How to Conjugate the Verb "Amuser" (to Amuse)

This promises to be a fun French lesson because we are going to discuss amuser, which means "to amuse." It is a regular verb and that makes it an easy one to conjugate because it follows the rules.

Conjugating the French Verb Amuser

Conjugating means that we change the ending of a verb to match the subject as well as the tense. We do this in English as well, though it's often not as complicated as in languages like French. However, as you get used to the French conjugations, it becomes easier and easier. It's all a matter of practice.

The good news is that amuser is a regular -er verb and it follows a classic formula as we'll see in the chart. This means that once you learn to conjugate a few regular verbs that end in -er, you can apply your knowledge to learning new verbs.

The chart shows you the various conjugated forms of amuser. To use it, use the subject pronoun -- the I, you, we, etc. or, in French, the j', tu, nous -- and find the appropriate tense. The present, future, imperfect past, and present participle are included for easy reference.

For example, to say "I amuse," you will say "j'amuse" or to say "we amuse," it is "nous amusons."

Subject	Present	Future	Imperfect
j'	amuse	amuserai	amusais
tu	amuses	amuseras	amusais
il	amuse	amusera	amusait
nous	amusons	amuserons	amusions
vous	amusez	amuserez	amusiez
ils	amusent	amuseront	amusaient

The Present Participle of Amuser

When you want amuser to take on the equivalent to the English -ing ending, you will conjugate it with -ant. This is the present participle and for amuser, that is amusant. Not only is it a verb, but in the right context, amusant can act as an adjective, gerund, or noun as well.

Amuser in Passé Composé for Past Tense

You can use the imperfect form of amuser to express that someone was amused, but a more common way is to use the passé composé.

To do this, you will need to add an auxiliary verb to the phrase avoir. You will also use the past participle for the verb, which is amusé.

What do you do with this information? Quite simply, you put it all together. For example, to say "we amused the crowd," you will say "nous avons amusé la foule." The word "avons" is a conjugate of the verb avoir.

More Conjugations of Amuser

There are other instances in which you will need to conjugate amuser to fit the context. The passé simple and imperfect subjunctive forms are used in formal writing, so you may not need those.

On the other hand, you may need to use the subjunctive and conditional forms of amuser to express a mood. The subjunctive is used when the verb is uncertain or subjective. The conditional is used when the verb relies on particular conditions. These will be useful as you become more fluent in French.

Subject	Subjunctive	Conditional	Passé Simple	Imperfect Subjunctive
j'	amuse	amuserais	amusai	amusasse
tu	amuses	amuserais	amusas	amusasses
il	amuse	amuserait	amusa	amusât
nous	amusions	amuserions	amusâmes	amusassions
vous	amusiez	amuseriez	amusâtes	amusassiez
ils	amusent	amuseraient	amusèrent	amusassent

We're not quite done because you will also want to know the imperative for amuser. This is used as a short command or request, for instance, "Amuse me!" When using the imperative, you can skip the subject pronoun and simply use the correct verb form.

In the example of "Amuse me!" you simply say "Amusez moi!" This implies that "You need to amuse me!" It's a perfect phrase for when you need a good laugh.

	Imperative
(tu)	amuse
(nous)	amusons
(vous)	amusez

Amuser With a Preposition

Now that you know how to conjugate amuser, you should consider studying its use with prepositions. Amuser  is a verb that often requires a preposition to complete its meaning. In this case, it's s'amuser à with an infinitive.