essuyer
to wipe
In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.
1.Présent
Présent
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| je | essuie |
| tu | essuies |
| il/elle | essuie |
| nous | essuyons |
| vous | essuyez |
| ils/elles | essuient |
Je essuie la table après le dîner.
I wipe the table after dinner.
Ils essuient les verres avant de les ranger.
They wipe the glasses before putting them away.
2.Passé Composé
Passé Composé
Completed past actions with present relevance.
| je | j'ai essuyé |
| tu | tu as essuyé |
| il/elle | il/elle a essuyé |
| nous | nous avons essuyé |
| vous | vous avez essuyé |
| ils/elles | ils/elles ont essuyé |
J'ai essuyé le comptoir ce matin.
I wiped the countertop this morning.
Elle a essuyé ses larmes après avoir pleuré.
She wiped her tears after crying.
3.Imparfait
Imparfait
Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.
| je | essuyais |
| tu | essuyais |
| il/elle | essuyait |
| nous | essuyions |
| vous | essuyiez |
| ils/elles | essuyaient |
Quand j'étais enfant, je essuyais toujours la vaisselle.
When I was a child, I always wiped the dishes.
Nous essuyions le sol chaque semaine.
We wiped the floor every week.
4.Futur Simple
Futur Simple
Future events, promises, and formal predictions.
| je | essuierai |
| tu | essuieras |
| il/elle | essuiera |
| nous | essuierons |
| vous | essuierez |
| ils/elles | essuieront |
Demain, je essuierai le tableau blanc.
Tomorrow, I will wipe the whiteboard.
Ils essuieront les meubles avant la visite.
They will wipe the furniture before the visit.
5.Conditionnel Présent
Conditionnel Présent
Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.
| je | essuierais |
| tu | essuierais |
| il/elle | essuierait |
| nous | essuierions |
| vous | essuieriez |
| ils/elles | essuieraient |
Je essuierais le miroir si j'avais le temps.
I would wipe the mirror if I had the time.
Elle essuierait la poussière si elle le pouvait.
She would wipe the dust if she could.
6.Subjonctif Présent
Subjonctif Présent
Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.
| je | essuie |
| tu | essuies |
| il/elle | essuie |
| nous | essuyions |
| vous | essuyiez |
| ils/elles | essuient |
Il faut que je essuie la table avant le repas.
It is necessary that I wipe the table before the meal.
Il est important qu'ils essuient les mains après avoir mangé.
It is important that they wipe their hands after eating.
7.Plus-que-parfait
Plus-que-parfait
Actions completed before another past action.
| je | avais essuyé |
| tu | avais essuyé |
| il/elle | avait essuyé |
| nous | avions essuyé |
| vous | aviez essuyé |
| ils/elles | avaient essuyé |
J'avais essuyé le sol avant qu'il ne pleuve.
I had wiped the floor before it rained.
Elle avait essuyé les larmes de son visage.
She had wiped the tears from her face.
Related verbs
Common questions
- Is "essuyer" regular or irregular in French?
- "essuyer" is a regular 1st verb in French. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for 1st verbs.
- How do you conjugate "essuyer" in the present tense?
- In the Présent, "essuyer" conjugates as: essuie, essuies, essuyons, and more. See the full table above.
- What is the past tense of "essuyer" in French?
- In the Passé Composé, "essuyer" conjugates as: j'ai essuyé, tu as essuyé, nous avons essuyé, and more. See the full table above.
- How common is "essuyer" in French?
- "essuyer" (to wipe) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.