Craindre conjugation: to fear in every tense

French verb conjugation: 150 verbs in every tense

The French verb craindre (to fear) is a useful everyday verb (number 95 of the 150 on this site). It is an irregular verb of the 3rd group with its own stems: je crains, nous craignons, and a future stem in craindr- (je craindrai). In compound tenses it takes avoir (j’ai craint), with the past participle craint. Below you will find every tense, example sentences and a free printable PDF.

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craindre at a glance: meaning, group and auxiliary

Infinitive: craindre — to fear
Group: 3rd group (irregular verbs)
Type: Irregular verb
Auxiliary: takes avoir
Construction: Transitive (direct object)
Frequency: No. 95 of the 150 most common French verbs

The endings are in bold. Tense names are given in French with the English equivalent in parentheses; pronouns and verb forms stay in French, as you will see and hear them.

Indicatif (indicative): craindre

`Présent (present tense)`

`Présent (present tense) of the verb craindre`
`je`	`crains`
`tu`	`crains`
`il`	`craint`
`nous`	`craignons`
`vous`	`craignez`
`ils`	`craignent`

`Imparfait (imperfect)`

`Imparfait (imperfect) of the verb craindre`
`je`	`craignais`
`tu`	`craignais`
`il`	`craignait`
`nous`	`craignions`
`vous`	`craigniez`
`ils`	`craignaient`

`Passé simple (simple past, literary)`

`Passé simple (simple past, literary) of the verb craindre`
`je`	`craignis`
`tu`	`craignis`
`il`	`craignit`
`nous`	`craignîmes`
`vous`	`craignîtes`
`ils`	`craignirent`

`Futur simple (simple future)`

`Futur simple (simple future) of the verb craindre`
`je`	`craindrai`
`tu`	`craindras`
`il`	`craindra`
`nous`	`craindrons`
`vous`	`craindrez`
`ils`	`craindront`

`Passé composé (compound past)`

`Passé composé (compound past) of the verb craindre`
`j’`	`ai craint`
`tu`	`as craint`
`il`	`a craint`
`nous`	`avons craint`
`vous`	`avez craint`
`ils`	`ont craint`

`Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect)`

`Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) of the verb craindre`
`j’`	`avais craint`
`tu`	`avais craint`
`il`	`avait craint`
`nous`	`avions craint`
`vous`	`aviez craint`
`ils`	`avaient craint`

`Passé antérieur (past anterior)`

`Passé antérieur (past anterior) of the verb craindre`
`j’`	`eus craint`
`tu`	`eus craint`
`il`	`eut craint`
`nous`	`eûmes craint`
`vous`	`eûtes craint`
`ils`	`eurent craint`

`Futur antérieur (future perfect)`

`Futur antérieur (future perfect) of the verb craindre`
`j’`	`aurai craint`
`tu`	`auras craint`
`il`	`aura craint`
`nous`	`aurons craint`
`vous`	`aurez craint`
`ils`	`auront craint`

Conditionnel (conditional): craindre

`Conditionnel présent (present conditional)`

`Conditionnel présent (present conditional) of the verb craindre`
`je`	`craindrais`
`tu`	`craindrais`
`il`	`craindrait`
`nous`	`craindrions`
`vous`	`craindriez`
`ils`	`craindraient`

`Conditionnel passé (past conditional)`

`Conditionnel passé (past conditional) of the verb craindre`
`j’`	`aurais craint`
`tu`	`aurais craint`
`il`	`aurait craint`
`nous`	`aurions craint`
`vous`	`auriez craint`
`ils`	`auraient craint`

Subjonctif (subjunctive): craindre

`Subjonctif présent (present subjunctive)`

`Subjonctif présent (present subjunctive) of the verb craindre`
`que je`	`craigne`
`que tu`	`craignes`
`qu’il`	`craigne`
`que nous`	`craignions`
`que vous`	`craigniez`
`qu’ils`	`craignent`

`Subjonctif passé (past subjunctive)`

`Subjonctif passé (past subjunctive) of the verb craindre`
`que j’`	`aie craint`
`que tu`	`aies craint`
`qu’il`	`ait craint`
`que nous`	`ayons craint`
`que vous`	`ayez craint`
`qu’ils`	`aient craint`

`Subjonctif imparfait (imperfect subjunctive)`

`Subjonctif imparfait (imperfect subjunctive) of the verb craindre`
`que je`	`craignisse`
`que tu`	`craignisses`
`qu’il`	`craignît`
`que nous`	`craignissions`
`que vous`	`craignissiez`
`qu’ils`	`craignissent`

`Subjonctif plus-que-parfait (pluperfect subjunctive)`

`Subjonctif plus-que-parfait (pluperfect subjunctive) of the verb craindre`
`que j’`	`eusse craint`
`que tu`	`eusses craint`
`qu’il`	`eût craint`
`que nous`	`eussions craint`
`que vous`	`eussiez craint`
`qu’ils`	`eussent craint`

Impératif (imperative): craindre

`Impératif présent (imperative)`

`Impératif présent (imperative) of the verb craindre`
`(tu)`	`crains`
`(nous)`	`craignons`
`(vous)`	`craignez`

`Impératif passé (past imperative)`

`Impératif passé (past imperative) of the verb craindre`
`(tu)`	`aie craint`
`(nous)`	`ayons craint`
`(vous)`	`ayez craint`

Infinitive, participles and gerund of craindre

`Non-personal forms of the verb craindre`
`Infinitif présent (present infinitive)`	`craindre`
`Infinitif passé (past infinitive)`	`avoir craint`
`Participe présent (present participle)`	`craignant`
`Participe passé (past participle)`	`craint (masc. sing.), crainte (fem. sing.), craints (masc. pl.), craintes (fem. pl.)`
`Gérondif présent (gerund, “while doing”)`	`en craignant`
`Gérondif passé (past gerund)`	`en ayant craint`

Example sentences with craindre

Real French sentences, with the conjugated form in bold, followed by the tense.

Mon petit frère craint le noir. Présent (present tense)
Autrefois, on craignait les loups dans cette forêt. Imparfait (imperfect)
Je crains que le match ne soit annulé. Présent (present tense)
Cette nuit-là, nous avons craint l’orage. Passé composé (compound past)
Ne crains rien, je suis là pour te protéger. Impératif présent (imperative)
Il ne faut pas que tu craignes de te tromper. Subjonctif présent (present subjunctive)
Les villageois craignirent le pire quand la cloche sonna. Passé simple (simple past, literary)
Un jour, tu ne craindras plus l’eau. Futur simple (simple future)

Watch out with craindre

Use avoir

In compound tenses craindre takes avoir (j’ai craint). The participle craint agrees only with a direct object placed before the verb.

Irregular stems

Learn the stems, not the endings: the present is je crains / nous craignons / ils craignent, and the future and conditional use craindr- (je craindrai, je craindrais).

Other verbs to learn with craindre

être to be
avoir to have
aller to go
faire to do, to make
dire to say, to tell
pouvoir to be able to, can
vouloir to want
devoir to have to, must
savoir to know
voir to see
venir to come
prendre to take

Review the French tenses

Présent de l’indicatif present tense
Imparfait de l’indicatif imperfect
Passé simple simple past, literary
Futur simple simple future
Passé composé compound past
Plus-que-parfait pluperfect
Passé antérieur past anterior
Futur antérieur future perfect
Conditionnel présent present conditional
Conditionnel passé past conditional
Subjonctif présent present subjunctive
Subjonctif passé past subjunctive
Subjonctif imparfait imperfect subjunctive
Subjonctif plus-que-parfait pluperfect subjunctive
Impératif présent imperative
Impératif passé past imperative
Infinitif présent et passé infinitive, present and past
Participe présent et gérondif present participle and gerund
Participe passé past participle

Questions about craindre

`How do you conjugate craindre (to fear) in the present tense?`

In the présent: je crains, tu crains, il craint, nous craignons, vous craignez, ils craignent.

`Does craindre take être or avoir in the passé composé?`

craindre takes avoir in compound tenses: j’ai craint, nous avons craint. The past participle is craint.

`What are the future and conditional forms of craindre?`

Futur simple: je craindrai. Conditionnel présent: je craindrais. Both are built on the same stem (craindr-).

Print it

The complete conjugation chart of craindre on A4 sheets in black and white, ready for your binder or flashcards.

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