Peindre is the verb to paint — both literal painting (peindre un tableau — paint a picture) and the figurative sense of depicting or portraying (peindre la société — paint a portrait of society). It is the model conjugation for an entire family: every French verb ending in -eindre, -aindre, or -oindre — including atteindre, éteindre, ceindre, enfreindre, restreindre, teindre, feindre, étreindre, craindre, contraindre, plaindre, joindre, rejoindre, adjoindre, and more — follows the same pattern. Master peindre and you have mastered fifteen high-frequency verbs at once.
The conjugation feature you must internalize is the two-stem alternation: pein- in the singular present (je peins, tu peins, il peint — all pronounced /pɛ̃/), and peign- throughout the plural and most other paradigms (nous peignons, vous peignez, ils peignent, all with the palatal /ɲ/ sound spelled gn). The -d- of the infinitive is silent in the spoken paradigms — it appears only in the written futur stem (peindr-) and the past participle peint.
This page is the verb-reference entry: every paradigm, every compound tense, the major uses with examples, and the -indre family map. Use it as a lookup. The detail pages cover individual topics in depth.
The simple tenses
These are the tenses formed without an auxiliary — the basic conjugational paradigms. The defining feature is the pein-/peign- alternation: a nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ in the singular, a palatal /ɲ/ in the plural.
Présent de l'indicatif
The two-stem alternation is on full display. The singular forms (peins, peins, peint) all sound /pɛ̃/ — final -s and -t silent. The plural forms shift to the peign- stem with audible /ɲ/.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | peins | /pɛ̃/ |
| tu | peins | /pɛ̃/ |
| il / elle / on | peint | /pɛ̃/ |
| nous | peignons | /pɛɲɔ̃/ |
| vous | peignez | /pɛɲe/ |
| ils / elles | peignent | /pɛɲ/ |
The gn of peignons, peignez, peignent is not "g + n" — it is the palatal nasal /ɲ/, the same sound as Spanish ñ or Italian gn in gnocchi. Pronouncing it as /gn/ instead of /ɲ/ is one of the surest signs of a non-native speaker.
A vowel-quality detail to note: the ei before gn is consistently /ɛ/ across the present-tense paradigm — /pɛɲɔ̃/, /pɛɲe/, /pɛɲ/. Some speakers nudge the vowel slightly toward /e/ in open syllables (1pl/2pl), but the closed /ɛ/ is the standard reference value.
Je peins surtout des paysages.
I mostly paint landscapes.
Vous peignez depuis combien de temps ?
How long have you been painting?
Ils peignent leur cuisine ce week-end.
They're painting their kitchen this weekend.
The same pattern applies to every -indre verb: atteindre (j'atteins, nous atteignons, ils atteignent), éteindre (j'éteins, nous éteignons, ils éteignent), craindre (je crains, nous craignons, ils craignent), joindre (je joins, nous joignons, ils joignent).
Imparfait
Built on the stem peign- (from nous peignons) plus the regular imparfait endings. Predictable from the nous form.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | peignais |
| tu | peignais |
| il / elle / on | peignait |
| nous | peignions |
| vous | peigniez |
| ils / elles | peignaient |
Watch the 1pl/2pl: peignions and peigniez contain the -i- of the imparfait endings after the gn — pronounced /pɛɲjɔ̃/ and /pɛɲje/ in careful speech. Many learners drop the /j/ entirely and pronounce them like the present peignons, peignez; native speakers preserve the contrast in formal speech but sometimes blur it casually.
Mon grand-père peignait des aquarelles tous les dimanches.
My grandfather used to paint watercolors every Sunday.
On peignait la salle à manger quand le téléphone a sonné.
We were painting the dining room when the phone rang.
Passé simple (literary)
Stem peigni-. Endings follow the -i- pattern of irregular verbs.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | peignis |
| tu | peignis |
| il / elle / on | peignit |
| nous | peignîmes |
| vous | peignîtes |
| ils / elles | peignirent |
The circumflex on peignîmes and peignîtes is obligatory and historically marks a lost -s-. Used almost exclusively in literary writing and historical narration.
Monet peignit cette série au lever du soleil pendant des semaines.
Monet painted this series at sunrise for weeks. (literary)
Ils peignirent la fresque en moins d'un mois.
They painted the fresco in less than a month. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem peindr- — derived from the infinitive (with the e of -re dropping out). Note the reappearance of the -d- that was silent throughout the present-tense paradigm.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | peindrai |
| tu | peindras |
| il / elle / on | peindra |
| nous | peindrons |
| vous | peindrez |
| ils / elles | peindront |
Je peindrai la chambre du bébé en jaune pâle.
I'll paint the baby's room pale yellow.
On peindra les volets dès qu'il fera beau.
We'll paint the shutters as soon as the weather's nice.
Conditionnel présent
Same peindr- stem as the futur, with the imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | peindrais |
| tu | peindrais |
| il / elle / on | peindrait |
| nous | peindrions |
| vous | peindriez |
| ils / elles | peindraient |
Je peindrais bien le portrait de ma mère, mais je n'ai jamais osé.
I'd love to paint my mother's portrait, but I've never dared.
Subjonctif présent
Built on the peign- stem throughout, with the regular subjunctive endings. No additional alternation.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) je | peigne |
| (que) tu | peignes |
| (qu')il / elle / on | peigne |
| (que) nous | peignions |
| (que) vous | peigniez |
| (qu')ils / elles | peignent |
Il faut qu'on peigne le mur avant l'arrivée des invités.
We need to paint the wall before the guests arrive.
J'aimerais qu'il peigne plus souvent.
I'd like him to paint more often.
Impératif
Three forms, derived from the indicative present.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | peins |
| (nous) | peignons |
| (vous) | peignez |
Peins-moi un coucher de soleil sur la mer.
Paint me a sunset over the sea.
Peignons cette pièce ce week-end, ça lui fera du bien.
Let's paint this room this weekend, it'll do it good.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: peint (with feminine peinte /pɛ̃t/, masculine plural peints, feminine plural peintes) — the -t- is silent in masculine but audible in feminine
- Participe présent: peignant
- Gérondif: en peignant
A pronunciation detail that catches many learners: the masculine peint is /pɛ̃/ (like the singular present), but the feminine peinte is /pɛ̃t/ — the -t- is suddenly pronounced when the -e of feminine agreement closes the syllable. Same goes for the entire -indre family: atteint/atteinte, éteint/éteinte, craint/crainte, joint/jointe.
La porte peinte en bleu donne sur le jardin.
The blue-painted door opens onto the garden.
En peignant ce tableau, elle pensait à sa mère.
As she painted this picture, she was thinking of her mother.
Les murs peints en rouge donnent une ambiance chaleureuse.
The walls painted red give a warm atmosphere.
The compound tenses
Peindre uses avoir as its auxiliary in compound tenses. As with all -indre verbs, the past participle peint agrees with a preceding direct object.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + peint
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai peint | I painted |
| tu | as peint | you painted |
| il / elle / on | a peint | he/she/we painted |
| nous | avons peint | we painted |
| vous | avez peint | you painted |
| ils / elles | ont peint | they painted |
J'ai peint ce tableau pour ton anniversaire.
I painted this picture for your birthday.
On a peint le salon en blanc cassé.
We painted the living room off-white.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + peint
Avant de partir, il avait peint la chambre lui-même.
Before leaving, he had painted the room himself.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + peint
Quand tu rentreras, j'aurai peint toute la cuisine.
When you get back, I'll have painted the entire kitchen.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + peint
Sans cette commande, je n'aurais jamais peint cette série.
Without that commission, I'd never have painted that series.
Subjonctif passé
avoir (subjonctif) + peint
Il est possible qu'il ait peint la toile en une seule nuit.
It's possible he painted the canvas in a single night.
The core uses
1. Paint (apply paint to a surface)
The basic literal sense — applying paint to a wall, a canvas, or any object.
On va peindre les volets ce printemps.
We're going to paint the shutters this spring.
Tu peux peindre cette étagère en noir mat ?
Can you paint this shelf matte black?
2. Paint (create a picture)
The artistic sense — creating a painting, depicting a subject.
Elle peint des portraits depuis l'âge de quinze ans.
She's been painting portraits since the age of fifteen.
Il a peint sa femme sur tous les tableaux de cette série.
He painted his wife in every picture of this series.
3. Depict / portray (figurative)
The figurative sense — to portray or describe in writing, speech, or art. Common in literary criticism and art-talk.
Balzac peint la société française du XIXe siècle dans toute sa complexité.
Balzac depicts nineteenth-century French society in all its complexity.
Le journaliste a peint un tableau sombre de la situation.
The journalist painted a dark picture of the situation.
High-frequency peindre idioms
- peindre un tableau — to paint a picture (literal or figurative)
- peindre la réalité — to depict reality
- peindre en noir / peindre en rose — to paint a dark / rosy picture (of something)
- fraîchement peint — freshly painted
- peindre à l'huile / à l'aquarelle / à la gouache — to paint in oils / watercolors / gouache
- se peindre sur le visage — to be written on someone's face (of an emotion)
L'inquiétude se peignait sur son visage.
Worry was written on his face. (literary)
Attention, fraîchement peint !
Careful, wet paint!
Il peint toujours la situation en rose, mais c'est plus compliqué que ça.
He always paints a rosy picture of the situation, but it's more complicated than that.
The full -indre family
This is the heart of peindre's usefulness as a model. Every French verb ending in -eindre, -aindre, or -oindre follows the same conjugation pattern. The vowel before -indre shifts predictably between the singular and plural forms.
| Verb | Meaning | 1sg present | 3pl present | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| peindre | to paint | je peins | ils peignent | peint |
| atteindre | to reach / attain | j'atteins | ils atteignent | atteint |
| éteindre | to turn off / extinguish | j'éteins | ils éteignent | éteint |
| teindre | to dye | je teins | ils teignent | teint |
| feindre | to feign / pretend | je feins | ils feignent | feint |
| ceindre | to gird / encircle | je ceins | ils ceignent | ceint |
| étreindre | to embrace tightly | j'étreins | ils étreignent | étreint |
| enfreindre | to break (a rule/law) | j'enfreins | ils enfreignent | enfreint |
| restreindre | to restrict | je restreins | ils restreignent | restreint |
| craindre | to fear | je crains | ils craignent | craint |
| contraindre | to constrain / compel | je contrains | ils contraignent | contraint |
| plaindre | to pity | je plains | ils plaignent | plaint |
| joindre | to join / contact | je joins | ils joignent | joint |
| rejoindre | to rejoin / meet up with | je rejoins | ils rejoignent | rejoint |
| adjoindre | to add / append | j'adjoins | ils adjoignent | adjoint |
Three sub-patterns by vowel:
- -eindre verbs (peindre, atteindre, éteindre, teindre, feindre, ceindre, étreindre, enfreindre, restreindre): singular -eins/-eint, plural -eign-
- -aindre verbs (craindre, contraindre, plaindre): singular -ains/-aint, plural -aign-
- -oindre verbs (joindre, rejoindre, adjoindre, conjoindre, disjoindre): singular -oins/-oint, plural -oign-
All three sub-patterns share the same endings — only the vowel differs.
J'éteins la lumière en sortant.
I turn off the light as I leave.
On a atteint le sommet vers midi.
We reached the summit around noon.
Elle teint ses cheveux en roux depuis dix ans.
She's been dyeing her hair red for ten years.
Les enfants feignent l'innocence.
The children are feigning innocence.
Comparison with English
Three friction points:
- The two-stem alternation. English speakers tend to extend the singular stem to the plural — saying nous peinons instead of peignons. The gn in the plural is not optional; it is a defining feature.
- Silent -d- in the present. The infinitive peindre contains a -d-, but it is silent in je peins, tu peins, il peint. The -d- surfaces only in the futur (peindrai) and conditional (peindrais). English speakers who pronounce a -d- in peint are reasoning from the spelling.
- Feminine agreement audible. The masculine peint is /pɛ̃/ (silent -t), but the feminine peinte is /pɛ̃t/ (audible -t). The same pattern applies to all -indre participles — atteint/atteinte, éteint/éteinte, craint/crainte. This is a minor but consistent oral cue for grammatical gender.
The literal "paint" sense lines up cleanly with English. The figurative "depict" sense (peindre la société) translates well to "paint a picture of."
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Extending the singular stem to the plural.
❌ Nous peinons la cuisine ce week-end.
Wrong — the plural stem is peign-, not pein-.
✅ Nous peignons la cuisine ce week-end.
We're painting the kitchen this weekend.
Mistake 2: Pronouncing the gn as /gn/ instead of /ɲ/.
❌ /pɛgnɔ̃/ for peignons
Wrong — gn is the palatal nasal /ɲ/, not the consonant cluster /gn/.
✅ /peɲɔ̃/ for peignons
Correct pronunciation.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the agreement on the past participle.
❌ La porte que j'ai peint est dans le couloir.
Wrong — peint must agree with the preceding feminine direct object la porte.
✅ La porte que j'ai peinte est dans le couloir.
The door I painted is in the hallway.
Mistake 4: Pronouncing the -d- in the present-tense forms.
❌ /pɛ̃d/ for peint
Wrong — the -d- is silent. The masculine peint sounds exactly like peint /pɛ̃/.
✅ /pɛ̃/ for peint
Correct pronunciation.
Mistake 5: Using peindre for "to paint one's nails."
❌ Elle peint ses ongles.
Acceptable but unusual — French uses se vernir les ongles or se mettre du vernis for painting nails.
✅ Elle se vernit les ongles.
She's painting her nails.
Key takeaways
Peindre is the verb to paint — and the model conjugation for the entire -indre family. Master peindre and you have mastered fifteen verbs at once: atteindre, éteindre, teindre, feindre, craindre, plaindre, joindre, rejoindre, and the rest.
The defining feature is the two-stem alternation: pein- in the singular present (/pɛ̃/, silent endings), peign- throughout the plural and most other paradigms (with palatal /ɲ/ spelled gn). The futur stem peindr- reintroduces the -d- of the infinitive.
In compound tenses, peindre takes avoir: j'ai peint, j'avais peint, j'aurai peint. The participle peint agrees with a preceding direct object: les murs que j'ai peints. The feminine peinte /pɛ̃t/ has an audible -t- that the masculine /pɛ̃/ lacks — a minor but consistent oral marker of gender.
Memorize the paradigms cold; reread the -indre family table; use the page as a lookup. Once you have peindre's pattern internalized, every other -indre verb falls into place automatically — and you have neutralized one of the most productive sub-classes of irregular conjugation in French.
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