Se taire — to be quiet | French Verb Chart
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Présent (Indicatif)
- je me taisI keep quiet
- tu te taisyou keep quiet
- il / elle se taithe / she keeps quiet
- nous nous taisonswe keep quiet
- vous vous taisezyou keep quiet
- ils / elles se taisentthey keep quiet
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- je me suis tu(e)I fell silent
- tu t’es tu(e)you fell silent
- il s’est tuhe fell silent
- elle s’est tueshe fell silent
- nous nous sommes tu(e)swe fell silent
- ils se sont tusthey fell silent
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je me taisaisI was keeping quiet
- tu te taisaisyou were
- il se taisaithe was
- nous nous taisionswe were
- vous vous taisiezyou were
- ils se taisaientthey were
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je me tairaiI will keep quiet
- tu te tairasyou will
- il se tairahe will
- nous nous taironswe will
- vous vous tairezyou will
- ils se tairontthey will
Conditionnel présent
- je me tairaisI would keep quiet
- tu te tairaisyou would
- il se tairaithe would
- nous nous tairionswe would
- vous vous tairiezyou would
- ils se tairaientthey would
Subjonctif présent
- que je me taisethat I keep quiet
- que tu te taisesthat you
- qu’il se taisethat he
- que nous nous taisionsthat we
- que vous vous taisiezthat you
- qu’ils se taisentthat they
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- se taireinfinitive
- nous taisantpresent participle
- en nous taisantgerund (gérondif)
- tupast participle
- te tais · nous taisons · vous taisezimperative
- êtreauxiliary in compound tenses
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Five phrases with « se taire » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Se taire
- Se taire = to stop talking / be quiet. Note the odd participle tu (like plu, lu): elle s’est tue (she fell silent).
- The imperative is everyday (and firm!): Tais-toi ! (be quiet!), Taisez-vous !.
- No s on il se tait. Pronominal → être. « Taire » (non-reflexive) = to keep (something) secret.
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Be quiet! (to tu) = ___ ! (imperative)
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Tais-toi
participle (like plu/lu) = elle s’est ___ (odd form)
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tue
auxiliary (pronominal) = ___ (not avoir)
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être
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (Se taire — present)
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me tais
tu ___ (Se taire — passé composé)
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t’es tu(e)
il ___ (Se taire — imperfect)
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se taisait
nous ___ (Se taire — future)
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nous tairons
vous ___ (Se taire — conditional)
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vous tairiez
Go further: How to learn French verbs — the pattern system.
Se taire conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of se taire?
je me tais, tu te tais, il / elle se tait, nous nous taisons, vous vous taisez, ils / elles se taisent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of se taire?
tu(e) — the passé composé is « je me suis tu(e) ». Se taire uses être as its auxiliary verb. Because it takes être, the past participle agrees: elle est tue, ils sont tu(e)s.
How do you say se taire in the future tense?
« je me tairai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does se taire mean in English?
to be quiet. 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 taire » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →