Vendre Conjugation: Full Tables, Tenses, and Rules in French

Vendre Conjugation in French: The Ultimate Guide and Conjugation Tables

The French verb vendre translates directly to "to sell" in English. Classified within the French 3rd group, vendre is famously considered the textbook prototype for standard regular -re verbs (such as attendre, rendre, descendre, and perdre).

If you are aiming to master French conjugation, vendre is an essential milestone. In this guide, our teachers at My-French break down all the major tenses, share phonetic tips, highlight common mistakes, and provide contextual examples.

1. Present Tense (Présent de l'indicatif)

In the present tense, the stem is vend-. Keep in mind that unlike verbs ending in -er or -ir, the 3rd person singular takes no additional letter: the root letter -d remains unmodified.

> Grammar Tip: Never add a "t" to il vend! While verbs like partir give il part, regular -dre verbs preserve their d without adding a "t".

2. Compound Past (Passé Composé)

The passé composé is used to express completed past actions. Vendre uses the auxiliary avoir combined with the regular past participle vendu.

• J'ai vendu (I sold / I have sold)
• Tu as vendu (You sold)
• Il / Elle / On a vendu (He / She / One sold)
• Nous avons vendu (We sold)
• Vous avez vendu (You sold)
• Ils / Elles ont vendu (They sold)

Example: « Ils ont vendu leur appartement à Paris la semaine dernière. » (They sold their apartment in Paris last week.)

3. Imperfect (Imparfait)

The imperfect describes continuous, habitual, or descriptive past situations. Retain the stem vend- and attach standard imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).

• Je vendais (I used to sell / was selling)
• Tu vendais
• Il / Elle vendait
• Nous vendions
• Vous vendiez
• Ils / Elles vendaient

Example: « Quand j'étais jeune, je vendais des glaces en été. » (When I was young, I used to sell ice cream in the summer.)

4. Simple Future (Futur Simple)

To construct the future tense of -re verbs, drop the final -e from the infinitive to form the root vendr-, then append the standard future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont).

• Je vendrai (I will sell)
• Tu vendras (You will sell)
• Il / Elle vendra (He / She will sell)
• Nous vendrons (We will sell)
• Vous vendrez (You will sell)
• Ils / Elles vendront (They will sell)

Example: « Demain, nous vendrons notre vieille voiture. » (Tomorrow, we will sell our old car.)

5. Present Conditional (Conditionnel Présent)

The conditional mood conveys hypotheticals, polite requests, or possibilities. Combine the future stem (vendr-) with imperfect endings.

• Je vendrais (I would sell)
• Tu vendrais (You would sell)
• Il / Elle vendrait (He / She would sell)
• Nous vendrions (We would sell)
• Vous vendriez (You would sell)
• Ils / Elles vendraient (They would sell)

Example: « À ta place, je vendrais cette maison rapidement. » (In your shoes, I would sell this house quickly.)

6. Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif Présent)

The subjunctive expresses doubt, necessity, emotion, or uncertainty. It stems from the 3rd person plural present form (ils vendent).

• Que je vende (That I sell)
• Que tu vendes (That you sell)
• Qu'il / elle vende (That he / she sell)
• Que nous vendions (That we sell)
• Que vous vendiez (That you sell)
• Qu'ils / elles vendent (That they sell)

Example: « Il est important que vous vendiez avant la fin du mois. » (It is important that you sell before the end of the month.)

7. Imperative & Participles

Imperative (Commands)

• Vends ! (Sell! - informal singular)
• Vendons ! (Let's sell!)
• Vendez ! (Sell! - formal / plural)

Participles

• Present Participle: vendant (selling)
• Past Participle: vendu (sold)
• Gerund: en vendant (by / while selling)

---

8. Verbs Conjugated Like Vendre

• Attendre (to wait)
• Défendre (to defend / to forbid)
• Descendre (to go down)
• Entendre (to hear)
• Perdre (to lose)
• Rendre (to return / give back)
• Répondre (to answer)

Once you know vendre, you can automatically conjugate dozens of high-frequency French verbs:

(Note: Beware of -prendre verbs like prendre, comprendre, and apprendre, which change stems and do not follow vendre).

9. Popular French Idioms with "Vendre"

• Vendre la mèche: To spill the beans / give away a secret.
• Vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué: To count your chickens before they hatch.
• Se vendre comme des petits pains: To sell like hotcakes.