être — to be; to be located; to be situated
être is the #4 most common word in French, a verb. It means “to be; to be located; to be situated” and is pronounced /ɛtʁ/.
#4frequency rank
3.49%of everyday French text
Level 1Beginner 1
Forms of être
| Form | What it is | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| être | infinitive | to be |
| étant | -ing form | being |
| été | past participle | been |
| suis | I · present | I am |
| es | you · present | you are |
| est | he/she · present | he/she is |
| sommes | we · present | we are |
| êtes | you (pl.) · present | you (pl.) are |
| sont | they · present | they are |
| étais | I · imperfect | I used to be |
| étais | you · imperfect | you used to be |
| était | he/she · imperfect | he/she used to be |
| étions | we · imperfect | we used to be |
| étiez | you (pl.) · imperfect | you (pl.) used to be |
| étaient | they · imperfect | they used to be |
| fus | I · past | I was |
| fus | you · past | you were |
| fut | he/she · past | he/she was |
| fûmes | we · past | we were |
| fûtes | you (pl.) · past | you (pl.) were |
| furent | they · past | they were |
| serai | I · future | I will be |
| seras | you · future | you will be |
| sera | he/she · future | he/she will be |
| serons | we · future | we will be |
| serez | you (pl.) · future | you (pl.) will be |
| seront | they · future | they will be |
| serais | I · conditional | I would be |
| serais | you · conditional | you would be |
| serait | he/she · conditional | he/she would be |
| serions | we · conditional | we would be |
| seriez | you (pl.) · conditional | you (pl.) would be |
| seraient | they · conditional | they would be |
| sois | I · subjunctive present | (that) I be |
| sois | you · subjunctive present | (that) you be |
| soit | he/she · subjunctive present | (that) he/she be |
| soyons | we · subjunctive present | (that) we be |
| soyez | you (pl.) · subjunctive present | (that) you (pl.) be |
| soient | they · subjunctive present | (that) they be |
| fusse | I · subjunctive imperfect | (if) I were |
| fusses | you · subjunctive imperfect | (if) you were |
| fût | he/she · subjunctive imperfect | (if) he/she were |
| fussions | we · subjunctive imperfect | (if) we were |
| fussiez | you (pl.) · subjunctive imperfect | (if) you (pl.) were |
| fussent | they · subjunctive imperfect | (if) they were |
| sois | you · command | be! |
| soyons | we · command | be! (to several) |
| soyez | you (pl.) · command | be! (to several) |