craindre
to fearIrregularਇਹ ਕਿਰਿਆ ਨਿਯਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਦੀ — ਹਰ ਰੂਪ ਵੱਖਰਾ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
| Person | Presentnow, habits | Passé composécompleted past | Imparfaitongoing past | Futur procheabout to | Futur simplewill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | crainssounds the same as another form in this tense | ai craint | craignaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais craindre | craindraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | crainssounds the same as another form in this tense | as craintsounds the same as another form in this tense | craignaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas craindresounds the same as another form in this tense | craindrassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | craintsounds the same as another form in this tense | a craintsounds the same as another form in this tense | craignaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va craindresounds the same as another form in this tense | craindrasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | craignons | avons craint | craignions | allons craindre | craindronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | craignez | avez craint | craigniez | allez craindre | craindrezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | craignent | ont craint | craignaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont craindre | craindrontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. crains covers both "I fear" and "I am fearing" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. avoir conjugates and craint does not — ai craint.
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so craignons gives you craignais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; craindre never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on craindr-, which is just the infinitive, so only the endings are new.
Three more forms worth knowing
Not among the five TEF/TCF-scored tenses above, but common past A1–A2.
Passé récentjust happened
| je | viens de craindre |
|---|---|
| tu | viens de craindre |
| il/elle | vient de craindre |
| nous | venons de craindre |
| vous | venez de craindre |
| ils/elles | viennent de craindre |
Impératifcommands — no je/il/ils form
| tu | crains |
|---|---|
| nous | craignons |
| vous | craignez |
Gérondifwhile doing — one invariant form
en craignant
What this table tells you about craindre
The past participle is craint, and it takes avoir in the passé composé — so it never changes shape, whoever the subject is. No agreement to remember here.
The futur simple is built on craindr-, which is just the infinitive — the endings are the whole story, nothing new to learn for this tense.
In the present, je, tu and il/elle are one sound: crains, craint — indistinguishable spoken. Only nous, vous and ils/elles carry an audible ending.
The imparfait is built on the nous-present stem, so once you know craignons you already know craignais, craignait and craignaient. Futur proche keeps craindre untouched.
Worth knowing about craindre
Craindre means to fear or dread, expressing genuine anxiety or concern. It takes a direct object (what is feared) or appears with 'de + infinitive' for actions feared.
Like other -aincre verbs, craindre inserts 'qu' before a, o, u to preserve the soft 'c' sound. Present singular (crains) stands alone, but nous/vous/ils forms add 'qu' (craignons, craignez, craignent), and the same pattern appears throughout imparfait (craignais vs craignions).
Je crains les examens.
I fear exams.
ਮੈਂ ਪ੍ਰੀਖਿਆਵਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਡਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।