{"id":13798,"date":"2025-04-21T11:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T10:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frenchfacile.com\/?p=13798"},"modified":"2025-08-09T12:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T11:58:37","slug":"french-conjugation-prendre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frenchfacile.com\/en\/french-conjugation-prendre\/","title":{"rendered":"French Conjugation Prendre (all tenses)"},"content":{"rendered":"

French Conjugation Prendre (to take)<\/h2>\n

The French verb PRENDRE (to take) is a 3rd group verb (verb in -dre). It is irregular.It is generally transitive. It is intransitive in rare cases.The verb PRENDRE is widely used in French that’s why it’s so useful to know how to conjugate it.<\/p>\n

CONJUGATION TABLES FOR THE VERB PRENDRE<\/h2>\n

Indicative mode<\/span><\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present tense<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je prends<\/p>\n

Tu prends<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On prend<\/p>\n

Nous prenons<\/p>\n

Vous prenez<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles prennent<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Imperfect<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je prenais<\/p>\n

Tu prenais<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On prenait<\/p>\n

Nous prenions<\/p>\n

Vous preniez<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles prenaient<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Future<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je prendrai<\/p>\n

Tu prendras<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On prendra<\/p>\n

Nous prendrons<\/p>\n

Vous prendrez<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles prendront<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – Pass\u00e9 simple<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je pris<\/p>\n

Tu pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On prit<\/p>\n

Nous pr\u00eemes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Vous pr\u00eetes<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles prirent<\/p>\n

In the compound tenses, the verb PRENDRE is conjugated with the auxiliary AVOIR.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ex : J’ai pris (pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9) \"\ud83d\udc49\" Auxiliary AVOIR in present + past participle of the verb PRENDRE<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – P<\/span><\/strong>ass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J’ai pris<\/p>\n

Tu as pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On a pris<\/p>\n

Nous avons pris<\/p>\n

Vous avez pris<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles ont pris<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – P<\/span><\/strong>ast Perfect<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J’avais pris<\/p>\n

Tu avais pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On avait pris<\/p>\n

Nous avions pris<\/p>\n

Vous aviez pris<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles avaient pris<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – Future Perfect<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J’aurai pris<\/p>\n

Tu auras pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On aura pris<\/p>\n

Nous aurons pris<\/p>\n

Vous aurez pris<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles auront pris<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – Past<\/span><\/strong> Anterior (very rare)<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J’eus pris<\/p>\n

Tu eus pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On eut pris<\/p>\n

Nous e\u00fbmes pris<\/p>\n

Vous e\u00fbtes pris<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles eurent pris<\/p>\n

Conditional mode<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present Conditional<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je prendrais<\/p>\n

Tu prendrais<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On prendrait<\/p>\n

Nous prendrions<\/p>\n

Vous prendriez<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles prendraient<\/p>\n

PRENDRE<\/span><\/strong> – Past Conditional<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J’aurais pris<\/p>\n

Tu aurais pris<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On aurait pris<\/p>\n

Nous aurions pris<\/p>\n

Vous auriez pris<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles auraient pris<\/p>\n

Subjunctive mode<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present Subjunctive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Que je prenne<\/p>\n

Que tu prennes<\/p>\n

Qu’il\/elle\/on prenne<\/p>\n

Que nous prenions<\/p>\n

Que vous preniez<\/p>\n

Qu’ils\/elles prennent<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Imperfect Subjunctive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong> (very rare)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Que je prisse<\/p>\n

Que tu prisses<\/p>\n

Qu’il\/elle\/on pr\u00eet<\/p>\n

Que nous prissions<\/p>\n

Que vous prissiez<\/p>\n

Qu’ils\/elles prissent<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Past Subjunctive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Que j’aie pris<\/p>\n

Que tu aies pris<\/p>\n

Qu’il\/elle\/on ait pris<\/p>\n

Que nous ayons pris<\/p>\n

Que vous ayez pris<\/p>\n

Qu’ils\/elles aient pris<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Plusperfect Subjunctive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong> (very rare)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Que j’eusse pris<\/p>\n

Que tu eusses pris<\/p>\n

Qu’il\/elle\/on e\u00fbt pris<\/p>\n

Que nous eussions pris<\/p>\n

Que vous eussiez pris<\/p>\n

Qu’ils\/elles eussent pris<\/p>\n

Imperative mode<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present Imperative<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Tu) Prends<\/p>\n

(Nous) Prenons<\/p>\n

(Vous) Prenez<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Past Imperative<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Tu) Aie pris<\/p>\n

(Nous) Ayons pris<\/p>\n

(Vous) Ayez pris<\/p>\n

Infinitive mode<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present Infinitive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prendre<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Past Infinitive<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Avoir pris<\/p>\n

Participles<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – P<\/strong><\/strong>r\u00e9sent Participle<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

prenant<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Past<\/strong><\/strong> Participle<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

pris<\/p>\n

Gerund<\/h3>\n

PRENDRE – Present Gerund<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

en prenant<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Past Gerund<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

en ayant pris<\/p>\n

PRENDRE conjugation in the recent past and near future<\/h3>\n

The pass\u00e9 r\u00e9cent and the futur proche are used a lot in French, especially in spoken language.Good news for you! It’s very easy to conjugate the verb PRENDRE in the recent past and the near future in French.\"\ud83d\udc47\"<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Recent Past<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je viens de prendre …<\/p>\n

Tu viens de prendre …<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On vient de prendre …<\/p>\n

Nous venons de prendre …<\/p>\n

Vous venez de prendre …<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles viennent de prendre …<\/p>\n

PRENDRE – Near Future<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Je vais prendre …<\/p>\n

Tu vas prendre …<\/p>\n

Il\/Elle\/On va prendre …<\/p>\n

Nous allons prendre …<\/p>\n

Vous allez prendre …<\/p>\n

Ils\/Elles vont prendre …<\/p>\n

Translations of the verb PRENDRE<\/h2>\n

Anglais <\/strong>: to take<\/p>\n

Espa\u00f1ol<\/strong> : tomar<\/p>\n

Italiano <\/strong>: prendere<\/p>\n

Nederlands<\/strong> : nemen<\/p>\n

Dutch <\/strong>: nehmen<\/p>\n

Portugu\u00eas <\/strong>: tomar<\/p>\n

USEs AND SYNONYMS OF THE French VERB PRENDRE <\/h2>\n

PRENDRE is a very common and versatile verb! It’s used in many different ways, and has many different meanings.<\/p>\n

1. PRENDRE (transitive)<\/h3>\n

To take something with the hand, to seize, to catch<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il a pris son sac et il est sorti.<\/p>\n

(He took his bag and went out.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : attraper, saisir, empoigner, agripper, choper, se saisir de, emporter, apporter<\/p>\n

To take, to obtain, to get<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il a pris une bonne gifle ! (He took a big slap!)<\/p>\n

Il a pris une augmentation. (He took a raise.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : obtenir, recevoir, d\u00e9crocher, recueillir<\/p>\n

Eating, drinking, taking medication<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Je vais prendre un caf\u00e9. (I’ll have a coffee.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : choisir, opter pour, s\u00e9lectionner, adopter, manger, boire, avaler, d\u00e9guster, ing\u00e9rer, ingurgiter, absorber, prendre un m\u00e9dicament<\/p>\n

To choose<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Je vais prendre les bottes noires plut\u00f4t que les grises. (I’ll take the black boots over the gray.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : choisir, opter pour, s\u00e9lectionner, adopter.<\/p>\n

To take\/ pick up someone<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Je passerai te prendre \u00e0 8 h. (I’ll pick you up at 8.)  <\/p>\n

Il a pris sa fille par la main. (He took his daughter by the hand.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : charger, embarquer, aller avec, emmener, amener<\/p>\n

To take something abstract<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Prendre du temps (to take some time), prendre une habitude (to take up a habit), prendre un rendez-vous (to make an appointment), prendre des mesures (to take action \/ to take steps), prendre le soleil (to sunbathe \/ to soak up the sun), prendre un bain (to take a bath), prendre une direction (to head in a direction \/ to take a direction), prendre des vacances (to take a vacation \/ to go on holiday), prendre un avis (to get an opinion \/ to seek advice), prendre une d\u00e9cision (to make a decision), …<\/p>\n

Ex : Le coiffeur a pris 2 h \u00e0 terminer la coupe ! (The hairdresser took 2 hours to finish the cut!)<\/p>\n

\"French<\/span><\/p>\n

Using a means of transport<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Elle n’aime pas trop prendre l’avion. (She doesn’t really like flying.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : emprunter, monter dans, se d\u00e9placer en, …<\/p>\n

Reacting to a situation<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Bien le prendre (to take it well), mal le prendre (to take it badly), prendre au s\u00e9rieux (to take seriously), prendre au pied de la lettre (to take literally), prendre quelqu\u2019un en faute (to catch someone doing something wrong \/ to catch someone red-handed), …<\/p>\n

Ex : Il l’a bien pris. (He took it well.)<\/p>\n

Synonym : r\u00e9agir<\/p>\n

To take someone (as), to hire<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il l’a pris comme avocat. (He took him on as a lawyer.)  ou  <\/p>\n

Il a pris un avocat. (He took on a lawyer.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : \u00e9lire, d\u00e9signer, nommer, s\u00e9lectionner, choisir, engager, recruter, prendre comme<\/p>\n

To catch, take control of a place<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ex : L’ennemi a pris la ville. (The enemy has taken the town.)  <\/p>\n

L’animal est pris au pi\u00e8ge. (The animal is trapped.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : assi\u00e9ger, saisir, faire prisonnier, arr\u00eater, capturer, s’emparer, se rendre ma\u00eetre d’un lieu, attraper<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To steal, to take from someone something<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Qui a pris mon stylo ? (Who took my pen?)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : d\u00e9rober, voler, piquer (familier), prendre quelque chose \u00e0 quelqu’un<\/p>\n

To accept<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Cette \u00e9cole ne prend que les bons \u00e9l\u00e8ves. (This school only accepts good students.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : accueillir, admettre, accepter<\/p>\n

Receiving someone for an interview, consultation or lesson<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Le m\u00e9decin a pris le patient \u00e0 14 h.<\/p>\n

(The doctor took the patient at 2 pm.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : accepter, recevoir, accueillir<\/p>\n

To buy<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Je vais prendre du pain. (I’ll get some bread.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : se fournir, se procurer, acheter<\/p>\n

\n

2.  Se prendre<\/h3>\n

To consider oneself<\/span><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il se prend pour un g\u00e9nie. (He thinks he’s a genius.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : se croire, se consid\u00e9rer, penser que, imaginer<\/p>\n

To start, to begin<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il s’est pris \u00e0 discuter avec des inconnus. (He found himself chatting with strangers.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : commencer, se mettre \u00e0<\/p>\n

To act, to proceed in such and such a way<\/span><\/h5>\n

Ex : Tu t’y prends mal. (You’re doing it wrong.)    <\/p>\n

Tu t’y prends bien. (You’re doing it right.)  <\/p>\n

Tu ne sais pas comment t’y prendre. (You don’t know what to do.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms :  agir, faire, se comporter, proc\u00e9der, s’y prendre<\/p>\n

Attacking someone<\/span><\/h5>\n

Ex : Il s’en prend toujours aux plus faibles que lui. (He always picks on those weaker than himself.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : critiquer, attaquer, s’en prendre \u00e0 quelqu’un<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

3. Prendre (intransitive)<\/h3>\n

To solidify<\/h5>\n

Ex: La confiture commence \u00e0 prendre. (The jam is starting to set.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : coaguler, durcir, \u00e9paissir, tenir, se figer, avoir la bonne consistance, se solidifier<\/p>\n

Performing a medical or delicate procedure<\/span><\/h5>\n

Ex : La greffe a pris. (The transplant took.)<\/p>\n

Synonyms : r\u00e9ussir, s’accrocher<\/p>\n

Start burning<\/span><\/h5>\n

Ex : Le feu a pris. (The fire started.)<\/p>\n

Synonymes : commencer \u00e0 br\u00fbler<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

4. \u00catre pris ou se prendre (passive form)<\/h3>\n

Ex : L’animal est pris au pi\u00e8ge. (The animal is trapped.)  <\/p>\n

Ton manteau s’est pris dans la porte. (Your coat got caught on the door.)<\/p>\n

\n

COMMON EXPRESSIONS WITH THE VERB PRENDRE (TO TAKE) in French<\/h2>\n

Prendre sur soi (To restrain oneself)<\/strong><\/p>\n