French Verb Focus: Suivre (To Follow)

Suivre is an irregular verb that is not too difficult to learn. It means to follow, but also to go on a course or a diet, etc., or to support someone.

PRESENT TENSE

Je suis – I follow, I am following
Tu suis – you follow, you are following (singular, familiar)
Il suit – he/it follows, he/it is following
Elle suit – she/it follows, she/it is following
Nous suivons – we follow, we are following
Vous suivez – you follow, you are following (polite, plural)
Ils suivent – they follow, they are following (m.)
Elles suivent – they follow, they are following (f.)

PERFECT TENSE (PASSE COMPOSE)

J’ai suivi – I have followed, I followed, I did follow
Tu as suivi – you have followed, you followed, you did follow
Il a suivi – he/it has followed, he/it followed, he did follow
Elle a suivi – she/it has followed, she/it followed, she did follow
Nous avons suivi – we have followed, we followed, we did follow
Vous avez suivi – you have followed, you followed, you did follow
Ils ont suivi – they have followed, they followed, they did follow
Elles ont – they have followed, they followed, they did follow

FUTURE TENSE

Je suivrai à pied. – I will follow on foot.
Tu suivras un cours de langue. – You will attend a language course.
Il suivra un régime. – He will go on a diet.
Elle ne vous suivra pas sur ce terrain. – She won’t follow you down that road.
Nous suivrons notre instinct. – We will follow our instinct.
Est-ce que vous me suivrez? – Will you back me up?
Ils suivront leur idée. – They will do things their own way.
Elles suivront le mouvement. – They will follow the crowd.

IMPERFECT TENSE

Je suivais vos articles. – I was following, I used to follow your articles.

CONDITIONAL TENSE

Je suivrais un régime si j’avais des kilos en trop. – I would go on a diet if I were overweight.

IMPERATIVE

Suis la route sur 15 kilomètres. – Follow (tu form) the road for 15 kilometres.
Suivons leur voiture de près. – Let’s follow close behind their car.
Suivez – follow (vous form); suivez avec votre voisin – share with the person sitting next to you.

SUBJUNCTIVE

Il faut que je suive les autres. – I must follow the others.

Note: ‘faire suivre son courrier’ means to have one’s mail forwarded.

With thanks to Elizabeth Allen