What does présent in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word présent in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use présent in French.

The word présent in French means present, present, present, present, present, this, present, now, present time, present, present tense, person present, person there, present, present, gift, now, now that, present conditional, in the present case, in the present instance, as of now, from now, while + [present participle], be at, present indicative, present indicative tense, present moment, present time, present instant, until now, up to now, so far, to date, present participle, present simple, present subjunctive, present historic, present continuous, present simple, simple present, seize the moment, live each moment to the full, carpe diem, come forward, present subjunctive, while + [present participle]. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word présent

present

adjectif (dans un lieu déterminé)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
J'étais présente quand le voleur est entré dans la banque.
I was there when the robber entered the bank.

present

adjectif (qui assiste à [qch])

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Pierre est présent à tous les cours.
Peter is present at every class.

present

interjection (pour répondre à l'appel)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Si vous êtes là, répondez « présent ». - Patrick Martin ? - Présent ! - Julie Dupont ? - Présente !
"If you are here, respond 'present.' Patrick Martin?" "Present!" "Julie Dupont?" "Present!"

present

adjectif (actuel)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Le moment présent est important mais pense aussi au futur.
The present moment is important, but you should also think about the future.

present

adjectif (qui existe)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
La faim est présente dans de nombreux pays.
Hunger is present in several countries.

this

adjectif (dont il est question)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Tous les cas ont été répertorié dans le présent document.
Every case has been listed in this document.

present, now, present time

nom masculin (époque actuelle)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ma sœur vit à fond dans le présent.
My sister lives completely in the present.

present, present tense

nom masculin (temps grammatical) (grammar)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'action se passe au moment où je parle, c'est le présent.
The action is happening at the moment I am speaking, that is the present.

person present, person there

(personne qui est là)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Aujourd'hui, il n'y a que 3 présents sur 15 élèves.
Today, there are only three people present out of 15 students.

present

adjectif (qui a beaucoup de présence)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Ce chanteur est vraiment présent sur scène.
This singer is very present on stage.

present, gift

nom masculin (soutenu (cadeau)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Nous lui ferons un présent pour son mariage.
We are giving him a present for his wedding.

now

locution adverbiale (maintenant)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Le forum est reconnu à présent.
The forum is now recognized.

now that

locution conjonction (maintenant que)

(conjunction: Connects words, clauses, and sentences--for example, "and," "but," "because," "in order that.")
À présent qu'ils sont mariés, il peut faire une demande de carte de séjour.

present conditional

nom masculin (temps verbal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

in the present case, in the present instance

locution adverbiale (présentement, dans ce cas-là)

as of now, from now

locution adverbiale (à partir de maintenant)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Vous pouvez dès à présent vous inscrire.
You can sign up as of now.

while + [present participle]

préposition (tout en)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")
J'aime bien travailler en écoutant de la musique.
I like working while listening to music.

be at

locution verbale (assister à, se trouver à)

Frédéric n'était pas présent à la réunion car il était en déplacement.

present indicative, present indicative tense

nom masculin (grammaire : temps verbal) (Grammar)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'indicatif présent est utilisé pour décrire les actions en cours.

present moment, present time, present instant

nom masculin (temps présent) (now)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le bonheur, c'est savoir profiter de l'instant présent.

until now, up to now, so far, to date

present participle

nom masculin (forme verbale)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En français, le participe présent de « manger » est « mangeant ».

present simple

nom masculin (temps de conjugaison)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le présent de l'indicatif décrit les situations en cours.

present subjunctive

nom masculin (conjugaison : temps de l'irréel)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

present historic

nom masculin (présent utilisé pour la narration)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

present continuous

nom masculin (conjugaison : temps anglais)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

present simple, simple present

nom masculin (conjugaison : temps anglais)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

seize the moment, live each moment to the full, carpe diem

locution verbale (tirer profit, satisfaire un désir)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Nous voilà enfin tous réunis, profitons de l'instant présent !

come forward

locution verbale (être disponible)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
Quand il s'agit d'aider les plus démunis, Paul répond toujours présent.

present subjunctive

nom masculin (Grammaire : temps des hypothèses)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

while + [present participle]

locution adverbiale (en même temps qu'en)

(conjunction: Connects words, clauses, and sentences--for example, "and," "but," "because," "in order that.")
Le vieil homme lisait le journal tout en écoutant de la musique classique.
The old man read the paper as he listened to classical music.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of présent in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Related words of présent

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.