Se plaindre — to complain | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « se plaindre » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- je me plainsI complain
- tu te plainsyou complain
- il / elle se plainthe / she complains
- nous nous plaignonswe complain
- vous vous plaignezyou complain
- ils / elles se plaignentthey complain
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- je me suis plaint(e)I complained
- tu t’es plaint(e)you complained
- il s’est plainthe complained
- elle s’est plainteshe complained
- nous nous sommes plaint(e)swe complained
- ils se sont plaintsthey complained
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je me plaignaisI complained
- tu te plaignaisyou complained
- il se plaignaithe complained
- nous nous plaignionswe complained
- vous vous plaigniezyou complained
- ils se plaignaientthey complained
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je me plaindraiI will complain
- tu te plaindrasyou will
- il se plaindrahe will
- nous nous plaindronswe will
- vous vous plaindrezyou will
- ils se plaindrontthey will
Conditionnel présent
- je me plaindraisI would complain
- tu te plaindraisyou would
- il se plaindraithe would
- nous nous plaindrionswe would
- vous vous plaindriezyou would
- ils se plaindraientthey would
Subjonctif présent
- que je me plaignethat I complain
- que tu te plaignesthat you
- qu’il se plaignethat he
- que nous nous plaignionsthat we
- que vous vous plaigniezthat you
- qu’ils se plaignentthat they
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- se plaindreinfinitive
- nous plaignantpresent participle
- en nous plaignantgerund (gérondif)
- plaintpast participle
- te plains · nous plaignons · vous plaignezimperative
- êtreauxiliary in compound tenses
🎬 The 20-second version
Five phrases with « se plaindre » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Se plaindre
- -aindre family (like craindre/plaindre): the gn appears in the plural & imperfect (nous plaignons, je plaignais); participle plaint. Pronominal → être.
- Se plaindre DE = to complain about: il se plaint du bruit, elle se plaint de tout.
- Don’t confuse with plaindre quelqu’un (non-reflexive) = to pity someone: je te plains !
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
to complain ABOUT = se plaindre ___ (preposition)
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de
plural / imperfect adds gn: nous ___ (plai+gn)
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plaignons
to PITY someone (non-reflexive) = ___ quelqu’un (different meaning)
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plaindre
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (Se plaindre — present)
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me plains
tu ___ (Se plaindre — passé composé)
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t’es plaint(e)
il ___ (Se plaindre — imperfect)
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se plaignait
nous ___ (Se plaindre — future)
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nous plaindrons
vous ___ (Se plaindre — conditional)
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vous plaindriez
Go further: How to learn French verbs — the pattern system.
Se plaindre conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of se plaindre?
je me plains, tu te plains, il / elle se plaint, nous nous plaignons, vous vous plaignez, ils / elles se plaignent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of se plaindre?
plaint(e) — the passé composé is « je me suis plaint(e) ». Se plaindre uses être as its auxiliary verb. Because it takes être, the past participle agrees: elle est plainte, ils sont plaint(e)s.
How do you say se plaindre in the future tense?
« je me plaindrai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does se plaindre mean in English?
to complain. 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
« se plaindre » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →