Skip to content
French · Verb · #417 most common

feindre

to pretend
to feign

Irregular3rd ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jefeins
tufeins
il/ellefeint
nousfeignons
vousfeignez
ils/ellesfeignent
2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai feint
tuas feint
il/ellea feint
nousavons feint
vousavez feint
ils/ellesont feint
3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jefeignais
tufeignais
il/ellefeignait
nousfeignions
vousfeigniez
ils/ellesfeignaient

Quand j'étais enfant, je feignais souvent d'être un super-héros.

When I was a child, I often pretended to be a superhero.

Tu feignais toujours d'être occupé pour éviter les corvées.

You always pretended to be busy to avoid chores.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jefeindrai
tufeindras
il/ellefeindra
nousfeindrons
vousfeindrez
ils/ellesfeindront

Demain, elle feindra d'être occupée pour ne pas sortir.

Tomorrow, she will pretend to be busy to avoid going out.

Ils feindront de ne pas comprendre les instructions.

They will pretend not to understand the instructions.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jefeindrais
tufeindrais
il/ellefeindrait
nousfeindrions
vousfeindriez
ils/ellesfeindraient

Je feindrais une maladie si j'avais un examen demain.

I would feign an illness if I had an exam tomorrow.

Tu feindrais d'être d'accord pour éviter un conflit.

You would pretend to agree to avoid a conflict.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jefeigne
tufeignes
il/ellefeigne
nousfeignions
vousfeigniez
ils/ellesfeignent

Il faut que tu feignes d'être calme pendant la réunion.

You need to pretend to be calm during the meeting.

Je souhaite qu'elle feigne de s'intéresser au projet.

I wish she would pretend to be interested in the project.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais feint
tuavais feint
il/elleavait feint
nousavions feint
vousaviez feint
ils/ellesavaient feint

Avant de partir, il avait feint d'être malade.

Before leaving, he had feigned being sick.

Nous avions feint de ne pas savoir la vérité.

We had pretended not to know the truth.

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "feindre" regular or irregular in French?
"feindre" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "feindre" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "feindre" conjugates as: feins, feins, feignons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "feindre" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "feindre" conjugates as: ai feint, as feint, avons feint, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "feindre" in French?
"feindre" (to pretend, to feign) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.