L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cuver

Get the L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) tense conjugation of cuver. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb cuver is “to recover” or “to sleep off.” It is pronounced “koo-vay.”

Cuver comes from the Old French word “covrer,” which meant “to cover.” Over time, it evolved to also mean “to sleep off” after a night of drinking or indulging in excess. Today, it is most commonly used in everyday French in the l’impératif présent tense to give commands or make requests.

Examples:

  1. Arrête de boire et va te coucher pour cuver! (Stop drinking and go to sleep to recover!)

  2. Cuve bien avant de prendre la route. (Sleep off before hitting the road.)

  3. Cuvez un peu avant de continuer à fêter. (Sleep it off a bit before continuing to party.)

Table of the L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of cuver

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je cuve Cuve avant de boire. Soak before drinking.
tu cuve Cuve pour éviter la gueule de bois. Soak to avoid a hangover.
il cuve Il cuit son pain dans un cuvier. He bakes his bread in a trough.
elle cuve Elle cuve après une soirée arrosée. She is recovering after a wild night.
on cuve On cuve mieux avec un bon petit-déjeuner. We recover better with a good breakfast.
nous cuvons Cuvons ensemble pour célébrer ça. Let’s drink together to celebrate.
vous cuvez Cuvez avec modération. Drink in moderation.
ils cuvent Ils cuvent leur vin en tonneau. They age their wine in barrels.
elles cuvent Elles cuvent leur chagrin. They are nursing their sorrow.

Other Conjugations for Cuver.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver  (this article)

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuver

   

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the cuver L’impératif Présent tense conjugation!

Cuver – About the French L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense

L’impératif Présent is a mood in the French language that is used to give commands, make requests, offer advice, or express a desire in the present tense. It’s a relatively simple tense and is used to address someone directly. Let’s dive into its usage, conjugation, and interactions with other tenses:
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Usage

Giving commands

You use l’impératif présent to give direct commands or orders. It is often used in informal and formal situations to tell someone to do or not do something. For example:

   – Mange ta soupe. (Eat your soup.)
   – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

Making requests

You can also use the imperative to make polite requests. In this case, it is a gentler way to ask someone to do something. For example:
  
   – Parle plus lentement, s’il te plaît. (Speak more slowly, please.)

Offering advice

It’s common to use l’impératif to give advice or suggestions:
   – Étudie bien pour ton examen. (Study well for your exam.)

Expressing desires

You can express your desires or wishes using the imperative:
   – Amuse-toi bien à la fête. (Have a good time at the party.)

Conjugation Formation

To form l’impératif présent, you need to use the base form of the verb without the subject pronoun (tu, nous, vous, etc.). The conjugation varies depending on the type of verb:
Regular -ER verbs (e.g., parler)
  – Tu: Parle (speak)
  – Nous: Parlons (let’s speak)
  – Vous: Parlez (speak)
Regular -IR verbs (e.g., finir)
  – Tu: Finis (finish)
  – Nous: Finissons (let’s finish)
  – Vous: Finissez (finish)
Regular -RE verbs (e.g., vendre)
  – Tu: Vends (sell)
  – Nous: Vendons (let’s sell)
  – Vous: Vendez (sell)
Irregular verbs (e.g., être, avoir, aller)
  – Tu: Sois (be), aie (have), va (go)
  – Nous: Soyons (let’s be), ayons (let’s have), allons (let’s go)
  – Vous: Soyez (be), ayez (have), allez (go)

Interactions with other tenses

L’impératif is used exclusively in the present tense and does not interact with other tenses in the same way as indicative or subjunctive moods. 
It’s used for direct commands and requests in the here and now. However, in more formal or written contexts, you might find the imperative used with expressions like “quand tu auras fini” (when you have finished) or “dès que tu seras prêt” (as soon as you are ready), which introduce a future action while maintaining the imperative mood for the main verb.
For example:
– Quand tu auras fini ton travail, viens me voir. (When you have finished your work, come see me.)
In this case, the imperative is used in conjunction with future actions, but it’s still employed for the main verb to convey a sense of directness or immediacy.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb cuver. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts