How to Conjugate "Jouir" (to Enjoy) in French

In order to say "to enjoy" in French, you'll use the verb jouir. It sounds much like the English, so it's relatively easy to remember. Now you just need to know how to conjugate it.

Conjugating the French Verb Jouir

Some French verbs are easier to conjugate than others. Luckily, jouir is a regular -IR verb, so it follows a standard pattern.

Begin by identifying the stem: jou-. Then, we will attach a series of infinitive endings by pairing the subject pronoun with either the present, future, or imperfect past tense. For instance, "I am enjoying" is "je jouis" and "we will enjoy" is "nous jouirons."

The Present Participle of Jouir

The present participle of jouir is jouissant. It's a verb, but can be used as an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed.

The Past Participle and Passé Composé

The passé composé is a familiar way to say the past tense "enjoyed." To construct it, conjugate the auxiliary verb avoir, then attach the past participle joui. As an example, "I enjoyed" is "j'ai joui" and "we enjoyed" is "nous avons joui."

More Simple Jouir Conjugations to Learn

There are a few more simple forms of jouir you may need at times. The subjunctive verb mood implies a degree of uncertainty to the verb while the conditional says it will only happen if something else does. The literary tenses of the passé simple and imperfect subjunctive are found in formal writing.

When using jouir in the imperative verb form, skip the subject pronoun: use "jouis" rather than "tu jouis."