Essayer en imparfait

The present participle of essayer is essayant. This is as simple as adding - ant to the verb stem. Not only does it work as a verb, but it can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed.

When there are two forms of the conjugation, you can use either. The stem of essayer is essay-. To this, a variety of infinitive endings is added that conform with the subject pronoun as well as the tense of the sentence. For instance, "I try" is "j'essaie" or "j'essaye.".

With less frequency, you will come across the passé simple or the imperfect subjunctive. These are mostly found in formal writing and will help considerably with reading comprehension. To use essayer in commands or direct requests, turn to the imperative verb form.

French Verb Conjugation Using "Essayer" (to Try) The French verb essayer means "to try.". It's a simple word that can easily be confused with essuyer (to wipe), so be sure to look and listen for that 'A' in essayer.