Appuyer Conjugation in French: Complete Tense Guide and Charts

The French verb appuyer (to press, to lean, to support) belongs to the regular first conjugation group (-er verbs), but it features an important spelling change that often puzzles French learners: the stem alternation between y and i.

Whether you need to say "press the button" (appuyer sur le bouton), "support an argument" (appuyer une idée), or "lean on a railing" (s'appuyer), this comprehensive guide gives you all the conjugation charts, pronunciation notes, and grammatical subtleties.

The Fundamental Stem-Change Rule: Y becomes I

  • The letter y changes to i before a silent e (e muet).
  • The letter y remains unchanged before pronounced vowels (such as -ons and -ez).

    • Verbs ending in -oyer and -uyer (such as nettoyer, essuyer, and appuyer) are subject to a mandatory phonetic spelling rule:

  • J'appuie (ending -e is silent -> i)
  • Nous appuyons (ending -ons is voiced -> y)

    • Compare:

    Complete Conjugation Charts for Appuyer

    Indicative Present (Présent)

Notice the "boot" pattern: all singular forms and the third-person plural switch to i, while nous and vous keep y.

Passé Composé (Compound Past)

Subject Pronoun Conjugation English Equivalent
:--- :--- :---
J' appuie I press / I am pressing
Tu appuies You press (informal)
Il / Elle / On appuie He / She / One presses
Nous appuyons We press
Vous appuyez You press (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles appuient They press

The passé composé uses the auxiliary verb avoir followed by the regular past participle appuyé.

  • J'ai appuyé (I pressed / I have pressed)
  • Tu as appuyé
  • Il / Elle / On a appuyé
  • Nous avons appuyé
  • Vous avez appuyé
  • Ils / Elles ont appuyé

    • Imperfect (Imparfait)

In the imperfect tense, the stem retains the y for all persons. Pay special attention to nous and vous, where both the stem y and the ending i appear together (-yi-).

  • J'appuyais
  • Tu appuyais
  • Il / Elle appuyait
  • Nous appuyions (pronounced with a glide: ah-pwee-yee-on)
  • Vous appuyiez
  • Ils / Elles appuyaient

    • Simple Future (Futur Simple)

Because the future stem ends with a silent e syllable before the endings, every form uses i instead of y.

  • J'appuierai (I will press)
  • Tu appuieras
  • Il / Elle appuiera
  • Nous appuierons
  • Vous appuierez
  • Ils / Elles appuieront

    • Conditional Present (Conditionnel Présent)

The conditional tense retains the same stem modification as the future tense:

  • J'appuierais (I would press)
  • Tu appuierais
  • Il / Elle appuierait
  • Nous appuierions
  • Vous appuieriez
  • Ils / Elles appuieraient

    • Subjunctive Present (Subjonctif Présent)

Just like the indicative present, the subjunctive follows the alternating pattern based on whether the personal ending is silent or sounded:

  • Que j'appuie
  • Que tu appuies
  • Qu'il / elle appuie
  • Que nous appuyions
  • Que vous appuyiez
  • Qu'ils / elles appuient

    • Imperative (Impératif)

Remember that regular -er verbs drop the final s in the singular informal imperative (tu form):

  • Appuie ! (Press! - informal)
  • Appuyons ! (Let's press!)
  • Appuyez ! (Press! - formal/plural)

    • Prepositions and Common Expressions

The meaning of appuyer shifts depending on the preposition that follows:

1. Appuyer sur + noun (to push / press physically):

Appuyez sur la pédale de frein. (Press the brake pedal.)

2. Appuyer + direct object (to back up / endorse / support):

L'avocat appuie sa démonstration par des preuves tangibles. (The lawyer supports his argument with tangible evidence.)

3. S'appuyer contre / sur (reflexive: to lean against / rely upon):

Le vieil homme s'appuie sur une canne. (The elderly man leans on a walking stick.)

Note: In compound tenses, the reflexive verb s'appuyer always conjugates with être (e.g., Elle s'est appuyée sur mon épaule).