Prendre Conjugation Present Tense – French

About The French verb prendre

Meaning of prendre

The French verb prendre means “to take” in the present tense.

Examples:

1. Je prends le train. (I take the train.)
2. Tu prends une pause. (You take a break.)
3. Il prend un café. (He takes a coffee.)
4. Elle prend des notes. (She takes notes.)
5. Nous prenons nos vacances en été. (We take our vacation in the summer.)

Main Uses of the Verb Prendre

The French verb “prendre” means “to take.” You use it when you want to say you are picking up something, like “Je prends un stylo” (I take a pen). It’s also used for transportation, like “prendre le bus” (to take the bus). You can use it for eating or drinking too, like “prendre le petit déjeuner” (to have breakfast). Lastly, it’s handy for showing that you’re taking action, like “prendre une décision” (to make a decision).

Differences Compared to English

In French, the verb “prendre” means “to take,” but it is used in different ways compared to English. For example, French people say “prendre un repas” to mean “have a meal,” while in English, we would use “have” instead of “take.” In French, you might also hear “prendre un bus” for “take a bus,” which is similar to English. However, “prendre froid” means “to catch a cold,” showing another difference. These variations show that even simple verbs can change a lot between languages.

Chart – Present Tense Conjugation of Prendre

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example Usage	English Translation
je	prends	Je prends le train.	I take the train.
tu	prends	Tu prends un café.	You drink a coffee.
il	prend	Il prend son temps.	He takes his time.
elle	prend	Elle prend des notes.	She takes notes.
on	prend	On prend le bus.	We take the bus.
nous	prenons	Nous prenons le petit-déjeuner ensemble.	We have breakfast together.
vous	prenez	Vous prenez un sandwich.	You eat a sandwich.
ils	prennent	Ils prennent des photos.	They take photos.
elles	prennent	Elles prennent un bain.	They take a bath.

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Another Common Verb Conjugation

If you enjoyed this conjugation you may want to see another common French verb conjugation: croire conjugated in French present tense or mettre conjugated in present tense.

Alternatively you can also check out the full prendre conjugation in all tenses.