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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb espérer

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The English translation of the French verb espérer is “to hope.” It is pronounced “es-peh-rey.”

Espérer comes from the Latin word “sperare,” which means “to hope.” It was later adopted into Old French as “esperer” and eventually evolved into the modern French “espérer.”

In everyday French, espérer is most often used in the L’impératif Présent tense to give commands or express wishes. It is also used in a more formal context to give advice or make suggestions.

Three simple examples of espérer used in the L’impératif Présent tense are:

  1. Espère un meilleur futur. (Hope for a better future.)
  2. N’espérez pas trop. (Don’t hope too much.)
  3. Espérons que tout se passe bien. (Let’s hope everything goes well.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je espère Espère bien réussir. Hope to succeed.
tu espère Espère que tu viendras. Hope you will come.
il espère Espère qu’il sera présent. Hope he will be there.
elle espère Espère qu’elle trouvera un emploi. Hope she will find a job.
on espère Espérons que le temps sera beau. Let’s hope the weather will be nice.
nous espérons Espérons que tout se passera bien. Let’s hope everything goes well.
vous espérez Espérez-vous partir bientôt? Are you hoping to leave soon?
ils espèrent Espèrent gagner le match. They hope to win the game.
elles espèrent Espèrent obtenir de bonnes notes. They hope to get good grades.

Other Conjugations for Espérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb espérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Espérer – 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.

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