conduire is a French verb meaning "to drive" a vehicle, as well as to lead, direct, or manage. It is essential for talking about transportation, control, and guidance. As a member of the -uire family, conduire follows a distinctive conjugation pattern similar to produire, traduire, and cuire.
- Meaning: "to drive," "to lead," "to conduct"
- Usage: Vehicles, leading people, managing processes
- Conjugation Family: -uire (like produire, traduire)
- Typical Contexts: Driving a car, conducting a meeting, leading a group
conduire means to drive, lead, or conduct.
Present Tense: Conduire
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | conduis | I drive |
| Tu | conduis | You drive (sing.) |
| Il/Elle/On | conduit | He/She/One drives |
| Nous | conduisons | We drive |
| Vous | conduisez | You drive (pl./form.) |
| Ils/Elles | conduisent | They drive |
conduire is used for both literal and figurative "driving" or "leading."
- Use conduis for "I drive" (je conduis) when talking about operating a vehicle.
- The same form (conduis) applies for "you drive" (informal): tu conduis.
- Conduit is for third persons: il conduit (he drives).
- Conduisons and conduisez are for "we" and "you" (plural/formal).
- Conduisent is for "they".
conduisons (we), conduisez (you plural)
Example:
- Je conduis une voiture. (I drive a car.)
- Elle conduit le projet. (She is leading the project.)
Yes, *conduire* can refer to leading or managing processes, not just driving.
Past Tense: Conduire (Passé Composé)
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | ai conduit | I drove / I have driven |
| Tu | as conduit | You drove |
| Il/Elle/On | a conduit | He/She/One drove |
| Nous | avons conduit | We drove |
| Vous | avez conduit | You drove (pl./form.) |
| Ils/Elles | ont conduit | They drove |
The auxiliary verb is avoir; the past participle is conduit.
- For passé composé, combine the correct form of avoir with conduit.
- Use it to describe completed actions: J'ai conduit (I drove/I have driven).
Example:
- Nous avons conduit toute la nuit. (We drove all night.)
- Elles ont conduit le débat. (They led the debate.)
The past participle of *conduire* is *conduit*.
Future Tense: Conduire
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | conduirai | I will drive |
| Tu | conduiras | You will drive |
| Il/Elle/On | conduira | He/She/One will drive |
| Nous | conduirons | We will drive |
| Vous | conduirez | You will drive |
| Ils/Elles | conduiront | They will drive |
Use the stem conduir- + future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont).
- To indicate driving in the future, use forms like je conduirai (I will drive).
Example:
- Tu conduiras la voiture demain. (You will drive the car tomorrow.)
- Ils conduiront le projet à terme. (They will see the project through.)
The future stem of *conduire* is *conduir-*.
Conditional: Conduire
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | conduirais | I would drive |
| Tu | conduirais | You would drive |
| Il/Elle/On | conduirait | He/She/One would drive |
| Nous | conduirions | We would drive |
| Vous | conduiriez | You would drive |
| Ils/Elles | conduiraient | They would drive |
Same stem as future (conduir-), with -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient endings.
- For polite requests or hypotheticals about driving, use the conditional: Je conduirais.
Example:
- Si j'avais une voiture, je conduirais. (If I had a car, I would drive.)
- Vous conduiriez mieux avec de l'expérience. (You would drive better with experience.)
The conditional endings are -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
Subjunctive: Conduire (Present)
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| Que je/j' | conduise | (that) I drive |
| Que tu | conduises | (that) you drive |
| Qu'il/elle/on | conduise | (that) he/she/one drives |
| Que nous | conduisions | (that) we drive |
| Que vous | conduisiez | (that) you drive |
| Qu'ils/elles | conduisent | (that) they drive |
Used in dependent clauses after expressions of necessity, doubt, emotion, etc.
- Subjunctive stem: conduis-, with -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent endings.
Example (present subjunctive):
- Il faut que tu conduises prudemment. (You must drive carefully.)
- Bien qu'elle conduise vite, elle reste prudente. (Although she drives fast, she remains careful.)
Use the subjunctive after expressions of necessity, doubt, or emotion.
Imperative: Conduire
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | conduis | Drive! (informal) |
| Nous | conduisons | Let's drive! |
| Vous | conduisez | Drive! (formal/pl) |
Give direct commands to drivers or leaders with conduis, conduisons, conduisez.
Example (imperative):
- Conduis doucement! (Drive carefully!)
- Conduisons jusqu'au centre-ville. (Let's drive to downtown.)
- Conduisez prudemment, s'il vous plaît. (Drive carefully, please.)
The imperative form is 'conduis' for 'you' (informal).
Conclusion
conduire is a versatile verb for driving, leading, or managing, with unique conjugations in several moods.
- conduire connects you to topics of transport and leadership in French.
- Accurate conjugations unlock its use from everyday driving to professional contexts.
- With conduire, you don’t just move vehicles—you also move ideas and people!