Essayer: Full Verb Reference

Essayer is the verb to try — and it is the textbook example of an -ayer verb, the small subgroup of -yer verbs (those whose stem ends in -ay-, like essayer, payer, balayer, effrayer) where French has officially sanctioned two equally correct spellings. You can write j'essaie with the y → i alternation, or j'essaye keeping the -y- throughout. Both are standard, both appear in dictionaries, both are taught in schools. The -aie- form is considered slightly more modern and is now the more common in writing; the -aye- form has a long literary tradition and is still used freely in everyday writing. There is no reason to prefer one over the other — pick a style and stick with it within a single text.

The other thing to know about essayer is its preposition: it takes de before an infinitive (essayer *de faire quelque chose), where English uses the bare *to. This is one of the most-frequent verb-preposition combinations you will need in French. The reflexive s'essayer *à* introduces a different preposition with a slightly different meaning: to have a go at something new, to dabble.

This page covers every paradigm (with both spelling variants where applicable), the de + infinitive construction, the try on / try out uses, and the productive s'essayer à idiom.

The simple tenses

The conjugation has one peculiarity to track: in any form where standard -yer verbs would alternate y → i before silent endings, -ayer verbs offer both options. We list them side by side.

Présent de l'indicatif

Both columns are standard. The -aie- column is more common in modern writing; the -aye- column is fully acceptable.

In speech, the -aie and -aye forms are pronounced essentially identically (/e.sɛ/), though some careful speakers distinguish essaie /e.sɛ/ from essaye /e.sɛj/ with a faintly audible glide. In normal conversation, you will not hear the difference. The 1pl and 2pl always keep the -y-; there is no essaions / essaiez anywhere.

Imparfait

Built on the essay- stem with regular imparfait endings. No spelling alternation here — the imparfait endings begin with a vowel (-ais, -ait, -aient) or with the dual -yi- in 1pl/2pl, but the stem -y- never converts to -i-. So the imparfait of essayer has only one form everywhere.

The 1pl/2pl essayions / essayiez show the characteristic -yi- double letter. Both letters must be written, even though the second i is not pronounced as a separate sound.

Passé simple (literary)

Standard 1er-groupe pattern on essay-. No spelling alternation; only one form.

Futur simple

Both forms acceptable: essaierai (with -i-) or essayerai (with -y-). Like the present, the -i- form is more common in modern writing but both are correct.

Conditionnel présent

Same dual-stem option as the future. Imparfait endings.

Subjonctif présent

Same alternation as the present indicative: dual stems for the singular and 3pl forms; essay- for 1pl and 2pl.

Impératif

Three forms. The tu form drops the final -s (standard -er rule): essaie (or essaye).

The -s recovers before en and y (the same liaison rule as vas-y): essaies-en (try some), essaies-y (have a go at it).

Participles and gérondif

• Participe passé: essayé (agrees with a preceding direct object — essayer takes avoir)
• Participe présent: essayant
• Gérondif: en essayant

The compound tenses

Essayer takes avoir in every compound tense. The participle essayé agrees with a preceding direct object only.

Passé composé

avoir (présent) + essayé

In the second example, the participle agrees with the preceding direct object pronoun l' (referring to robe, feminine singular), giving essayée.

Plus-que-parfait

avoir (imparfait) + essayé

Futur antérieur

avoir (futur) + essayé

Conditionnel passé

avoir (conditionnel) + essayé

The core uses

1. Essayer de + infinitive — try to do something

The most common use, and the one that catches English speakers most often: essayer is followed by de + infinitive, never by a bare infinitive. English try to corresponds to French essayer de.

2. Essayer + direct object — try / try out / try on

When essayer takes a direct object (without an infinitive), the meaning is "try X" — taste, test, sample, try on, give it a go. The most common contexts are clothing, food, and new activities.

For trying on clothes specifically, essayer is the standard verb (essayer une robe, essayer des chaussures). There is also the noun l'essayage (trying on, fitting): je vais à l'essayage de ma robe demain (I'm going to my dress fitting tomorrow).

3. S'essayer à — to have a go at, to dabble in

The reflexive form s'essayer, followed by à, means "to try one's hand at" something — usually a new skill, art form, sport, or activity. The connotation is exploratory and slightly modest.

The construction takes à (not de) because the focus is on engagement with a domain or activity, not the completion of an action. This contrast — essayer *de faire (try to do) versus s'essayer à* + activity (have a go at an art / skill / sport) — is one of the cleaner illustrations of the à/de distinction with verbs.

4. Essayer + clause — to test whether

A less frequent but useful pattern: essayer si... or, more commonly today, essayer de voir si... — to try out / test whether something works.

High-frequency idioms

• essayer le coup — to give it a shot, to try one's luck
• ça ne coûte rien d'essayer — it doesn't hurt to try
• essayer de voir
  • clause — see whether (a thing happens, works, etc.)
• qui n'essaie rien n'a rien — nothing ventured, nothing gained (proverb)
• essayer une voiture — to test-drive a car (also: faire un essai)

Comparison with English

1. Always de before an infinitive. English try to do must become French essayer *de faire. *De is non-negotiable; j'essaie comprendre is ungrammatical.

2. No "try doing" pattern. English distinguishes try to do (attempt) from try doing (experiment with). French has only essayer de + infinitive — context distinguishes the senses. For the experimental sense, French sometimes uses s'essayer à

   • noun.

3. The dual spelling is genuinely optional. Only -ayer verbs (essayer, payer, balayer, effrayer) allow the dual -aie/-aye spelling. Both are correct; pick one and be consistent.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Dropping de before an infinitive.

Mistake 2: Mixing both spelling styles in the same text.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the -yi- double letter in imparfait/subjonctif 1pl/2pl.

Mistake 4: Using à instead of de with a basic infinitive.

Mistake 5: Using non-reflexive essayer + à for a new activity.

Key takeaways

Essayer admits two equally correct spellings: essaie / essaye in the present, essaierai / essayerai in the future. Pick one and stay consistent.

The conjugation is otherwise regular -er, with the -yi- spelling in imparfait and subjunctive 1pl/2pl (essayions, essayiez). Compound tenses use avoir; the participle agrees with a preceding direct object.

The four major uses are essayer *de + infinitive (the dominant "try to" construction), *essayer + DO (try / try on a thing), s'essayer *à* + noun (have a go at a new activity), and essayer de voir si... (test whether).

The most-frequent error English speakers make is dropping de before an infinitive. Burn this in: essayer de + infinitif.