Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Introduction to the verb tendre
The English translation of the French verb tendre is “to stretch” or “to reach for.” It is pronounced “tahn-dr” in its infinitive form.
Tendre comes from the Latin word tendere, which also means “to stretch.” In everyday French, tendre is most often used in the sense of stretching out one’s hand to reach for something, or in a figurative sense of striving towards a goal.
Examples:
- Je tends la main pour attraper le livre sur l’étagère. (I stretch out my hand to grab the book on the shelf.)
- Le chat tend sa patte pour attraper la souris. (The cat stretches out its paw to catch the mouse.)
- Il faut toujours tendre vers l’excellence. (We must always strive for excellence.)
Tendre – About the French Present Tense
To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Common Everyday Usage Patterns For Le Present
Interactions with Other Tenses
Table of the Present Tense Conjugation of tendre
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Je | tends | Je tends la main. | I hold out my hand. |
Tu | tends | Tu tends une perche. | You are offering a lifeline. |
Il | tend | Il tend vers le haut. | He reaches upwards. |
Elle | tend | Elle tend une serviette. | She hands a towel. |
On | tend | On tend un filet. | One is casting a net. |
Nous | tendons | Nous tendons la corde. | We are holding the rope. |
Vous | tendez | Vous tendez l’oreille. | You are listening closely. |
Ils | tendent | Ils tendent la main. | They are reaching out their hand. |
Elles | tendent | Elles tendent un piège. | They are setting a trap. |
Other Conjugations for Tendre.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb tendre (this article)
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tendre
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