French Verb “Parler” (To Speak): Conjugation, Meaning, and Examples

Having said that, we just need to delve deeper into the conjugation of the verb "to speak" in French and discover how it behaves in all the moods and tenses of the language, which are quite numerous.

Since it's a regular conjugation, you don't need to memorize it: you only need to know the corresponding endings of the first conjugation to form the different verb tenses in the different persons, singular or plural. So, let's begin exploring the conjugation of the verb "parler" (to speak).

You may have noticed that some forms of the subjunctive are identical to some forms of the indicative mood, such as the first-person singular present tense: je parle → I speak (indicative) je parle → let me speak (subjunctive). How can you tell the difference in cases like this? Simply put, you'll need to know how to analyze the context. Based on what is said in the rest of the sentence, you'll be able to understand whether it's one verb form or the other.

For example:

I speak French every day. → I speak French tous les jours.

It is important that you speak French boldly. → It is important that I speak French with courage.

As you can see, the context - and often the subordinating conjunction "that" - will tell you whether it is indicative or subjunctive.

The infinitive of "parler" is, of course, "parler".

As for the participle, we have the form "parlant" in the present tense and "parlé" in the past tense. Furthermore, we have already seen the latter used in the compound forms of the other moods and tenses.

Now that we know the verb "to speak" in French in all its possible forms, all we have to do is see it in action! Let's insert it into some contexts to discover how it behaves within a sentence, learn to recognize it, and familiarize ourselves with its conjugation.

• We talked about our plans for the future. → Now we talk about our projects for the future.
• She spoke to him yesterday.
• They talked about their dreams. → Ils ont parlé de leurs rêves.
• I speak French. → I speak French.
• You'll talk later. → Your chatter avec ta mère later.
• The political orator. → The political orator.
• How did you talk to your sister? → As-tu parlé avec ta sœur?
• Would you like to talk to your teacher? → As-tu parlé avec ton professor?
• We talked about our past vacation. → Let's talk about our past vacation.
• He/She will talk about his/her trip. → Elle parlera de son voyage.
• Have you talked about your work? → As-tu parlé de ton travail ?
• He talks to his friend. → He talks to his friend.
• You talk too much. → You talk too much.
• They talk about their experiences.
• You'll talk to me tomorrow. → You'll talk to me tomorrow.