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French · Verb · #259 most common

plaindre

to pity
to complain

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.

jeplains
tuplains
il/elleplaint
nousplaignons
vousplaignez
ils/ellesplaignent

Je plains souvent les personnes en difficulté.

I often pity people in difficulty.

Elle plaint son ami qui a perdu son emploi.

She pities her friend who lost his job.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

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

Nous avons plaint les victimes de l'accident.

We pitied the victims of the accident.

Ils ont plaint leur voisin malade.

They pitied their sick neighbor.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jeplaignais
tuplaignais
il/elleplaignait
nousplaignions
vousplaigniez
ils/ellesplaignaient

Quand j'étais enfant, je plaignais souvent les animaux abandonnés.

When I was a child, I often pitied abandoned animals.

Elle plaignait toujours ceux qui souffraient.

She always pitied those who were suffering.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jeplaindrai
tuplaindras
il/elleplaindra
nousplaindrons
vousplaindrez
ils/ellesplaindront

Demain, je plaindrai ceux qui ont perdu leurs maisons.

Tomorrow, I will pity those who lost their homes.

Ils plaindront les enfants qui n'ont pas de famille.

They will pity the children who have no family.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jeplaindrais
tuplaindrais
il/elleplaindrait
nousplaindrions
vousplaindriez
ils/ellesplaindraient

Je te plaindrais si tu avais des problèmes.

I would pity you if you had problems.

Elle plaindrait les gens qui souffrent en silence.

She would pity people who suffer in silence.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

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

jeplaigne
tuplaignes
il/elleplaigne
nousplaignions
vousplaigniez
ils/ellesplaignent

Il faut que je plaigne ceux qui sont dans le besoin.

It is necessary that I pity those who are in need.

Bien qu'elle plaigne souvent les autres, elle oublie de se plaindre.

Although she often pities others, she forgets to pity herself.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

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

J'avais plaint mon ami avant qu'il ne parte.

I had pitied my friend before he left.

Ils avaient plaint les victimes avant de partir.

They had pitied the victims before leaving.

"plaindre" in other languages

Related verbs

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