Conclure Conjugation French: The Complete Guide and Tense Charts

Learning how to handle conclure conjugation in French is a vital milestone for intermediate and advanced learners. The verb conclure translates primarily to "to conclude", "to finalize", "to wrap up", or "to infer". Because it belongs to the irregular 3rd group of French verbs, it carries a few structural peculiarities that often catch students off guard.

Whether you are drafting a business contract (conclure un accord) or finishing an essay (pour conclure), this detailed reference guide covers all tenses, common pitfalls, pronunciation patterns, and real-life examples.

1. Overview and Key Grammar Rules

Conclure ends in -ure, aligning it with a small family of verbs that includes exclure (to exclude) and inclure (to include).

The Past Participle Trap: Conclu vs. Inclus

  • Conclure forms its past participle as conclu (masculine singular has no silent final consonant).
  • Exclure follows the exact same pattern: exclu.
  • In contrast, inclure takes an "s": inclus.

    • One of the most frequent grammar mistakes involves the past participle:

When agreement applies with direct objects positioned before the auxiliary verb avoir, add regular feminine or plural endings: La négociation qu'il a conclue (The negotiation that he concluded).

2. Indicative Mood (L'indicatif)

The indicative mood describes real, factual situations across time.

Present Tense (Présent)

  • Je conclus (I conclude)
  • Tu conclus (You conclude)
  • Il / Elle / On conclut (He / She / One concludes)
  • Nous concluons (We conclude)
  • Vous concluez (You conclude)
  • Ils / Elles concluent (They conclude)

    • Notice the singular endings (-s, -s, -t) attached directly to the stem conclu-:

    Compound Past (Passé Composé)

  • J'ai conclu (I concluded / have concluded)
  • Tu as conclu (You concluded)
  • Il / Elle / On a conclu (He / She concluded)
  • Nous avons conclu (We concluded)
  • Vous avez conclu (You concluded)
  • Ils / Elles ont conclu (They concluded)

    • Formed using the auxiliary verb avoir followed by the past participle conclu:

    Imperfect (Imparfait)

  • Je concluais (I was concluding / used to conclude)
  • Tu concluais
  • Il / Elle / On concluait
  • Nous concluions
  • Vous concluiez
  • Ils / Elles concluaient

    • Used for past continuous actions or setting the scene:

    Future Simple (Futur Simple)

  • Je conclurai (I will conclude)
  • Tu concluras (You will conclude)
  • Il / Elle / On conclura (He / She will conclude)
  • Nous conclurons (We will conclude)
  • Vous conclurez (You will conclude)
  • Ils / Elles concluront (They will conclude)

    • Drop the final "e" of the infinitive stem before adding standard future endings:

    Simple Past (Passé Simple)

  • Je conclus
  • Tu conclus
  • Il / Elle conclut
  • Nous conclûmes
  • Vous conclûtes
  • Ils / Elles conclurent

    • Essential for literature and historical texts:

    3. Subjunctive Mood (Le subjonctif)

The subjunctive is required after conjunctions of necessity, emotion, and uncertainty.

Present Subjunctive

  • Que je conclue (That I conclude)
  • Que tu conclues (That you conclude)
  • Qu'il / elle / on conclue (That he / she conclude)
  • Que nous concluions (That we conclude)
  • Que vous concluiez (That you conclude)
  • Qu'ils / elles concluent (That they conclude)

    • Note the silent endings for the singular forms and the third-person plural:

    4. Conditional Mood (Le conditionnel)

Use the conditional for hypothetical situations and polite requests.

Present Conditional

  • Je conclurais (I would conclude)
  • Tu conclurais (You would conclude)
  • Il / Elle / On conclurait (He / She would conclude)
  • Nous conclurions (We would conclude)
  • Vous concluriez (You would conclude)
  • Ils / Elles concluraient (They would conclude)

    • Past Conditional

  • J'aurais conclu (I would have concluded)
  • Tu aurais conclu (You would have concluded)
  • Il / Elle / On aurait conclu (He / She would have concluded)
  • Nous aurions conclu (We would have concluded)
  • Vous auriez conclu (You would have concluded)
  • Ils / Elles auraient conclu (They would have concluded)

    • 5. Imperative and Participles

    Imperative (L'impératif)

  • Conclus ! (Conclude! - singular informal)
  • Concluons ! (Let's conclude!)
  • Concluez ! (Conclude! - plural/formal)

    • Participles

  • Present Participle: concluant (concluding / conclusive)
  • Past Participle: conclu, conclue, conclus, conclues
  • Gerund (Gérondif): en concluant (by concluding)

    • 6. Practical Usage and Everyday Phrases

  • Conclure un pacte / un accord : To strike or seal an agreement.
  • Pour conclure : "In conclusion" or "To wrap up" (ideal for formal presentations).
  • En conclure que : To deduce that... (« Qu'en concluez-vous ? » = What do you infer from that?).
  • Conclure à : To point toward a specific outcome (« Les experts ont conclu à une défaillance technique »).

    • To sound natural when using conclure, practice these common collocations:

By memorizing the distinct past participle conclu and observing the regular stem in the plural present, you can confidently integrate the French verb conclure into your daily conversations and professional writing.