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French · Verb · #835 most common

garder

to keep
to watch

Regular1st ending

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

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jegarde
tugardes
il/ellegarde
nousgardons
vousgardez
ils/ellesgardent

Je garde toujours mes promesses.

I always keep my promises.

Elle garde son calme pendant les tempêtes.

She keeps her calm during storms.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai gardé
tuas gardé
il/ellea gardé
nousavons gardé
vousavez gardé
ils/ellesont gardé

Nous avons gardé le secret pendant des années.

We kept the secret for years.

Ils ont gardé leurs souvenirs dans un album.

They kept their memories in an album.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jegardais
tugardais
il/ellegardait
nousgardions
vousgardiez
ils/ellesgardaient

Quand j'étais enfant, je gardais mes jouets bien rangés.

When I was a child, I kept my toys well organized.

Elle gardait toujours un œil sur son petit frère.

She always kept an eye on her little brother.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jegarderai
tugarderas
il/ellegardera
nousgardons
vousgarderez
ils/ellesgarderont

Demain, je garderai le chien pendant que tu es au travail.

Tomorrow, I will keep the dog while you are at work.

Ils garderont la maison propre pour les invités.

They will keep the house clean for the guests.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jegarderais
tugarderais
il/ellegarderait
nousgarderions
vousgarderiez
ils/ellesgarderait

Je garderais ce livre si je le trouvais.

I would keep this book if I found it.

Elle garderait son emploi si elle avait plus de temps.

She would keep her job if she had more time.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

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

jegarde
tugardes
il/ellegarde
nousgardions
vousgardiez
ils/ellesgardent

Il faut que je garde mon calme.

I need to keep my calm.

Bien que tu sois fatigué, il est important que tu gardes espoir.

Although you are tired, it is important that you keep hope.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

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

Avant de partir, j'avais gardé tous mes documents en ordre.

Before leaving, I had kept all my documents in order.

Elle avait gardé le meilleur pour la fin.

She had kept the best for last.

"garder" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "garder" regular or irregular in French?
"garder" is a regular 1st verb in French. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for 1st verbs.
How do you conjugate "garder" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "garder" conjugates as: garde, gardes, gardons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "garder" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "garder" conjugates as: ai gardé, as gardé, avons gardé, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "garder" in French?
"garder" (to keep, to watch) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.