Conseiller, Recommander, Suggérer, Proposer — The Suggesting Verbs | French Grammar

When you offer someone advice, recommend a restaurant, suggest a plan, or propose a course of action, English uses a small handful of verbs almost interchangeably: advise, recommend, suggest, propose. French splits this territory into four verbs that share a common syntactic shape — verbe + à qqn + de + infinitif — but diverge in their semantic flavor: how strongly the speaker is recommending, on what basis, and how concrete the suggestion is. Native speakers feel these distinctions instantly. Learners who use the four interchangeably sound flat — like an English speaker who says I told you for every variant of speech (told, said, mentioned, announced, declared).

This page maps each of the four verbs to its semantic territory, drills the shared à qqn de + inf pattern, and walks through the que + subjonctif alternative.

The shared structure

All four verbs follow the same skeleton: verbe + à + personne + de + infinitif. The thing you're recommending is the action (in the infinitive), the person on the receiving end is introduced by à, and de links the verb to the infinitive complement.

conseiller / recommander / suggérer / proposer + à qqn + de + infinitif

Examples for each:

Je te conseille de partir tôt.

I advise you to leave early.

Je te recommande de partir tôt.

I recommend you leave early.

Je te suggère de partir tôt.

I suggest you leave early.

Je te propose de partir tôt.

I propose / I'm suggesting we leave early.

The four sentences look almost identical in English — and the structural skeleton is identical in French — but the semantic flavor shifts each time. Conseille means "based on what I think is best for you, here is my advice." Recommande means "I'm vouching for this option — I personally endorse it." Suggère is more tentative — "I'm floating an idea, take it or leave it." Propose is the most concrete — "here is a specific course of action I am putting on the table."

A second crucial syntactic fact: the person addressed is the indirect object, marked by à and pronominalized as me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur. None of these four verbs takes a direct-object person.

Je lui ai conseillé d'attendre.

I advised him/her to wait. (lui = indirect object)

On leur a recommandé ce restaurant.

We recommended this restaurant to them. (leur = indirect object pronoun)

This contrasts with prier and supplier, which take direct-object persons (je le prie, not je lui prie). Mixing them up is one of the most common learner errors.

Conseiller — based on what you think is best

Conseiller is built on the noun conseil (advice, counsel). It is the verb of giving advice from a position of personal opinion: you have considered the situation, formed a judgment, and you are sharing your view of what the other person should do. Energy flows from your knowledge or experience to the listener's decision.

conseiller à qqn de + infinitif

Je te conseille de réserver ta place à l'avance, c'est souvent complet.

I advise you to book your seat in advance — it's often full.

Le médecin lui a conseillé de marcher trente minutes par jour.

The doctor advised him to walk thirty minutes a day.

Je vous conseille fortement de relire votre contrat avant de signer.

I strongly advise you to reread your contract before signing.

Mon père m'avait conseillé de ne pas accepter ce poste — j'aurais dû l'écouter.

My father had advised me not to take that job — I should have listened.

The adverb fortement (strongly) intensifies the advice without changing the verb: conseiller fortement means "strongly advise / urge." This is a common collocation in formal contexts.

A second pattern: when you're recommending an object (a book, a restaurant, a wine), the thing recommended becomes the direct object and the person stays indirect.

Le libraire m'a conseillé ce roman.

The bookseller recommended this novel to me.

Je te conseille ce vin avec le poisson.

I'd recommend this wine with the fish.

Tu peux me conseiller un bon film à voir ce soir ?

Can you recommend a good movie for tonight?

This pattern overlaps significantly with recommander — both work for recommending objects. The difference is subtle: conseiller foregrounds your personal opinion; recommander sounds more like an endorsement, often based on your own experience.

Conjugation of conseiller

A regular -er verb, but the stem ends in -ill- which makes the imparfait and present subjunctive of nous and vous take -ill-i- (a common spelling pattern with verbs like travailler).

Person	Présent	Imparfait	Futur	Passé composé
je	conseille	conseillais	conseillerai	ai conseillé
tu	conseilles	conseillais	conseilleras	as conseillé
il / elle / on	conseille	conseillait	conseillera	a conseillé
nous	conseillons	conseillions	conseillerons	avons conseillé
vous	conseillez	conseilliez	conseillerez	avez conseillé
ils / elles	conseillent	conseillaient	conseilleront	ont conseillé

Recommander — vouch for, with confidence

Recommander carries more weight than conseiller. Where conseiller is "I think you should," recommander is "I am vouching for this." The implicit basis is often personal experience — you've tried the restaurant, read the book, used the doctor — and you stand behind the recommendation. The verb is a borrowing from the same Latin source as English recommend; the meanings overlap closely.

recommander qqch à qqn

Je te recommande ce restaurant — la cuisine y est excellente.

I recommend this restaurant — the food there is excellent.

Une amie m'a recommandé ce dentiste, je suis très contente.

A friend recommended this dentist to me — I'm very happy.

Je le recommande chaudement, c'est un travail remarquable.

I highly recommend him — it's outstanding work.

The collocation recommander chaudement (literally "warmly recommend") is the standard intensifier for emphasizing a positive recommendation. It signals genuine enthusiasm rather than dutiful suggestion.

recommander à qqn de + infinitif

Je vous recommande de faire les réservations dès maintenant.

I recommend you make the reservations right now.

Le guide nous a recommandé de visiter le musée tôt le matin.

The guide recommended that we visit the museum early in the morning.

On lui a recommandé de consulter un spécialiste.

They recommended that he see a specialist.

Recommander as endorsement

In professional contexts, recommander shades into the language of endorsements and references — recommending a candidate for a job, a worker for a position. The past participle recommandé even carries a fixed sense in postal language (lettre recommandée = registered letter).

Mon ancien chef m'a recommandée pour le poste.

My former boss recommended me for the position. (recommandée — feminine, agreeing with the speaker if female)

J'ai envoyé le contrat en lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception.

I sent the contract by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt.

Conseiller vs recommander — the gap is small but real

The two are nearly synonymous. The slight gap:

conseiller foregrounds your opinion — what you think the listener should do.
recommander foregrounds your endorsement — what you yourself stand behind.

In practice, French speakers swap them freely for everyday uses. The difference becomes visible in contexts of authority and professionalism, where recommander carries a heavier weight (a doctor recommande a treatment; a friend conseille a choice).

Suggérer — float an idea tentatively

Suggérer is a step softer than the previous two. The speaker is offering an idea without committing to it; the listener is invited to consider, not directed. This is the verb of brainstorming, gentle proposals, and tactful interventions.

suggérer à qqn de + infinitif

Je te suggère de prendre une pause, tu as l'air fatigué.

I suggest you take a break — you look tired.

L'enseignante a suggéré aux élèves de relire leurs notes avant l'examen.

The teacher suggested the students reread their notes before the exam.

Je vous suggère de réfléchir à cette possibilité avant de décider.

I suggest you think about this possibility before deciding.

The tone is gentler than conseiller: suggérer presents an idea as one option among many, rather than as the speaker's confident recommendation.

suggérer que + subjonctif

When followed by que, suggérer triggers the subjunctive — because suggesting an action expresses a desire about it occurring (a classic subjunctive trigger).

Je suggère qu'on parte tôt pour éviter les bouchons.

I suggest that we leave early to avoid the traffic. (parte = subjunctive)

Je suggère que tu lui parles directement.

I suggest that you speak to him directly.

Le comité suggère que la décision soit reportée à la semaine prochaine.

The committee suggests that the decision be postponed to next week.

This is one of the textbook uses of the subjunctive — a verb of desire/volition (suggérer, demander, vouloir, exiger) introduces an embedded clause where the subject is different from the matrix subject, and the embedded verb takes the subjunctive.

Suggérer as soft persuasion

In careful or diplomatic speech, suggérer allows you to plant an idea without seeming pushy:

Puis-je suggérer une autre approche ?

Might I suggest a different approach? (formal, diplomatic)

Je suggère, sans insister, qu'on examine les chiffres avant de conclure.

I'd suggest, without pushing, that we look at the numbers before concluding.

The phrase sans insister (without pushing/insisting) is a typical hedge that pairs naturally with suggérer.

Conjugation of suggérer

A regular -er verb, but with a stem that ends in -é- before the -r- (like espérer, préférer). This creates the famous é → è alternation in stressed syllables: when the next syllable contains a silent e, the é shifts to è.

Person	Présent	Imparfait	Futur	Passé composé
je	suggère	suggérais	suggérerai	ai suggéré
tu	suggères	suggérais	suggéreras	as suggéré
il / elle / on	suggère	suggérait	suggérera	a suggéré
nous	suggérons	suggérions	suggérerons	avons suggéré
vous	suggérez	suggériez	suggérerez	avez suggéré
ils / elles	suggèrent	suggéraient	suggéreront	ont suggéré

Notice the present-tense alternation: je suggère (stressed è), nous suggérons (unstressed é), ils suggèrent (stressed è). The futur suggérera keeps é in modern usage, though some speakers say suggèrera — both spellings appear in dictionaries since the 1990 spelling reform.

Proposer — put forward a concrete option

Proposer is the most concrete of the four. Where suggérer floats an idea, proposer puts a specific option on the table — a concrete plan, a particular thing, a definite invitation. The verb leans toward action: a proposition is something you can accept or refuse.

proposer qqch à qqn

When the proposal is a thing — a coffee, a ride, a date — the structure is proposer + thing + à + person.

Je te propose un café — tu en veux un ?

I'm offering you a coffee — would you like one?

On t'a proposé le poste, c'est génial !

They offered you the job — that's great!

Je peux te proposer mon aide si tu en as besoin.

I can offer you my help if you need it.

This pattern is the most common way to offer something in everyday French. Je te propose... is the workhorse for inviting, offering, and putting things on the table — far more frequent than je suggère.

proposer à qqn de + infinitif

When the proposal is an action, French uses the infinitive construction:

Il m'a proposé d'aller au cinéma ce soir.

He suggested we go to the movies tonight. (proposed the action)

Je leur ai proposé de venir dîner samedi.

I invited them to come for dinner on Saturday.

Le patron m'a proposé de travailler à mi-temps.

My boss offered me the option of working part-time.

proposer que + subjonctif

Like suggérer, proposer triggers subjunctive in que clauses:

Je propose qu'on parte avant 8 heures.

I propose we leave before 8 o'clock. (parte = subjunctive)

Je propose que chacun apporte un plat.

I propose that each person bring a dish.

Conjugation of proposer

A regular -er verb with no spelling complications:

Person	Présent	Imparfait	Futur	Passé composé
je	propose	proposais	proposerai	ai proposé
tu	proposes	proposais	proposeras	as proposé
il / elle / on	propose	proposait	proposera	a proposé
nous	proposons	proposions	proposerons	avons proposé
vous	proposez	proposiez	proposerez	avez proposé
ils / elles	proposent	proposaient	proposeront	ont proposé

Side-by-side: choosing the right verb

To make the four-way distinction concrete, watch how the same situation — let's go to the movies — shifts across the verbs:

Je te conseille d'aller voir ce film, c'est exactement ton genre.

I'd recommend you see this movie — it's exactly your kind of thing. (advice based on knowing the listener's tastes)

Je te recommande d'aller voir ce film, je l'ai adoré.

I recommend you see this movie — I loved it. (endorsement based on personal experience)

Je te suggère d'aller voir ce film, si jamais tu cherches une idée.

I'd suggest you see this movie, if you're looking for an idea. (tentative — soft, optional)

Je te propose qu'on aille voir ce film ce soir.

I'm proposing we go see this movie tonight. (concrete plan with a time and shared participation)

The progression goes from "this is my advice" → "I personally vouch for it" → "here's an idea, take or leave" → "here is a specific plan I am putting on the table." Each verb captures a slightly different angle on the act of suggesting.

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The most reliable way to drill the four: when you reach for English suggest, ask yourself whether you mean (1) I think you should = conseiller, (2) I'm vouching for this = recommander, (3) I'm just floating an idea = suggérer, or (4) here is a specific plan = proposer. The grammar is identical; the meaning is what shifts.

Que + subjonctif: when do all four take it?

All four verbs can take a que clause with subjunctive, and the rule is uniform: when there are two different subjects (you suggest that I do X), use que + subjonctif. When there is one subject (I propose to leave), use de + infinitif.

Je suggère qu'on parte tôt.

I suggest we leave early. (subjunctive — different subjects)

Je suggère de partir tôt.

I suggest leaving early. (infinitive — same subject implied)

Je propose que tu prennes la voiture.

I propose you take the car. (subjunctive)

Je propose de prendre la voiture.

I propose to take the car. (infinitive — same subject implied)

In conversational French, the de + infinitif pattern (je te suggère de partir) is more common than the que + subjunctive pattern (je suggère que tu partes) when the listener is the subject of the embedded action. The subjunctive pattern is preferred when the embedded subject is on (we, generic), or in slightly more formal speech.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using lui with prier but le with conseiller.

These four verbs take indirect-object people. The pronouns are lui, leur (not le, la, les).

❌ Je le conseille de partir.

Conseiller takes an indirect-object person — use lui.

✅ Je lui conseille de partir.

I advise him/her to leave.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the subjunctive after suggérer / proposer que.

❌ Je suggère que tu pars tôt.

Suggérer que triggers subjunctive — pars (indicative) is wrong.

✅ Je suggère que tu partes tôt.

I suggest you leave early.

Mistake 3: Skipping the de before the infinitive.

❌ Je te conseille partir tôt.

The construction is conseiller à qqn DE + infinitif — de is required.

✅ Je te conseille de partir tôt.

I advise you to leave early.

Mistake 4: Using suggérer where proposer is more natural.

❌ Je te suggère un café.

Slightly off — when offering a concrete thing, French prefers proposer.

✅ Je te propose un café.

I'm offering you a coffee.

Mistake 5: Translating recommend mechanically as recommander.

❌ Je recommande que tu écoutes ta mère.

A bit heavy — for personal advice in casual speech, conseiller is more natural.

✅ Je te conseille d'écouter ta mère.

I advise you to listen to your mother.

Mistake 6: Reversing the structure to mimic English.

❌ Je propose toi de partir.

The person comes after à (or as a pronoun before the verb), not after the verb without preposition.

✅ Je te propose de partir. / Je propose à Marie de partir.

I'm proposing we leave. / I'm proposing to Marie that we leave.

Key takeaways

The four verbs share a common syntactic skeleton — verbe + à qqn + de + infinitif — but each one carries a distinct semantic flavor. Conseiller = advise based on personal opinion ("I think you should"). Recommander = endorse, vouch for, often based on direct experience ("I personally stand behind this"). Suggérer = float a tentative idea ("here's a thought, take or leave"). Proposer = put forward a concrete option ("here is a specific plan I'm putting on the table").

All four take indirect-object people: lui, leur, never le, la, les. All four can take que + subjonctif when the embedded subject is different from the matrix subject; otherwise prefer de + infinitif.

Master the four-way distinction by asking, when you reach for English suggest, what you actually mean: advise, recommend, hint, or put forward. French rewards the precision; English speakers who treat the four as synonyms sound less fluent than those who reach for the right one.

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