Acheter — to buy | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « acheter » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- j’achèteI buy
- tu achètesyou buy
- il / elle achètehe / she buys
- nous achetonswe buy
- vous achetezyou buy
- ils / elles achètentthey buy
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- j’ai achetéI bought
- tu as achetéyou bought
- il / elle a achetéhe / she bought
- nous avons achetéwe bought
- vous avez achetéyou bought
- ils / elles ont achetéthey bought
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- j’achetaisI was buying
- tu achetaisyou were buying
- il / elle achetaithe / she was buying
- nous achetionswe were buying
- vous achetiezyou were buying
- ils / elles achetaientthey were buying
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- j’achèteraiI will buy
- tu achèterasyou will buy
- il / elle achèterahe / she will buy
- nous achèteronswe will buy
- vous achèterezyou will buy
- ils / elles achèterontthey will buy
Conditionnel présent
- j’achèteraisI would buy
- tu achèteraisyou would buy
- il / elle achèteraithe / she would buy
- nous achèterionswe would buy
- vous achèteriezyou would buy
- ils / elles achèteraientthey would buy
Subjonctif présent
- que j’achètethat I buy
- que tu achètesthat you buy
- qu’il / elle achètethat he / she buy
- que nous achetionsthat we buy
- que vous achetiezthat you buy
- qu’ils / elles achètentthat they buy
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- acheterinfinitive
- achetantpresent participle
- en achetantgerund (gérondif)
- achetépast participle
- achète · achetons · achetezimperative
- avoirauxiliary in compound tenses
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Five phrases with « acheter » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Acheter
- The e → è spelling family: the accent appears when the ending is silent — j’achète, ils achètent, BUT nous achetons.
- In the future and conditional the è stays everywhere: j’achèterai, nous achèterions.
- Acheter quelque chose à quelqu’un = to buy something FOR (or from!) someone: j’achète un cadeau à ma mère.
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🇬🇧 Acheter in plain English: the accent that follows the stress
Acheter — to buy — is a regular -er verb with one elegant tic: a grave accent that appears wherever the ending is silent. J’achète, tu achètes, il achète, ils achètent — but nous achetons, vous achetez, accent-free. The pattern (nicknamed the boot, from its shape on the conjugation table) marks pronunciation: è opens the vowel exactly where the stress lands, and the same accent walks into the future and conditional throughout — j’achèterai, j’achèterais. Passé composé j’ai acheté (plain é — the ending sounds, so no grave needed). The boot family is large: lever/se lever (je me lève), promener, peser, mener — and its double-consonant cousins appeler (j’appelle) and jeter (je jette) solve the same problem with letters instead of accents.
The commerce this verb funds: « j’achète ! » (I’m sold! — literal and figurative), « acheter en ligne » (online — where French shopping verbs now live), « je lui ai acheté un cadeau » (buying FOR someone: the à/pour of gifting), and the marketplace pair acheter/vendre that every economy and every flashcard deck runs on. The noun l’achat (purchase) and un acheteur (buyer) complete the family. Drill in any shop, real or imagined: qu’est-ce que tu achètes ? — j’achète du pain, j’ai acheté trop de fromage, j’achèterai mieux demain — the boot accent walking through all three tenses, stressed and correct.
FAQ
Why does j’achète have a grave accent and nous achetons not?
The è appears only where the ending is silent (the “boot”: je/tu/il/ils) — it opens the stressed vowel. Nous/vous endings carry sound, so the e stays plain.
What is the past participle of acheter?
« Acheté » — j’ai acheté. Plain acute é: the participle’s ending is pronounced, so the boot rule doesn’t apply.
Which verbs follow the acheter pattern?
The e→è boot family: lever, se lever, promener, peser, mener, geler. Appeler and jeter get the same stress effect by doubling letters instead: j’appelle, je jette.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Ils ___ leurs fruits au marché. (è appears)
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achètent
nous ___ (acheter) (no accent!)
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achetons
future : j’___ une maison. (è everywhere)
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achèterai
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
tu ___ (Acheter — passé composé)
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as acheté
il ___ (Acheter — imperfect)
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achetait
nous ___ (Acheter — future)
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achèterons
vous ___ (Acheter — conditional)
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achèteriez
Go further: this chart is one small piece — get the full picture in our guide Master the present tense — the full beginner guide.
Acheter conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of acheter?
j’achète, tu achètes, il / elle achète, nous achetons, vous achetez, ils / elles achètent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of acheter?
acheté — the passé composé is « j’ai acheté ». Acheter uses avoir as its auxiliary verb.
How do you say acheter in the future tense?
« j’achèterai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does acheter mean in English?
to buy. It is one of the essential French verbs — drill the present first, then the passé composé; those two tenses carry most conversations.
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🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end
« acheter » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →