How to Conjugate Inclure in French: Complete Tables and Guide

The verb inclure (meaning to include, to enclose, or to incorporate) is a widely used French third-group verb. Whether you are drafting business emails, booking a vacation package, or taking a formal exam like the DELF/DALF, understanding how to conjugate and spell inclure properly is essential.

In this expert guide, we break down all tenses, examine the infamous past participle irregularity, and provide clear conjugation tables with real-world examples.

The Critical Rule: The Past Participle Trap

  • Exclure (to exclude) -> exclu
  • Conclure (to conclude) -> conclu

    • Most French verbs ending in -clure drop their final consonants in the past participle:

  • Masculine singular: inclus (with an s)
  • Feminine singular: incluse
  • Feminine plural: incluses

    • However, inclure is an exception:

Always remember: "Les taxes sont incluses" (Taxes are included) and "Le petit-déjeuner est inclus" (Breakfast is included). Writing "inclu" without the s is a very common spelling error.

Present Indicative (Présent)

The present tense follows the standard pattern for irregular third-group verbs taking -s, -s, -t in the singular forms.

Past Tenses (Passé Composé, Imparfait, Passé Simple)

1. Passé Composé

Subject Pronoun Conjugation Meaning
:--- :--- :---
J' inclus I include
Tu inclus You include (informal)
Il / Elle / On inclut He / She / One includes
Nous incluons We include
Vous incluez You include (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles incluent They include

Formed with the auxiliary avoir plus the past participle inclus.

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

Agreement note: If a direct object precedes the verb, the past participle agrees in gender and number: > "Voici les options que nous avons incluses." (Here are the options we included.)

2. Imparfait (Imperfect)

Used for habitual past actions or descriptions. Take the stem inclu- and add standard imperfect endings:

  • J'incluais
  • Tu incluais
  • Il / Elle incluait
  • Nous incluions
  • Vous incluiez
  • Ils / Elles incluaient

    • 3. Passé Simple

Primarily encountered in formal literature and administrative history:

  • J'inclus
  • Tu inclus
  • Il / Elle inclut
  • Nous inclûmes
  • Vous inclûtes
  • Ils / Elles inclurent

    • Future and Conditional (Futur Simple & Conditionnel)

Both forms use the stem inclur-.

Futur Simple

  • J'inclurai (I will include)
  • Tu incluras
  • Il / Elle inclura
  • Nous inclurons
  • Vous inclurez
  • Ils / Elles incluront

    • Conditionnel Présent

  • J'inclurais (I would include)
  • Tu inclurais
  • Il / Elle inclurait
  • Nous inclurions
  • Vous incluriez
  • Ils / Elles incluraient

    • Subjunctive (Subjonctif Présent)

The subjunctive is required after triggers indicating necessity, doubt, or obligation (e.g., il faut que).

  • Que j'inclue
  • Que tu inclues
  • Qu'il / elle / on inclue
  • Que nous incluions
  • Que vous incluiez
  • Qu'ils / elles incluent

Example: "Il est nécessaire que vous incluiez une pièce d'identité." (It is necessary that you include an ID.)

Imperative (Impératif)

Give directions or instructions using these three forms:

  • (Tu) Inclus ! (Include!)
  • (Nous) Incluons ! (Let's include!)
  • (Vous) Incluez ! (Include!)

    • Practical Summary and Pro Tips

1. Always keep the -s in the past participle: Remember the noun une inclusion to remind yourself of the audible consonant in the feminine form incluse.

2. Look out for "tout inclus": You will see this everywhere in French travel advertisements (voyage tout inclus = all-inclusive trip).

3. Auxiliary Verb: Always use avoir, never être, when conjugating compound tenses in the active voice (j'ai inclus, not je suis inclus, unless expressing a passive state).