Languages › French Conjugating the Simple French Tenses of "Obtenir" (Obtain, Get) Share Flipboard Email Print Caiaimage/Tom Merton OJO+/Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Updated February 28, 2020 Obtenir is a common French irregular verb that is conjugated the same as other verbs ending in -tenir and -venir. Note that the conjugations in the table below are only those for simple tenses; compound conjugations, which include a form of the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle obtenu, are not included. Meanings and Use Obtenir is an exceedingly useful transitive verb meaning "to obtain, get, secure, win, reach." Here are some examples of how it can be used: Obtenir un prix > to win a prizeObtenir, acquérir un baccalauréat / une licence d'économie > To get, earn a BA / a degree in economicsObtenir an accord > to reach an accordObtenir la garde d'un enfant > to get / win custody of a childObtenir le droit de vote > to win the right to vote / to get the voteElle lui a obtenu une augmentation. > She got him a raise.Obtenir quelque chose à quelqu'un > to get something for someoneEn divisant par deux on obtient 24. > If you divide by two, you get 24.Obtenir de: Il a obtenu de repousser le rendez-vous. > He managed to get the meeting postponed.S'obtenir (pronominal): Le résultat demandé s'obtient en multipliant 3 par 5. > To arrive at / to get the required result, multiply 3 by 5. Other FRENCH VERBS ENDING IN '-TENIR' Verbs that end in -tenir follow the same conjugation pattern as other verbs ending in -tenir. They all take avoir as their auxiliary verb. s'abstenir > to refrain, abstain fromappartenir > to belong tocontenir > to containdétenir > to detainentretenir > to look after, support, foster, keep alivemaintenir > to maintainretenir > to retainsoutenir > to supporttenir > to hold, keep FRENCH VERBS ENDING IN '-VENIR' Most verbs that end in -venir use être as their auxiliary verb. A few, such as circonvenir, prévenir and se souvenir (see below) use avoir. advenir > to happencirconvenir > to circumvent, get aroundcontrevenir > to contraveneconvenir > to suit, be suitabledevenir > to becomeintervenir > to interveneparvenir > to reach, achieveprévenir > to warnprovenir > to come from, be due torevenir > to come backse souvenir de > to remembersubvenir > to provide forsurvenir > to occur, take place HOW TO MEMORIZE FRENCH VERB CONJUGATIONS Tip: Concentrate on the most useful tenses (présent, imparfait, passé composé) and get used to using them in context. Once you've mastered them, move on to the rest. Training with an audio source such as the French Verb Drills Audiobook Series may also be helpful. There are many liaisons, elisions and modern glidings used with French verbs, and the written form may mislead you such that you end up using the wrong pronunciation. Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French Verb 'Obtenir" Present Future Imperfect Present participle j' obtiens obtiendrai obtenais obtenant tu obtiens obtiendras obtenais il obtient obtiendra obtenait Passé composé nous obtenons obtiendrons obtenions Auxiliary verb avoir vous obtenez obtiendrez obteniez Past participle obtenu ils obtiennent obtiendront obtenaient Subjunctive Conditional Passé simple Imperfect subjunctive j' obtienne obtiendrais obtins obtinsse tu obtiennes obtiendrais obtins obtinsses il obtienne obtiendrait obtint obtînt nous obtenions obtiendrions obtînmes obtinssions vous obteniez obtiendriez obtîntes obtinssiez ils obtiennent obtiendraient obtinrent obtinssent Imperative (tu) obtiens (nous) obtenons (vous) obtenez Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation ThoughtCo. "Conjugating the Simple French Tenses of "Obtenir" (Obtain, Get)." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/obtenir-to-obtain-1370575. ThoughtCo. (2020, August 26). Conjugating the Simple French Tenses of "Obtenir" (Obtain, Get). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/obtenir-to-obtain-1370575 ThoughtCo. "Conjugating the Simple French Tenses of "Obtenir" (Obtain, Get)." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/obtenir-to-obtain-1370575 (accessed March 4, 2021). copy citation