Admettre is the verb to admit, to accept, to acknowledge, to allow in the broader sense of conceding a point. Whatever you grudgingly accept as true, whatever an institution lets you into, whatever a theory grants as a starting point — admettre is the natural verb. Like permettre and promettre, it is built on mettre and conjugates identically: same consonant drop in the singular (j'admets, tu admets, il admet, all /ad.mɛ/), same restored double t in the plural (nous admettons, vous admettez, ils admettent), same past participle admis.
What sets admettre apart from its -mettre cousins is its mood sensitivity: in affirmative admettre que, French uses the indicative because the speaker is accepting the proposition as established fact. But under negation (je n'admets pas que), question (admets-tu que ?), or in the concessive set phrase en admettant que (supposing that), the subjunctive is required. This polarity-sensitive alternation is one of the cleanest illustrations of French subjunctive logic. Mastering it for admettre will help you understand the same pattern across other verbs of opinion (croire, penser, dire, prétendre).
This page covers it all: paradigms, the indicative-vs-subjunctive logic, the major uses (admit a fact, accept into a group, suppose hypothetically), and the high-frequency idioms.
The simple tenses
Identical to mettre in every paradigm — only the prefix ad- is added.
Présent de l'indicatif
The hallmark -mettre alternation: singular forms drop one t, plural forms keep both.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | admets | /ad.mɛ/ |
| tu | admets | /ad.mɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | admet | /ad.mɛ/ |
| nous | admettons | /ad.mɛ.tɔ̃/ |
| vous | admettez | /ad.mɛ.te/ |
| ils / elles | admettent | /ad.mɛt/ |
Note the elision: j'admets, not je admets. The verb starts with a vowel, so 1sg je contracts to j'.
J'admets que j'avais tort sur ce point, désolé.
I admit I was wrong on that point — sorry.
Tu admets enfin que tu t'es trompée ?
Are you finally admitting you were wrong?
Cette université admet seulement les meilleurs candidats.
This university only admits the best candidates.
Imparfait
Plural stem admett- with regular imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | admettais |
| tu | admettais |
| il / elle / on | admettait |
| nous | admettions |
| vous | admettiez |
| ils / elles | admettaient |
Mon grand-père n'admettait jamais qu'il pouvait avoir tort.
My grandfather never admitted he could be wrong.
À l'époque, on n'admettait pas les femmes dans cette école.
Back then, women weren't admitted to that school.
Passé simple (literary)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | admis |
| tu | admis |
| il / elle / on | admit |
| nous | admîmes |
| vous | admîtes |
| ils / elles | admirent |
Il admit, après une longue hésitation, qu'il avait menti. (literary)
He admitted, after long hesitation, that he had lied.
Futur simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | admettrai |
| tu | admettras |
| il / elle / on | admettra |
| nous | admettrons |
| vous | admettrez |
| ils / elles | admettront |
Tu admettras un jour que j'avais raison, j'en suis sûr.
You'll admit one day that I was right — I'm sure of it.
Le jury n'admettra aucune erreur de procédure.
The jury will not allow any procedural error.
Conditionnel présent
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | admettrais |
| tu | admettrais |
| il / elle / on | admettrait |
| nous | admettrions |
| vous | admettriez |
| ils / elles | admettraient |
J'admettrais peut-être ton point de vue si tu me donnais des preuves.
I might accept your point of view if you gave me proof.
Subjonctif présent
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) j' | admette |
| (que) tu | admettes |
| (qu')il / elle / on | admette |
| (que) nous | admettions |
| (que) vous | admettiez |
| (qu')ils / elles | admettent |
Il faut bien qu'on admette l'évidence : ce projet a échoué.
We have to admit the obvious — this project has failed.
Impératif
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | admets |
| (nous) | admettons |
| (vous) | admettez |
Admets-le : tu n'avais pas envie d'y aller.
Just admit it — you didn't want to go.
Admettons que tu aies raison. Et après ?
Suppose you're right. So what?
The 1pl imperative admettons is fixed in the meaning suppose, let's grant that… — it's how French sets up a hypothetical concession. See section 4 below.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: admis (feminine admise, plural admis / admises)
- Participe présent: admettant
- Gérondif: en admettant
The participle admis doubles as an adjective (être admis — to be admitted, accepted) and is also visible in the noun l'admission.
Elle a été admise à Sciences Po, elle est aux anges.
She got into Sciences Po — she's over the moon.
En admettant que tu aies raison, qu'est-ce qu'on fait maintenant ?
Granting that you're right, what do we do now? (set phrase)
The compound tenses
Admettre uses avoir as its auxiliary in all compound tenses. The participle agrees with a preceding direct object — and this is much more visible with admettre than with permettre or promettre, because the thing admitted (a fact, a noun, a person being admitted into a group) is often a direct object.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + admis
J'ai admis que j'avais paniqué inutilement.
I admitted I'd panicked for no reason.
Le tribunal a admis les nouvelles preuves.
The court accepted the new evidence.
Elle a finalement admis sa défaite.
She finally admitted her defeat.
With participle agreement on a preceding direct object:
Les arguments que tu as admis hier ne tiennent plus aujourd'hui.
The arguments you accepted yesterday don't hold anymore today.
La preuve qu'elle a admise est cruciale pour le procès.
The evidence she accepted is crucial for the trial. (Agreement: la preuve, f.sg., is the preceding direct object — admise with -e.)
Plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, conditionnel passé
Si tu avais admis ton erreur plus tôt, on n'en serait pas là.
If you'd admitted your mistake earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Une fois qu'il aura admis qu'il a tort, on pourra avancer.
Once he's admitted he's wrong, we'll be able to move forward.
J'aurais admis mon erreur plus volontiers si elle ne m'avait pas humilié devant tout le monde.
I'd have admitted my mistake more willingly if she hadn't humiliated me in front of everyone.
The core uses
1. Admettre que — affirmative: indicative
This is the subtle point about admettre. In affirmative clauses, admettre que takes the indicative because the speaker is conceding the proposition as established fact. The act of admitting presupposes the truth of what is being admitted.
Affirmative: admettre que + indicative
J'admets que tu as raison.
I admit you're right.
Il admet enfin qu'il a fait une erreur.
He's finally admitting he made a mistake.
Le ministre a admis que la réforme avait été mal préparée.
The minister admitted that the reform had been poorly prepared.
The verb in the que-clause is in whatever indicative tense the truth of the proposition demands — present, past, futur — never subjunctive. Why? Because the speaker is asserting the truth of the proposition, not casting doubt on it.
2. Admettre que — negative or interrogative: subjunctive
Under negation or in a question, the speaker is no longer asserting the proposition as fact — they are denying it, refusing it, or questioning whether it holds. The subjunctive becomes mandatory.
Negative: ne pas admettre que + subjunctive Interrogative: admettre que (in a question) + subjunctive
Je n'admets pas qu'on me parle sur ce ton.
I won't accept being spoken to in that tone.
Mes parents n'admettent pas que je sorte tard le soir.
My parents don't allow me to go out late at night.
Comment peux-tu admettre qu'il te traite ainsi ?
How can you accept that he treats you this way?
The contrast is sharp:
J'admets que tu as raison.
I admit you're right. (indicative — affirming the truth)
Je n'admets pas que tu aies raison.
I don't accept that you're right. (subjunctive — refusing the proposition)
This polarity-sensitive alternation is the core lesson of admettre. Beware: it doesn't apply to all verbs of opinion the same way. Penser que and croire que alternate similarly (indicative when affirmative, subjunctive when negative or interrogative); savoir que never takes subjunctive (knowing presupposes truth in all polarities); vouloir que always takes subjunctive (wanting marks unrealized desire).
3. En admettant que + subjunctive — supposing that, granting that
The set phrase en admettant que (supposing that, granting that) introduces a hypothetical concession — the speaker is willing to grant for the sake of argument that the proposition holds, without asserting it as fact. Because the truth of the proposition is suspended, the subjunctive is mandatory.
en admettant que + subjunctive
En admettant que tu aies raison, qu'est-ce qu'on fait maintenant ?
Granting that you're right, what do we do now?
En admettant qu'on parte demain matin, on serait là-bas vers midi.
Supposing we leave tomorrow morning, we'd be there around noon.
En admettant même que ce soit vrai, ça ne change rien à la situation.
Even granting that it's true, that doesn't change the situation.
The 1pl imperative admettons que serves the same function in slightly more colloquial register: admettons qu'il vienne (let's grant he'll come).
4. Admettre quelqu'un / quelque chose — to admit someone, to accept something
The transitive use without a que-clause: admit a person to a place, an institution, a group; accept a fact, an idea, a piece of evidence.
On l'a admis à l'hôpital hier soir, son état est stable.
They admitted him to the hospital last night — his condition is stable.
J'admets ton explication, mais je n'oublie pas pour autant ce qui s'est passé.
I accept your explanation, but I don't forget what happened just because of that.
Cette théorie n'est plus admise depuis les années 90.
This theory hasn't been accepted since the nineties.
The passive être admis (to be admitted, accepted) is high-frequency in academic and institutional contexts:
Il a été admis en deuxième année malgré ses notes faibles en philosophie.
He was accepted into second year despite his weak grades in philosophy.
Les chiens ne sont pas admis dans le restaurant.
Dogs are not allowed in the restaurant.
5. Admettre + nom in fixed expressions
Some high-frequency collocations work with a noun or noun phrase as direct object:
- admettre une erreur — to admit a mistake
- admettre la défaite — to admit defeat
- admettre la possibilité de — to admit the possibility of
- admettre l'évidence — to admit the obvious
- admettre des exceptions — to allow for exceptions
Cette règle admet quelques exceptions, mais très peu.
This rule allows a few exceptions, but very few.
Il faut admettre l'évidence : on ne le retrouvera pas.
We have to admit the obvious — we won't find him.
Le ministre a refusé d'admettre la possibilité d'une crise.
The minister refused to admit the possibility of a crisis.
High-frequency idioms
- admettons (que)… — let's grant (that)…, suppose (that)…
- en admettant que — supposing that, granting that
- être admis — to be admitted, accepted
- admettre l'évidence — to admit the obvious
- admettre la défaite / son erreur / sa faute — to admit defeat / one's mistake / one's fault
- cela étant admis (formal) — that being granted
- cette règle admet des exceptions — this rule allows for exceptions
- je veux bien admettre que… — I'm willing to grant that… (concessive opener)
Je veux bien admettre que tu étais fatiguée, mais ça n'excuse pas tout.
I'm willing to grant that you were tired, but that doesn't excuse everything.
Admettons. Et alors ?
Let's grant it. So what? (curt concession)
The standalone admettons (let's grant it) is a curt, almost dismissive way to concede a point provisionally before pivoting to a counter-argument. It's a useful debate-marker.
Comparison with English
Three friction points:
- The polarity-sensitive subjunctive. English admit doesn't change the mood of its complement: I don't admit that he's right — the verb is stays in the indicative regardless. French swings the verb in the que-clause from indicative to subjunctive based on whether admettre is affirmative or negative/interrogative. This is a non-trivial mental adjustment.
- The institutional sense. English admit covers admit-to-fact (I admit I was wrong) and admit-to-place (she was admitted to Harvard). French admettre covers both, but the institutional sense leans more passive (être admis) and is more formal-feeling than its English counterpart.
- The set phrase en admettant que. English doesn't have a single-verb counterpart — the closest is granted that or supposing that. The fact that en admettant que triggers the subjunctive must simply be memorized as part of the construction.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using indicative after negative admettre que.
❌ Je n'admets pas qu'il a raison.
Wrong — under negation, admettre que requires the subjunctive: qu'il ait raison.
✅ Je n'admets pas qu'il ait raison.
I don't accept that he's right.
Mistake 2: Using subjunctive after affirmative admettre que.
❌ J'admets que tu aies raison.
Wrong — affirmative admettre que takes the indicative because the speaker is conceding the truth as fact.
✅ J'admets que tu as raison.
I admit you're right.
Mistake 3: Forgetting elision with je.
❌ Je admets mon erreur.
Wrong — admettre starts with a vowel, so je contracts to j': j'admets.
✅ J'admets mon erreur.
I admit my mistake.
Mistake 4: Using indicative after en admettant que.
❌ En admettant que tu as raison, on fait quoi ?
Wrong — en admettant que always takes the subjunctive because it introduces a hypothetical concession: que tu aies raison.
✅ En admettant que tu aies raison, on fait quoi ?
Granting that you're right, what do we do?
Mistake 5: Confusing admettre with avouer (to confess).
❌ J'avoue que la pluie va tomber.
Wrong — avouer is for confessing personal failings, secrets, guilt. For acknowledging facts or accepting propositions, use admettre or reconnaître. (Though in colloquial speech, j'avoue is used as a generic concession marker.)
✅ J'admets / Je reconnais qu'il va pleuvoir.
I admit it's going to rain.
In informal speech, j'avoue has become a tic-marker meaning I agree, true — but in standard usage, avouer and admettre aren't interchangeable.
Key takeaways
Admettre conjugates exactly like mettre: singular consonant drop in the present (j'admets, tu admets, il admet), restored double t in the plural (nous admettons, vous admettez, ils admettent), past participle admis. It uses avoir in compound tenses. Note the elision j'admets (vowel-initial verb).
The headline lesson is mood polarity: affirmative admettre que takes the indicative (the speaker accepts the proposition as fact); negative or interrogative admettre que takes the subjunctive (the speaker denies or questions the proposition). The set phrase en admettant que (granting that, supposing that) likewise triggers the subjunctive, because it suspends the truth of the proposition for the sake of argument. The 1pl imperative admettons (que) is a ready-made concession-marker in argument and debate.
Beyond the que-clause uses, admettre covers the everyday senses be admitted (to a hospital, school, group — most often passive: il a été admis) and accept (a piece of evidence, an explanation, a theory). Common collocations to memorize: admettre l'évidence, admettre la défaite, admettre une erreur, cette règle admet des exceptions.
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- Mettre: Full Verb ReferenceA1 — Mettre is the everyday verb for putting, placing, and putting on — but it also means to take time, to turn on, and (reflexively) to start. This page is the full reference: every paradigm, the core uses, the major idioms, and the family of compounds (permettre, promettre, admettre, soumettre, transmettre).
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