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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essayer

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The English translation of the French verb essayer is “to try” or “to attempt.” It is pronounced as “eh-seh-yay.”

The origin of the word essayer comes from the Old French word “essai,” meaning “trial” or “attempt.” It is related to the Latin word “exagium,” which means “weighing” or “trial.”

In everyday French, essayer is most often used to express the action of trying or attempting something. It can also be used to express the idea of experimenting or testing something.

Examples in L’impératif Présent tense:

  1. Essaie de comprendre – Try to understand.
  2. Essayons cette recette – Let’s try this recipe.
  3. Essaient de résoudre le problème – They are trying to solve the problem.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je essaie J’essaie de comprendre. I’m trying to understand.
tu essaie Essaie encore une fois. Try again.
il essaie Il essaie de trouver une solution. He is trying to find a solution.
elle essaie Elle essaie toujours de nouvelles recettes. She always tries new recipes.
on essaie On essaie de réduire notre impact environnemental. We are trying to reduce our environmental impact.
nous essayons Essayons de résoudre ce problème ensemble. Let’s try to solve this problem together.
vous essayez Essayez cette nouvelle application. Try this new app.
ils essaient Ils essaient de terminer le projet à temps. They are trying to finish the project on time.
elles essaient Elles essaient de trouver un nouveau job. They are trying to find a new job.

Other Conjugations for Essayer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essayer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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Essayer – 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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