devenir
to becomeIrregularਇਹ 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 | devienssounds the same as another form in this tense | suis devenu(e) | devenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais devenir | deviendraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | devienssounds the same as another form in this tense | es devenu(e)sounds the same as another form in this tense | devenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas devenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | deviendrassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | devientsounds the same as another form in this tense | est devenu(e)sounds the same as another form in this tense | devenaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va devenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | deviendrasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | devenons | sommes devenu(e)s | devenions | allons devenir | deviendronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | devenez | êtes devenu(e)(s) | deveniez | allez devenir | deviendrezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | deviennent | sont devenu(e)s | devenaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont devenir | deviendrontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. deviens covers both "I become" and "I am becomeing" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. être conjugates and devenu does not — suis devenu(e).
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so devenons gives you devenais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; devenir never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on deviendr- — not the infinitive devenir. The conditional reuses this stem.
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 devenir |
|---|---|
| tu | viens de devenir |
| il/elle | vient de devenir |
| nous | venons de devenir |
| vous | venez de devenir |
| ils/elles | viennent de devenir |
Impératifcommands — no je/il/ils form
| tu | deviens |
|---|---|
| nous | devenons |
| vous | devenez |
Gérondifwhile doing — one invariant form
en devenant
What this table tells you about devenir
The past participle is devenu, and it takes être in the passé composé — so it agrees with the subject: elle est devenue, ils sont devenus.
The futur simple is built on deviendr-, which is not the infinitive devenir. This stem has to be learned, and it is the same one the conditional uses later.
In the present, je, tu and il/elle are one sound: deviens, devient — 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 devenons you already know devenais, devenait and devenaient. Futur proche keeps devenir untouched.
Worth knowing about devenir
Devenir expresses a transition or change into a new state, while être simply describes the state itself. Use devenir when showing change: Je deviens médecin (I'm becoming a doctor, implying transition) versus Je suis médecin (I am a doctor, stating fact).
In the present tense, the stem alternates between devien- in singular and third-person plural forms (deviens, devient, deviennent) and deven- in nous/vous forms (devenons, devenez), following the pattern of its parent verb venir.
Le ciel devient plus clair au lever du soleil.
The sky becomes lighter at sunrise.
ਸੂਰਜ ਚੜ੍ਹਦੇ ਹੀ ਅਕਾਸ਼ ਹਲਕਾ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।