Overview
Prendre is a common and versatile French verb meaning to take. It is irregular and widely used in everyday French. The verb can be used in various contexts such as taking an object, a mode of transport, or even time. Understanding prendre is essential for mastering French verbs.
Conjugation in Present Tense
The present tense of prendre shows typical irregular patterns characteristic of this verb group. It changes in the root and endings, especially for nous and vous forms.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | prends | I take | Je prends un café. | I take a coffee. |
| Tu | prends | You take | Tu prends le bus. | You take the bus. |
| Il/Elle/On | prend | He/She/One takes | Elle prend son temps. | She takes her time. |
| Nous | prenons | We take | Nous prenons des notes. | We take notes. |
| Vous | prenez | You (formal/plural) take | Vous prenez le train. | You take the train. |
| Ils/Elles | prennent | They take | Ils prennent des photos. | They take photos. |
Past Tense (Passé Composé)
The passé composé of prendre uses the auxiliary verb avoir plus the past participle pris.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | ai pris | I took | J'ai pris un taxi. | I took a taxi. |
| Tu | as pris | You took | Tu as pris ta décision. | You took your decision. |
| Il/Elle/On | a pris | He/She/One took | On a pris le train ensemble. | One took the train together. |
| Nous | avons pris | We took | Nous avons pris des vacances. | We took a vacation. |
| Vous | avez pris | You (formal/plural) took | Vous avez pris un rendez-vous. | You took an appointment. |
| Ils/Elles | ont pris | They took | Elles ont pris leur repas. | They took their meal. |
Future Tense
The future tense of prendre uses the stem prendr- followed by the future endings.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | prendrai | I will take | Je prendrai ma décision demain. | I will take my decision tomorrow. |
| Tu | prendras | You will take | Tu prendras la prochaine voiture. | You will take the next car. |
| Il/Elle/On | prendra | He/She/One will take | Elle prendra un verre. | She will take a drink. |
| Nous | prendrons | We will take | Nous prendrons le métro. | We will take the subway. |
| Vous | prendrez | You (formal/plural) will take | Vous prendrez le petit déjeuner. | You will take breakfast. |
| Ils/Elles | prendront | They will take | Ils prendront le train. | They will take the train. |
Expressions with Prendre
Prendre is also part of many French expressions and idioms, which makes it even more useful.
- prendre le train – to take the train
- prendre une décision – to make a decision
- prendre son temps – to take one’s time
- prendre des vacances – to take a vacation
- prendre soin de – to take care of
Usage Notes
The irregular conjugations of prendre must be memorized as their stem changes irregularly, for example in the present tense ils prennent vs nous prenons. The past participle pris is consistent and used in compound tenses. Prendre often combines with prefixes to form other verbs such as apprendre (to learn) and comprendre (to understand), which follow similar conjugation patterns.
