Devenir Conjugation in French: Full Charts, Tenses, & Common Mistakes

The French verb devenir translates to "to become" in English. It is an essential verb used to describe transformations, career evolutions, emotional shifts, and life milestones.

Grammatically, devenir belongs to the 3rd group of irregular verbs. Fortunately, it follows the exact same pattern as the base verb venir (to come) and its derivatives like revenir (to come back).

In this comprehensive guide, you will find complete conjugation tables for every key tense, critical grammar rules, and the most common traps English speakers fall into.

1. Present Tense (Présent de l'indicatif)

In the present tense, devenir exhibits two main stems: devien- for the singular persons and 3rd person plural, and deven- for the 1st and 2nd person plural.

Subject Pronoun French Form English Equivalent
:--- :--- :---
Je deviens I become / I am becoming
Tu deviens You become (informal)
Il / Elle / On devient He / She / One becomes
Nous devenons We become
Vous devenez You become (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles deviennent They become

> Pronunciation note: Je deviens, tu deviens, and il devient are all pronounced identically: `/də.vjɛ̃/`. In the plural form ils deviennent, the double 'n' opens the vowel sound to `/də.vjɛn/`.

2. Passé Composé: The Auxiliary Rule

This is the most critical grammatical rule regarding devenir: it always takes the auxiliary verb être (to be) in compound tenses, never avoir.

Because it uses être, the past participle devenu must agree in gender (add -e) and number (add -s) with the subject.

  • Je suis devenu(e) — I became / have become
  • Tu es devenu(e) — You became
  • Il est devenu — He became
  • Elle est devenue — She became (feminine agreement)
  • Nous sommes devenu(e)s — We became (plural agreement)
  • Vous êtes devenu(e)(s) — You became
  • Ils sont devenus — They became (masculine plural)
  • Elles sont devenues — They became (feminine plural)

Example: Marie est devenue bilingue après un an à Paris. (Marie became bilingual after a year in Paris.)

3. Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

The imperfect describes habitual states or ongoing transformations in the past. Take the nous stem of the present tense (deven-) and add standard imperfect endings:

  • Je devenais
  • Tu devenais
  • Il / Elle / On devenait
  • Nous devenions
  • Vous deveniez
  • Ils / Elles devenaient

    • 4. Future & Conditional Tenses

Both the future and conditional stems change to the irregular base deviendr-.

Simple Future (Futur Simple)

  • Je deviendrai (I will become)
  • Tu deviendras
  • Il / Elle / On deviendra
  • Nous deviendrons
  • Vous deviendrez
  • Ils / Elles deviendront

    • Present Conditional (Conditionnel Présent)

  • Je deviendrais (I would become)
  • Tu deviendrais
  • Il / Elle / On deviendrait
  • Nous deviendrions
  • Vous deviendriez
  • Ils / Elles deviendraient

    • 5. Subjunctive Present (Subjonctif)

The subjunctive is used after expressions of necessity, desire, or doubt (e.g., Il faut que...).

  • Que je devienne
  • Que tu deviennes
  • Qu'il / elle / on devienne
  • Que nous devenions
  • Que vous deveniez
  • Qu'ils / elles deviennent

    • 6. Imperative Mood (Impératif)

  • (Tu) Deviens — Become!
  • (Nous) Devenons — Let's become!
  • (Vous) Devenez — Become! (formal/plural)

    • Used for commands or recommendations:

    7. Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

    1. Using "avoir" instead of "être"

Remember the DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP mnemonic: the "D" stands for Devenir. Saying "J'ai devenu" is a major grammatical mistake. Always say "Je suis devenu(e)".

2. "Devenir" vs. "Rendre"

  • Ça me rend heureux. (That makes me happy.)
  • Le bruit me rend fou. (The noise is driving/making me crazy.)

    • In English, you can say "This makes me angry" or "He makes me happy." English learners often incorrectly translate this using devenir (Ça me devient fâché is incorrect!). In French, use rendre + adjective:

  • Il devient fou. (He is becoming crazy / going crazy.)

    • Use devenir when the subject itself undergoes the change:

    3. Missing Participle Agreement

Whenever writing in compound tenses (Passé composé, Plus-que-parfait), ensure your past participle reflects the subject: Elles sont devenues célèbres (not devenu).

Conclusion

Conjugating devenir becomes effortless once you master the conjugation of venir. Focus primarily on the present indicative and the passé composé with être, and you will handle everyday French conversations with confidence!