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Definition 2024
compléter
compléter
See also: completer
French
Verb
compléter
- to complete
Related terms
Conjugation
This verb is conjugated like céder. It is a regular -er verb, except that its last stem vowel alternates between /e/ (written ‘é’) and /ɛ/ (written ‘è’), with the latter being used before mute ‘e’. One special case is the future stem, used in the future and the conditional. Before 1990, the future stem of such verbs was written compléter-, reflecting the historic pronunciation /e/. In 1990, the French Academy recommended that it be written complèter-, reflecting the now common pronunciation /ɛ/, thereby making this distinction consistent throughout the conjugation (and also matching in this regard the conjugations of verbs like lever and jeter). Both spellings are in use today, and both are therefore given here.
Conjugation of compléter (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | compléter | avoir complété | |||||
| gerund | en complétant | en ayant complété | |||||
| present participle | complétant /kɔ̃.ple.tɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | complété /kɔ̃.ple.te/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complètes /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complétons /kɔ̃.ple.tɔ̃/ |
complétez /kɔ̃.ple.te/ |
complètent /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
| imperfect | complétais /kɔ̃.ple.tɛ/ |
complétais /kɔ̃.ple.tɛ/ |
complétait /kɔ̃.ple.tɛ/ |
complétions /kɔ̃.ple.tjɔ̃/ |
complétiez /kɔ̃.ple.tje/ |
complétaient /kɔ̃.ple.tɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | complétai /kɔ̃.ple.te/ |
complétas /kɔ̃.ple.ta/ |
compléta /kɔ̃.ple.ta/ |
complétâmes /kɔ̃.ple.tam/ |
complétâtes /kɔ̃.ple.tat/ |
complétèrent /kɔ̃.ple.tɛʁ/ |
|
| future | complèterai or compléterai /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁe/ |
complèteras or compléteras /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁa/ |
complètera or complétera /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁa/ |
complèterons or compléterons /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɔ̃/ |
complèterez or compléterez /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁe/ |
complèteront or compléteront /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | complèterais or compléterais /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɛ/ |
complèterais or compléterais /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɛ/ |
complèterait or compléterait /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɛ/ |
complèterions or compléterions /kɔ̃.plɛ.tə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
complèteriez or compléteriez /kɔ̃.plɛ.tə.ʁje/ |
complèteraient or compléteraient /kɔ̃.plɛ.tʁɛ/ |
|
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior1 | Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complètes /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
complétions /kɔ̃.ple.tjɔ̃/ |
complétiez /kɔ̃.ple.tje/ |
complètent /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
| imperfect1 |
complétasse /kɔ̃.ple.tas/ |
complétasses /kɔ̃.ple.tas/ |
complétât /kɔ̃.ple.ta/ |
complétassions /kɔ̃.ple.ta.sjɔ̃/ |
complétassiez /kɔ̃.ple.ta.sje/ |
complétassent /kɔ̃.ple.tas/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ |
— | complétons /kɔ̃.ple.tɔ̃/ |
complétez /kɔ̃.ple.te/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||