Entendre is the verb to hear — the passive perception verb, the auditory counterpart of voir ("see"). It contrasts sharply with écouter ("listen to"), which is active and deliberate: entendre describes sound that reaches your ears, écouter describes giving sound your attention. Both are A1 verbs every learner needs immediately, and confusing them is a top-tier transfer error from English (where "hear" and "listen to" are sometimes interchangeable).
The conjugation is fully regular: stem entend- with the standard -re endings, past participle entendu, auxiliary avoir. Entendre is part of the vendre family, sharing its template with attendre, vendre, perdre, rendre, descendre, répondre. Its idiomatic range, though, is wider than its plain meaning suggests: entendre dire que (hear that), entendre parler de (hear about), s'entendre avec (get along with), bien entendu (of course), entendons-nous bien (let's be clear). This page is the verb-reference entry: every paradigm, every compound tense, the core uses with examples, and the idioms.
The simple tenses
These are the tenses formed without an auxiliary — the basic conjugational paradigms.
Présent de l'indicatif
The model paradigm for regular -re verbs. The stem entend- takes the endings -s, -s, -∅, -ons, -ez, -ent. The 3sg has no overt ending — the bare stem entend serves as the form.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | entends | /ʒɑ̃tɑ̃/ |
| tu | entends | /tyɑ̃tɑ̃/ |
| il / elle / on | entend | /ɑ̃tɑ̃/ |
| nous | entendons | /ɑ̃tɑ̃dɔ̃/ |
| vous | entendez | /ɑ̃tɑ̃de/ |
| ils / elles | entendent | /ɑ̃tɑ̃d/ |
In the singular, the final -d is silent — j'entends, tu entends, il entend are all pronounced /ɑ̃tɑ̃/, indistinguishable in speech. Spelling alone tells you the person. The -d becomes audible only in the plural (entendons, entendez, entendent), where it sits between vowels.
Note also the elision je → j' before the vowel: je entends → j'entends.
Tu entends ce bruit ? On dirait quelqu'un qui pleure.
Do you hear that noise? It sounds like someone crying.
J'entends mal, tu peux parler plus fort ?
I can't hear well, can you speak louder?
On entend les voisins crier toutes les nuits, c'est insupportable.
We hear the neighbors shouting every night, it's unbearable.
Imparfait
Built on the stem entend- plus the regular imparfait endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | entendais |
| tu | entendais |
| il / elle / on | entendait |
| nous | entendions |
| vous | entendiez |
| ils / elles | entendaient |
The imparfait is especially common with entendre because hearing tends to be a background, ongoing perception — exactly the imparfait's job. J'entendais quelqu'un chanter dans la pièce d'à côté (I could hear someone singing in the next room).
Quand j'étais petit, j'entendais souvent mes parents discuter tard le soir.
When I was little, I often heard my parents talking late at night.
On entendait les vagues depuis la fenêtre — c'était magique.
You could hear the waves from the window — it was magical.
Passé simple (literary)
Stem entend- plus the -i- family endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | entendis |
| tu | entendis |
| il / elle / on | entendit |
| nous | entendîmes |
| vous | entendîtes |
| ils / elles | entendirent |
The circumflex on entendîmes and entendîtes is obligatory. (literary)
Soudain, il entendit un cri perçant déchirer le silence.
Suddenly, he heard a piercing cry tear through the silence. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem entendr- — infinitive minus the final -e.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | entendrai |
| tu | entendras |
| il / elle / on | entendra |
| nous | entendrons |
| vous | entendrez |
| ils / elles | entendront |
Tu entendras parler de moi un de ces jours, fais-moi confiance.
You'll hear about me one of these days, trust me.
On entendra bien ce qu'il a à dire après le dîner.
We'll hear what he has to say after dinner.
Conditionnel présent
Same entendr- stem with imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | entendrais |
| tu | entendrais |
| il / elle / on | entendrait |
| nous | entendrions |
| vous | entendriez |
| ils / elles | entendraient |
Si tu fermais la fenêtre, on n'entendrait plus le bruit de la rue.
If you closed the window, we wouldn't hear the street noise anymore.
Subjonctif présent
Single stem entend- with regular subjunctive endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) j' | entende |
| (que) tu | entendes |
| (qu')il / elle / on | entende |
| (que) nous | entendions |
| (que) vous | entendiez |
| (qu')ils / elles | entendent |
Parle plus fort pour que tout le monde t'entende.
Speak louder so that everyone can hear you.
Impératif
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | entends |
| (nous) | entendons |
| (vous) | entendez |
Entendez-moi bien : je ne tolèrerai aucune insolence dans cette maison.
Hear me well: I will not tolerate any insolence in this house. (formal/emphatic)
The imperative entends-moi bien is a register-marked emphasis — a way of saying "listen carefully to what I'm telling you," more solemn than écoute.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: entendu (agrees with preceding direct object when avoir is auxiliary)
- Participe présent: entendant
- Gérondif: en entendant
En entendant son nom, elle s'est retournée d'un coup.
On hearing her name, she spun around suddenly.
The participle entendu shows up in the fixed expression bien entendu ("of course") — see idioms below.
The compound tenses
Entendre uses avoir as its auxiliary in compound tenses.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + entendu
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai entendu | I heard / I've heard |
| tu | as entendu | you heard |
| il / elle / on | a entendu | he/she/we heard |
| nous | avons entendu | we heard |
| vous | avez entendu | you heard |
| ils / elles | ont entendu | they heard |
J'ai entendu une histoire incroyable hier soir, je dois te la raconter.
I heard an incredible story last night, I have to tell it to you.
Tu as entendu ce qu'il a dit ? Je n'arrive pas à y croire.
Did you hear what he said? I can't believe it.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + entendu
J'avais déjà entendu cette chanson quelque part, mais je ne savais plus où.
I'd already heard that song somewhere, but I couldn't remember where.
Futur antérieur, conditionnel passé, subjonctif passé
avoir (in respective tense) + entendu
Je suis content que tu aies entendu ses excuses, c'était important.
I'm glad you heard his apology, it was important.
The four core uses
1. Hear (passively): the basic perception sense
Sound reaches your ears. You did not necessarily seek it out. Often spontaneous and brief.
J'entends quelqu'un dans le couloir — tu attends quelqu'un ?
I hear someone in the hallway — are you expecting someone?
On a entendu un grand bruit vers minuit, mais on n'a rien vu.
We heard a loud noise around midnight, but we didn't see anything.
For deliberate listening, switch to écouter:
Le matin, j'écoute la radio en prenant mon café — j'entends parfois des nouvelles intéressantes.
In the morning, I listen to the radio while having my coffee — I sometimes hear interesting news.
2. Hear someone do something: entendre + noun + infinitive
The "perception verb + infinitive" construction. Use the bare infinitive — never the gerund or en + present participle.
J'entends les enfants jouer dans le jardin.
I hear the kids playing in the garden.
On l'a entendu chanter sous la douche — il a une belle voix !
We heard him singing in the shower — he has a nice voice!
Je n'ai jamais entendu personne mentir aussi mal.
I've never heard anyone lie so badly.
3. Hear that / hear about: entendre dire que and entendre parler de
These are fixed idioms that English speakers consistently mistranslate. Entendre dire que = "hear (it said) that" — referring to information you've heard reported. Entendre parler de = "hear about / hear of" — referring to a topic.
J'ai entendu dire qu'ils allaient se marier — c'est vrai ?
I heard that they were going to get married — is it true?
Tu as entendu parler du nouveau restaurant rue Mouffetard ?
Have you heard about the new restaurant on rue Mouffetard?
Personne n'a entendu parler de lui depuis des mois.
Nobody has heard from him in months.
4. Get along with: s'entendre avec (idiomatic reflexive)
A pure idiom. The reflexive s'entendre literally means "to hear each other," but its everyday meaning is to get along. Used with avec + person.
Je m'entends très bien avec ma belle-mère, on rit beaucoup ensemble.
I get along really well with my mother-in-law, we laugh a lot together.
Ils ne s'entendent pas du tout — c'est la guerre tous les jours au travail.
They don't get along at all — it's a war every day at work.
On s'entend pour aller au cinéma vendredi soir, ça vous va ?
Let's agree to go to the movies Friday night, does that work for you?
The reflexive also has the broader meaning to agree, to come to an understanding — not just personal compatibility but reaching a deal. This sense is common in negotiation and business contexts.
High-frequency expressions
- bien entendu — of course (formal/elegant)
- entendre dire que — to hear that
- entendre parler de — to hear about
- s'entendre avec — to get along with
- s'entendre sur / pour — to agree on / to
- entendons-nous bien — let's be clear
- à ce que j'entends — from what I hear (literary)
- cela va sans dire (related register) — that goes without saying
- qu'entends-tu par là ? — what do you mean by that?
- j'entends bien — I see / I understand (literary, formal)
- faire entendre raison à quelqu'un — make someone see reason
Bien entendu, tu es invitée — tu fais partie de la famille !
Of course you're invited — you're family!
Entendons-nous bien : je ne suis pas contre l'idée, mais je veux qu'on en discute.
Let's be clear: I'm not against the idea, but I want us to discuss it.
Qu'entends-tu par 'compliqué' exactement ?
What do you mean by 'complicated' exactly?
Comparison with English
Three friction points:
- Entendre vs écouter. English "hear" and "listen to" sometimes overlap — "I was listening to the radio when I heard a strange noise" uses both. French strictly separates them. Entendre = perception (passive), écouter = attention (active). Get this right early — saying je vois la radio (instead of j'écoute la radio) is a comparable-grade error.
- Entendre + infinitive (no gerund). English allows "I hear them coming" (gerund); French requires je les entends venir (infinitive). Never je les entends venant.
- Entendre dire que. English "I heard that" maps to French j'ai entendu dire que — the dire is essential and not optional. Direct j'ai entendu que sounds incomplete in the reportative sense.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using entendre where écouter belongs (or vice versa).
❌ Le matin, j'entends la radio.
Awkward — if you mean active listening (radio is on, you're paying attention), use écouter.
✅ Le matin, j'écoute la radio.
In the morning, I listen to the radio.
Mistake 2: Using a gerund after entendre.
❌ J'entends les oiseaux chantant.
Wrong — entendre takes the bare infinitive, not the present participle.
✅ J'entends les oiseaux chanter.
I hear the birds singing.
Mistake 3: Dropping dire in entendre dire que.
❌ J'ai entendu qu'ils déménagent à Lyon.
Awkward — j'ai entendu que sounds like in-person hearing; for reportative 'I heard that', use entendre dire que.
✅ J'ai entendu dire qu'ils déménagent à Lyon.
I heard that they're moving to Lyon.
Mistake 4: Inserting avec into s'entendre incorrectly.
❌ Je m'entends bien lui.
Wrong — s'entendre needs avec before the person.
✅ Je m'entends bien avec lui.
I get along well with him.
Mistake 5: Forgetting past-participle agreement.
❌ Les histoires que j'ai entendu hier.
Wrong — entendu must agree with preceding feminine plural direct object.
✅ Les histoires que j'ai entendues hier.
The stories I heard yesterday.
Key takeaways
Entendre is a fully regular -re verb — stem entend-, predictable across all paradigms. Auxiliary avoir; participle entendu. The futur and conditional stem is entendr-. Singular forms (entends, entends, entend) are pronounced identically /ɑ̃tɑ̃/, with the -d silent in the singular and audible only in the plural.
Semantically, entendre is the passive perception verb — it contrasts with écouter (active listening). Sound reaches your ears with entendre; you direct your attention with écouter. This split is one of the most important early lessons in French perception verbs, and the parallel with voir / regarder is worth memorizing as a pair.
Three idioms are essential. Entendre dire que ("hear that," for reported information). Entendre parler de ("hear about," for topics). S'entendre avec ("get along with," for personal relationships). Plus the parenthetical bien entendu ("of course"), one of the most elegant ways to agree in spoken French. Master these constructions and the verb's range opens up well beyond its plain meaning.
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