Languages › French How to Conjugate "Danser" (to Dance) You'll "Dance" Right Through This French Verb Conjugation Lesson Print Thomas Barwick / Getty Images French Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on April 21, 2019 When you want "to dance" in French, which verb would you use? If you answered danser, then you'd be correct. The similarity of the English and French words makes it an easy one to remember. It's also a relatively simple verb to conjugate into the past, present, or future tense. Conjugating the French Verb Danser Danser is a regular -er verb. It follows a standard verb conjugation pattern which is found in the majority of French verbs. This means that learning it is just a little easier, particularly if you've already memorized words like décider (to decide) and cuisiner (to cook). For the simplest verb conjugations, begin by identifying the verb stem: dans-. To this, we will add a variety of infinitive endings to pair the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense of the subject. For instance, "I dance" becomes "je danse" while "we will dance" is "nous danserons." Subject Present Future Imperfect je danse danserai dansais tu danses danseras dansais il danse dansera dansait nous dansons danserons dansions vous dansez danserez dansiez ils dansent danseront dansaient Read More How Is "Enseigner" (to Teach) Conjugated in French? By ThoughtCo Team The Present Participle of Danser Add the ending -ant to the stem of danser to create the present participle dansant. This is a verb, though it can be an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. The Past Participle and Passé Composé The passé composé is a common form of the past tense "danced" in French. To construct it, conjugate the auxiliary verb avoir to match the subject pronoun, then attach the past participle dansé. It's quite simple when it comes together. For example, "I danced" is "j'ai dansé" and "we danced" is "nous avons dansé." More Simple Danser Conjugations There may be times when you need to use one of the following forms of danser as well. However, the conjugations above should be your primary focus at first. You can use the subjunctive verb mood when the action of dancing is uncertain. In a similar fashion, the conditional verb mood implies that the dancing will only occur if something else happens. In literature, you may also come across the passé simple or the imperfect subjunctive. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passé Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je danse danserais dansai dansasse tu danses danserais dansas dansasses il danse danserait dansa dansât nous dansions danserions dansâmes dansassions vous dansiez danseriez dansâtes dansassiez ils dansent danseraient dansèrent dansassent For stating danser in short exclamations, requests, or demands, the imperative form is used. For instance, "Let's dance!" is "Dansons !" When creating these, skip the subject pronoun as it's implied in the verb itself. Imperative (tu) danse (nous) dansons (vous) dansez Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "How to Conjugate "Danser" (to Dance)." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/danser-to-dance-1370055. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). How to Conjugate "Danser" (to Dance). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/danser-to-dance-1370055 Team, ThoughtCo. "How to Conjugate "Danser" (to Dance)." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/danser-to-dance-1370055 (accessed April 27, 2024). copy citation By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies