Partager Conjugation in French: Complete Tense Guide and Tables

Learning to conjugate common French verbs is the bedrock of natural fluency. Among everyday verbs, partager (meaning to share or to divide) ranks near the top of must-know vocabulary. Whether you want to split a restaurant bill, share a post on Instagram, or divide responsibilities at work, you will use this verb regularly.

As a regular -er verb of the first conjugation group, partager is relatively straightforward. However, it belongs to a small sub-family known as -ger verbs, which carry a specific spelling quirk to protect their pronunciation.

In this guide, we break down everything you need to know: the spelling rule, full tense conjugation tables, practical example sentences, and common French idioms.

The Fundamental Rule of -GER Verbs

In French phonetics, the letter g produces two distinct sounds:

1. Soft 'g' (/ʒ/, sounding like the 's' in measure or mirage) when placed before e, i, or y.

2. Hard 'g' (/g/, sounding like the 'g' in go or game) when placed before a, o, or u.

Because the infinitive partager contains a soft 'g', French grammar keeps that exact soft sound across all conjugations. To avoid pronouncing a hard [g] sound when endings begin with a or o, an e is added right after the 'g':

  • Présent (nous): nous partageons (never partagons)
  • Imparfait (je/tu/il/ils): je partageais, il partageait, ils partageaient
  • Imparfait (nous/vous): nous partagions, vous partagiez

    • When endings begin with i or e, the 'e' is dropped because the sound is naturally soft:

    1. Indicative Mood (L'Indicatif)

    Present Tense (Présent)

Use the present tense for current states, routines, and scheduled future actions.

Passé Composé

Subject Pronoun French Form English Translation
:--- :--- :---
Je / J' partage I share / I am sharing
Tu partages You share (singular/informal)
Il / Elle / On partage He / She / One shares
Nous partageons We share
Vous partagez You share (plural/formal)
Ils / Elles partagent They share

The most common past tense in French. It requires the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle partagé.

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Subject Pronoun French Form English Translation
:--- :--- :---
J' ai partagé I shared / I have shared
Tu as partagé You shared
Il / Elle / On a partagé He / She shared
Nous avons partagé We shared
Vous avez partagé You shared
Ils / Elles ont partagé They shared

Used for continuous, repeated past events, or descriptions.

Simple Future (Futur Simple)

Subject Pronoun French Form Pronunciation Tip
:--- :--- :---
Je partageais Ends in "-eais" (soft g)
Tu partageais Ends in "-eais" (soft g)
Il / Elle / On partageait Ends in "-eait" (soft g)
Nous partagions Standard "-ions" (no extra 'e')
Vous partagiez Standard "-iez" (no extra 'e')
Ils / Elles partageaient Ends in "-eaient" (soft g)

Formed by taking the full infinitive stem partager- and adding standard future endings:

2. Subjunctive Mood (Subjonctif)

Subjunctive Present

Subject Pronoun French Form English Translation
:--- :--- :---
Je partagerai I will share
Tu お得 partageras You will share
Il / Elle / On partagera He / She will share
Nous partagerons We will share
Vous partagerez You will share
Ils / Elles partageront They will share

Required after expressions of doubt, emotion, obligation, or necessity (il faut que, bien que, je veux que).

  • Que je partage
  • Que tu partages
  • Qu'il / elle / on partage
  • Que nous partagions
  • Que vous partagiez
  • Qu'ils / elles partagent

Example: Il est important que nous partagions les frais. (It is important that we share the expenses.)

3. Conditional Mood (Conditionnel)

Conditional Present

Expresses hypothetical actions or polite requests.

  • Je partagerais (I would share)
  • Tu partagerais (You would share)
  • Il / Elle / On partagerait (He / She would share)
  • Nous partagerions (We would share)
  • Vous partageriez (You would share)
  • Ils / Elles partageraient (They would share)

    • 4. Imperative Mood (Impératif)

Used for commands and direct suggestions. Note that the singular tu form drops the final 's' found in the present indicative:

  • Partage ! -> Share! (informal)
  • Partageons ! -> Let's share!
  • Partagez ! -> Share! (formal or plural)

    • Useful Expressions and Common Collocations

  • Partager l'addition : To split the bill at a restaurant.
  • Partager un avis / une opinion : To agree with an opinion ("Je partage votre avis sur ce sujet").
  • Être partagé(e) : To feel torn or conflicted ("Je suis partagée entre ces deux options").
  • Chambre partagée : A shared room (in student housing or hostels).

By keeping the -geons rule in mind, you will avoid the single most frequent spelling mistake students make with partager. Practice writing these forms into your daily French journal to lock them into memory!