but prendre wasn't one of them. Its infinitive 'prendre' was already pronounceable as a future stem, and the doubled 'n' / stem alternations of the present only affect certain forms. The future is one of prendre's most predictable tenses.
When do I use 'je prendrai' instead of 'je vais prendre'?
Both express future taking. 'Je prendrai' (futur simple) feels slightly more formal or further in time. 'Je vais prendre' (futur proche) is more conversational and very common for ordering food/drink: 'je vais prendre une bière' (I'll have a beer).
How do you conjugate prendre in the conditionnel?
The conditionnel of prendre is: je prendrais, tu prendrais, il/elle/on prendrait, nous prendrions, vous prendriez, ils/elles prendraient. Same full-infinitive stem as the futur, plus imperfect endings.
What does 'je prendrais bien' mean?
'Je prendrais bien + noun' literally means 'I would gladly take' and idiomatically means 'I'd love to have': 'je prendrais bien un café' (I'd love a coffee), 'je prendrais bien des vacances' (I'd love a vacation). The 'bien' is an intensifier meaning 'gladly' or 'really'. Soft, polite, conversational.
How do I use the conditionnel for polite restaurant orders?
The polite restaurant default is 'je prendrais + dish/drink': 'je prendrais une salade, s'il vous plaît' (I would have a salad, please). The conditional 'prendrais' softens the present indicative 'je prends' — more polite. Equivalent to English 'I would have' or 'I'll have'. Always pair with 's'il vous plaît' for full politeness.
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