Craindre — to fear | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « craindre » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- je crainsI fear
- tu crainsyou fear
- il / elle crainthe / she fears
- nous craignonswe fear
- vous craignezyou fear
- ils / elles craignentthey fear
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- j’ai craintI feared
- tu as craintyou feared
- il / elle a crainthe / she feared
- nous avons craintwe feared
- vous avez craintyou feared
- ils / elles ont craintthey feared
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je craignaisI feared
- tu craignaisyou feared
- il craignaithe feared
- nous craignionswe feared
- vous craigniezyou feared
- ils craignaientthey feared
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je craindraiI will fear
- tu craindrasyou will fear
- il craindrahe will fear
- nous craindronswe will fear
- vous craindrezyou will fear
- ils craindrontthey will fear
Conditionnel présent
- je craindraisI would fear
- tu craindraisyou would fear
- il craindraithe would fear
- nous craindrionswe would fear
- vous craindriezyou would fear
- ils craindraientthey would fear
Subjonctif présent
- que je craignethat I fear
- que tu craignesthat you fear
- qu’il craignethat he fear
- que nous craignionsthat we fear
- que vous craigniezthat you fear
- qu’ils craignentthat they fear
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- craindreinfinitive
- craignantpresent participle
- en craignantgerund (gérondif)
- craintpast participle
- crains · craignons · craignezimperative
- avoirauxiliary in compound tenses
🎬 The 20-second version
Five phrases with « craindre » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Craindre
- The -aindre / -eindre / -oindre model: the gn appears in the plural & imperfect (nous craignons, je craignais); participle in -nt (craint).
- Learn one, get the whole family: peindre (paint), éteindre (switch off), atteindre (reach), rejoindre (join), plaindre (pity).
- Craindre que + subjunctive (+ optional ne): je crains qu’il (ne) soit trop tard.
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🇬🇧 Craindre: the gn machine of the -indre family
Craindre — to fear — heads the -indre clan, whose signature move is trading the nasal -ind for a -gn- stem in the plural: je crains, tu crains, il craint, then nous craignons, vous craignez, ils craignent. The gn (the sound of oignon) carries the imparfait (je craignais) and subjonctif (que je craigne); futur je craindrai keeps the infinitive; participle craint. Learn the machine once and the family follows exactly: peindre (paint — nous peignons), éteindre (switch off), rejoindre (join/meet — je te rejoins !), atteindre (reach), plaindre and its useful reflexive se plaindre (complain — il se plaint tout le temps), joindre. Seven verbs, one gn.
Craindre itself runs a register above avoir peur: « je crains que… » (+ subjunctive, and formally a decorative ne: « je crains qu’il ne soit tard ») is the elegant fear of emails and forecasts — « je crains le pire » (I fear the worst) its dramatic cousin. Everyday French prefers the family’s other members: tu me rejoins ? (meeting up), j’éteins la lumière (lights off — full chart on this site), elle peint (art), il se plaint (the national pastime, per the national joke). Slang footnote: « ça craint » — it sucks — puts this literary verb in every teenager’s mouth, register whiplash included. Drill the gn aloud — craignons, peignons, rejoignons — the sound IS the conjugation.
FAQ
Which verbs conjugate like craindre?
The -indre family: peindre, éteindre, atteindre, rejoindre, plaindre/se plaindre, joindre — nasal singular (je crains), gn plural (nous craignons), -int participles.
What does « ça craint » mean?
Slang for “that sucks / sketchy”: « ce quartier craint la nuit ». The formal fear verb moonlighting as teenage disapproval.
Does « je crains que » take the subjunctive?
Yes — je crains qu’il (ne) pleuve. The ne is optional, formal and meaningless (not a negation) — the famous ne explétif.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
plural / imperfect stem adds gn: nous ___ (cra+gn)
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craignons
to switch off (same family) = ___ (-eindre)
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éteindre
participle of craindre = ___ (-nt)
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craint
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (Craindre — present)
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crains
tu ___ (Craindre — passé composé)
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as craint
il ___ (Craindre — imperfect)
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craignait
nous ___ (Craindre — future)
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craindrons
vous ___ (Craindre — conditional)
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craindriez
Go further: The past tenses — passé composé & imparfait explained.
Craindre conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of craindre?
je crains, tu crains, il / elle craint, nous craignons, vous craignez, ils / elles craignent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of craindre?
craint — the passé composé is « j’ai craint ». Craindre uses avoir as its auxiliary verb.
How do you say craindre in the future tense?
« je craindrai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does craindre mean in English?
to fear. 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
« craindre » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →