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Conjugation table

Porter conjugation: wear and carry across useful tenses

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Learn je porte, j’ai porté and je porterai, with seven tense and mood tables, wear/carry examples, common mistakes and form-recall practice.

In short

Porter means “to wear” or “to carry”: je porte une veste, je porte une valise. It is a regular -er verb with avoir in the passé composé: j’ai porté. Its future is je porterai.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A traveller wearing a navy jacket and carrying a suitcase along a quiet French platform.
A journey brings both meanings of porter together. Illustration: Atelier

Look at what follows the verb. Clothing gives the meaning “wear”; a bag or a box usually gives “carry”. The forms stay the same. Compare je portais for a past habit, j’ai porté for a completed period, and je porterais for an imagined choice.

Study first: the full conjugation

Infinitive
porter
Past participle
porté
Present participle
portant
Auxiliary
avoir

Présentnow and habits

jeporte
tuportes
il / elle / onporte
nousportons
vousportez
ils / ellesportent

Je porte une veste bleue.
I am wearing a blue jacket.

Passé composéa completed event

j’ai porté
tuas porté
il / elle / ona porté
nousavons porté
vousavez porté
ils / ellesont porté

J’ai porté cette robe au mariage.
I wore this dress to the wedding.

Imparfaitpast habits and background

jeportais
tuportais
il / elle / onportait
nousportions
vousportiez
ils / ellesportaient

En hiver, nous portions des bottes.
In winter, we used to wear boots.

Futur simplea future event

jeporterai
tuporteras
il / elle / onportera
nousporterons
vousporterez
ils / ellesporteront

Demain, je porterai la valise.
Tomorrow I will carry the suitcase.

Conditionnel présentan imagined result or choice

jeporterais
tuporterais
il / elle / onporterait
nousporterions
vousporteriez
ils / ellesporteraient

À ta place, je porterais un manteau.
If I were you, I would wear a coat.

Subjonctif présentafter a wish or necessity with que

que jeporte
que tuportes
qu’il / elle / onporte
que nousportions
que vousportiez
qu’ils / ellesportent

Il faut que vous portiez un badge.
You need to wear a badge.

Impératifan instruction or invitation

(tu)porte
(nous)portons
(vous)portez

Porte ce sac, s’il te plaît.
Carry this bag, please.

The object tells you which meaning to choose
UseFrenchEnglish
Wear clothingElle porte une robe verte.She is wearing a green dress.
Carry somethingIl porte deux sacs.He is carrying two bags.
Carry to a destinationNous portons les cartons au garage.We are carrying the boxes to the garage.
Have something on your personJe porte des lunettes.I wear glasses.
  • Je suis porté ce sac.J’ai porté ce sac.

    A completed act of carrying uses avoir + porté.

  • Demain, je portera une veste.Demain, je porterai une veste.

    In the future, je takes -ai. The ending -a belongs to il, elle or on.

  • Il faut que nous portons un badge.Il faut que nous portions un badge.

    After il faut que, the subjunctive nous form ends in -ions.

Your turn: recall the forms

Question 1No account needed
Use the present of porter.Tu ___ des lunettes.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

portes. Tu takes present portes, with a written final -s.

Question 2No account needed
Use the passé composé of porter.Hier, j’___ les cartons au garage.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

ai porté. J’ai porté uses avoir and the past participle porté.

Question 3No account needed
Use the imparfait of porter.Avant, nous ___ un uniforme.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

portions. The past habit uses port- plus -ions: nous portions.

Question 4No account needed
Use the futur simple of porter.Demain, elle ___ sa robe verte.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

portera. Future porter- takes -a with elle: portera.

Question 5No account needed
Use the conditionnel présent of porter.À ta place, je ___ des bottes.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

porterais. The advice uses conditional porter- plus -ais: porterais.

Question 6No account needed
Use the subjonctif présent of porter.Il faut que vous ___ un badge.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

portiez. After il faut que, the form with vous is portiez.

Question 7No account needed
Use the imperative of porter for one friend (tu).___ ce sac, s’il te plaît.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Porte. The tu command is porte, with no final -s.

Question 8No account needed
Choose the completed action.Hier, elle ___ une robe rouge.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

a porté. Porter uses avoir. Its past participle is porté, with é.

Question 9No account needed
Complete the future plan.Demain, nous ___ les cartons.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

porterons. Future porter- takes -ons with nous: porterons.

Question 10No account needed
Complete the requirement.Il faut que tu ___ ton badge.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

portes. The present subjunctive is que tu portes, with the same spelling as the present indicative.

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