How to Conjugate "Allmer" (to Light)

How would you say "light" in French? If you're using the word as a noun, it is la lumière or la lampe. Yet, if you want to say "to light" something, you need the verb allumer.

As with all French verbs, however, we must learn to conjugate allumer. As this is a regular verb, it is a relatively easy one to work with and a quick lesson will show you how.

Conjugating the French Verb Allumer

Allumer is a regular -ER verb. It will follow the same pattern changes as similar verbs, which makes learning these a little faster once you can recognize the pattern.

To use this conjugation chart, simply match the subject pronoun you need to the present, future, or imperfect past tense. For instance, "I light" is "j'allume" and "we will light" is "nous allumerons."

Subject	Present	Future	Imperfect
j'	allume	allumerai	allumais
tu	allumes	allumeras	allumais
il	allume	allumera	allumait
nous	allumons	allumerons	allumions
vous	allumez	allumerez	allumiez
ils	allument	allumeront	allumaient

What Is the Present Participle of Allumer?

The present participle of allumer is allumant. If you notice, we simply replaced the -er ending with -ant, which is equivalent to the English -ing. Beyond the verb, allumant can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun when necessary.

What Is the Passé Composé of Allumer?

Rather than use the imperfect for the past tense, it's common in French to use the passé composé. You will conjugate the auxiliary verb avoir and use the past participle allumé along with the subject pronoun.

For instance, "I lit" is "j'ai allumé" and "we lit" is "nouse avons allumé." You should note that ai and avons are conjugates of avoir.

More Conjugations of Allumer

From time to time, you may need to use one of the following conjugations of allumer. The rarest of them are the passé simple and imperfect subjunctive, which are utilized most often in formal writing.

The subjunctive and conditional are more common and both suggest a degree of ambiguity to the action of the verb. The subjunctive is for those times when the verb is uncertain. The conditional for the times when it may or may not happen.

Subject	Subjunctive	Conditional	Passé Simple	Imperfect Subjunctive
j'	allume	allumerais	allumai	allumasse
tu	allumes	allumerais	allumas	allumasses
il	allume	allumerait	alluma	allumât
nous	allumions	allumerions	allumâmes	allumassions
vous	allumiez	allumeriez	allumâtes	allumassiez
ils	allument	allumeraient	allumèrent	allumassent

You can use the imperative form to express short, direct commands or requests. When doing so, there is no need to use the subject pronoun as it is implied with the form of allumer. Instead of "nous allumons," you can simplify it to "allumons."

	Imperative
(tu)	allume
(nous)	allumons
(vous)	allumez