je, tu, il ਅਤੇ ils ਦੇ ਰੂਪ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਿਹੇ ਸੁਣਦੇ ਹਨ — -e, -es ਅਤੇ -ent ਸਾਰੇ ਚੁੱਪ ਹਨ। ਸਿਰਫ਼ nous (-ons) ਅਤੇ vous (-ez) ਵੱਖਰੇ ਸੁਣਾਈ ਦਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ।
| Person | Presentnow, habits | Passé composécompleted past | Imparfaitongoing past | Futur procheabout to | Futur simplewill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | retournesounds the same as another form in this tense | suis retourné(e) | retournaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais retourner | retourneraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | retournessounds the same as another form in this tense | es retourné(e)sounds the same as another form in this tense | retournaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas retournersounds the same as another form in this tense | retournerassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | retournesounds the same as another form in this tense | est retourné(e)sounds the same as another form in this tense | retournaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va retournersounds the same as another form in this tense | retournerasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | retournons | sommes retourné(e)s | retournions | allons retourner | retourneronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | retournez | êtes retourné(e)(s) | retourniez | allez retourner | retournerezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | retournentsounds the same as another form in this tense | sont retourné(e)s | retournaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont retourner | retournerontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. retourne covers both "I go back" and "I am go backing" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. être conjugates and retourné does not — suis retourné(e).
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so retournons gives you retournais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; retourner never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on retourner-, 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 retourner |
|---|---|
| tu | viens de retourner |
| il/elle | vient de retourner |
| nous | venons de retourner |
| vous | venez de retourner |
| ils/elles | viennent de retourner |
Impératifcommands — no je/il/ils form
| tu | retourne |
|---|---|
| nous | retournons |
| vous | retournez |
Gérondifwhile doing — one invariant form
en retournant
What this table tells you about retourner
The past participle is retourné, and it takes être in the passé composé — so it agrees with the subject: elle est retournée, ils sont retournés.
The futur simple is built on retourner-, which is just the infinitive — the endings are the whole story, nothing new to learn for this tense.
In both the present and the imparfait, je, tu, il/elle and ils/elles are one sound: retourne, retournes, retournent — indistinguishable spoken. Only nous and vous carry an audible ending.
The imparfait is built on the nous-present stem, so once you know retournons you already know retournais, retournait and retournaient. Futur proche keeps retourner untouched.