Learn How "Déménager" Can Help You "Move House" in French

Simple French Verb Conjugations With a Quirky Spelling

Time to get packed and move on
It's easy to conjugate "to move" in French. PeopleImages / Getty Images

In French, the noun nouvelle maison means "new house." When "moving" to that new house, the verb  déménager is used. Literally "to move," this verb must be conjugated when using it in the past, present, or future tense. 

Conjugating the French Verb Déménager

Déménager is a spelling change verb and that makes it a bit of a challenge to conjugate. It follows a pattern found in other verbs that end in -ger such as bouger (to move). As you will see, in some conjugations an 'E' is added after the 'G.' This is to retain the soft 'G' sound before an ending that begins with an 'A' or 'O.'

Other than that, conjugating déménager is relatively simple. To transform it, pair the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense. For instance, "I move" is "je déménage" and "we will move" is "nous déménagerons."

Subject Present Future Imperfect
je déménage déménagerai déménageais
tu déménages déménageras déménageais
il déménage déménagera déménageait
nous déménageons déménagerons déménagions
vous déménagez déménagerez déménagiez
ils déménagent déménageront déménageaient

The Present Participle of Déménager

The present participle of déménager is déménageant. It is not just a verb, but can also act as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances.

The Past Participle and Passé Composé

Beyond the imperfect, the passé composé is another common way to express the past tense in French. To form this, begin by conjugating the auxiliary verb avoir to the subject pronoun. Then, add the past participle déménagé.

For instance, "I moved" is "j'ai déménagé" and "we moved" is "nous avons déménagé."

More Simple Déménager Conjugations to Know

The most important conjugations to study are those above. There are also times when you will need to know a few more simple forms of déménager. For instance, if the action of moving is somehow questionable, you might employ either the subjunctive or the conditional verb moods.

In rare instances and most often in writing, you may also encounter the passé simple or the imperfect subjunctive. While not vital to most students' French studies, it's a good idea to be able to recognize these.

Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passé Simple Imperfect Subjunctive
je déménage déménagerais déménageai déménageasse
tu déménages déménagerais déménageas déménageasses
il déménage déménagerait déménagea déménageât
nous déménagions déménagerions déménageâmes déménageassions
vous déménagiez déménageriez déménageâtes déménageassiez
ils déménagent déménageraient déménagèrent déménageassent

In the imperative verb formdéménager can be used in short and often assertive commands or requests. When using it, skip the subject pronoun: use "déménage" rather than "tu déménage."

Imperative
(tu) déménage
(nous) déménageons
(vous) déménagez
Format
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Your Citation
Team, ThoughtCo. "Learn How "Déménager" Can Help You "Move House" in French." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/demenager-to-move-house-1370098. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). Learn How "Déménager" Can Help You "Move House" in French. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/demenager-to-move-house-1370098 Team, ThoughtCo. "Learn How "Déménager" Can Help You "Move House" in French." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/demenager-to-move-house-1370098 (accessed March 29, 2024).