Mastering the Conjugation of Rendre in French: Full Tense Guide

The verb rendre (to give back, to return, to make/render) is a foundational verb in the French language. While French grammar books classify it as a third-group verb, it serves as the ultimate model for what learners call regular -re verbs—a group that includes attendre (to wait), répondre (to answer), entendre (to hear), and perdre (to lose).

Mastering the rendre conjugation in French will unlock your ability to conjugate dozens of everyday verbs with ease. In this comprehensive guide, explore full conjugation tables, pronunciation notes, and key idiomatic uses.

1. Radical and General Rules

To conjugate rendre, remove the infinitive ending -re to extract the stem: rend-.

  • Present participle: rendant (giving back / making)
  • Past participle: rendu (given back / returned)
  • Auxiliary verb: avoir (être in the reflexive form se rendre)

Because the stem rend- stays virtually unchanged across most tenses, rendre is among the friendliest third-group verbs for foreign learners.

2. Indicative Mood Conjugation Tables

Present Tense (Présent)

In the present tense, regular -re verbs take the endings -s, -s, nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Subject Pronoun Conjugation English Meaning
:--- :--- :---
Je rends I return / I give back
Tu rends You return (informal)
Il / Elle / On rend He / She / One returns
Nous rendons We return
Vous rendez You return (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles rendent They return

> Key Tip: Notice the third-person singular form (il/elle rend). Unlike -er verbs that add an -e or -ir verbs that add a -t, verbs ending in -dre take no extra letter after the stem's d.

Compound Past (Passé Composé)

The passé composé expresses completed past actions. It uses the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle rendu.

  • J'ai rendu (I returned / gave back)
  • Tu as rendu
  • Il / Elle / On a rendu
  • Nous avons rendu
  • Vous avez rendu
  • Ils / Elles ont rendu

Example: J'ai rendu le livre à Julien hier. (I returned the book to Julien yesterday.)

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Use the imperfect for continuous or habitual actions in the past. Add the regular imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) directly to the stem rend-:

  • Je rendais
  • Tu rendais
  • Il / Elle / On rendait
  • Nous rendions
  • Vous rendiez
  • Ils / Elles rendaient

    • Simple Future (Futur Simple)

For the future tense, drop the silent final -e from the infinitive (rendre $\rightarrow$ rendr-) and append the standard future endings:

  • Je rendrai
  • Tu rendras
  • Il / Elle / On rendra
  • Nous rendrons
  • Vous rendrez
  • Ils / Elles rendront

    • Present Conditional (Conditionnel Présent)

Using the exact same base as the future tense (rendr-), add the imperfect endings to form hypothetical actions:

  • Je rendrais
  • Tu rendrais
  • Il / Elle / On rendrait
  • Nous rendrions
  • Vous rendriez
  • Ils / Elles rendraient

    • 3. Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

    Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif Présent)

The subjunctive mood is essential for communicating necessity, emotions, and hypothetical situations after triggers like il faut que:

  • Que je rende
  • Que tu rendes
  • Qu'il / elle / on rende
  • Que nous rendions
  • Que vous rendiez
  • Qu'ils / elles rendent

    • Imperative (Impératif)

The imperative is used for commands and directives. Only three forms exist:

  • (Tu) Rends ! (Return / Give back!)
  • (Nous) Rendons ! (Let's give back!)
  • (Vous) Rendez ! (Return / Give back!)

    • 4. Crucial Meanings & Idiomatic Expressions

Rendre is far more versatile than a simple word-for-word translation suggests. Watch out for these high-frequency nuances:

1. To give back / return an item: Je te rends tes clés. (I'm giving you back your keys.)

2. To make someone + adjective: When describing emotional or physical transformations, English uses "make", while French uses rendre.

  • Cette musique me rend nostalgique. (This music makes me nostalgic.)
  • Le café la rend nerveuse. (Coffee makes her nervous.)

3. Rendre visite à quelqu'un: To visit a person. Never say "visiter une personne"; use rendre visite à for people and visiter for monuments, museums, or cities.

4. Se rendre compte de (Reflexive): To realize or become conscious of something.

  • Je me rends compte de la difficulté. (I realize the difficulty.)

5. Se rendre à (Reflexive): To travel/go to a place, or to surrender.

  • Ils se rendent à Paris. (They are traveling to Paris.)

By internalizing the patterns of rendre, you establish an enduring foundation for understanding French verbal morphology across all communication levels.