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Definition 2025
surprendre
surprendre
French
Verb
surprendre
Related terms
Conjugation
This verb is conjugated on the model of prendre. That means it is quite irregular, with the following patterns:
- In the infinitive, in the singular forms of the present indicative, and in the future and the conditional, it is conjugated like rendre, perdre, etc. (sometimes called the regular -re verbs).
- In the plural forms of the present indicative and imperative, in the imperfect indicative, in the present subjunctive, and in the present participle, it is conjugated like appeler or jeter, using the stem surprenn- before mute ‘e’ and the stem surpren- elsewhere.
- In the past participle, and in the past historic and the imperfect subjunctive, its conjugation resembles that of mettre.
Conjugation of surprendre (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | surprendre | avoir surpris | |||||
| gerund | en surprenant | en ayant surpris | |||||
| present participle | surprenant /syʁ.pʁə.nɑ̃/ |
||||||
| past participle | surpris /syʁ.pʁi/ |
||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | surprends /syʁ.pʁɑ̃/ |
surprends /syʁ.pʁɑ̃/ |
surprend /syʁ.pʁɑ̃/ |
surprenons /syʁ.pʁə.nɔ̃/ |
surprenez /syʁ.pʁə.ne/ |
surprennent /syʁ.pʁɛn/ |
| imperfect | surprenais /syʁ.pʁə.nɛ/ |
surprenais /syʁ.pʁə.nɛ/ |
surprenait /syʁ.pʁə.nɛ/ |
surprenions /syʁ.pʁə.njɔ̃/ |
surpreniez /syʁ.pʁə.nje/ |
surprenaient /syʁ.pʁə.nɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | surpris /syʁ.pʁi/ |
surpris /syʁ.pʁi/ |
surprit /syʁ.pʁi/ |
surprîmes /syʁ.pʁim/ |
surprîtes /syʁ.pʁit/ |
surprirent /syʁ.pʁiʁ/ |
|
| future | surprendrai /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁe/ |
surprendras /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁa/ |
surprendra /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁa/ |
surprendrons /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
surprendrez /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁe/ |
surprendront /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | surprendrais /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
surprendrais /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
surprendrait /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
surprendrions /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁi.jɔ̃/ |
surprendriez /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁi.je/ |
surprendraient /syʁ.pʁɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
|
| 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 | surprenne /syʁ.pʁɛn/ |
surprennes /syʁ.pʁɛn/ |
surprenne /syʁ.pʁɛn/ |
surprenions /syʁ.pʁə.njɔ̃/ |
surpreniez /syʁ.pʁə.nje/ |
surprennent /syʁ.pʁɛn/ |
| imperfect1 |
surprisse /syʁ.pʁis/ |
surprisses /syʁ.pʁis/ |
surprît /syʁ.pʁi/ |
surprissions /syʁ.pʁi.sjɔ̃/ |
surprissiez /syʁ.pʁi.sje/ |
surprissent /syʁ.pʁis/ |
|
| 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 | – | |
| — | surprends /syʁ.pʁɑ̃/ |
— | surprenons /syʁ.pʁə.nɔ̃/ |
surprenez /syʁ.pʁə.ne/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||
Middle French
Verb
surprendre
- to surprise
- to take (something) over; to seize
- 1560, Jean Longis, Robert le Mangnier, Le Premier livre d'Amadis de Gaule, page CCXXVII
- Ne voyez vous comme il a traité ceux du chasteau qu'il a surprins ?
- Don't you see how he treat those from the castle he seized?
- Ne voyez vous comme il a traité ceux du chasteau qu'il a surprins ?
- 1560, Jean Longis, Robert le Mangnier, Le Premier livre d'Amadis de Gaule, page CCXXVII
Related terms
- surprins adj