Key facts

Sursauter

To startle · to startle/to jump

B1Regular
Stem
sursaut
Past participle
sursauté

Examples

Je sursaute au bruit.

I startle at the noise.

Il ne sursaute pas.

He doesn't startle.

Nous sursautions hier.

We were startling yesterday.

Nous avons sursauté hier.

We startled yesterday.

Présent

Indicative present — everyday actions, ongoing situations, and habits; the tense you rely on most in conversation.

Group 1
Jesursaute
Istartle
Tusursautes
Youstartle
Ilsursaute
Hestartles
Noussursautons
Westartle
Voussursautez
Youstartle
Ilssursautent
Theystartle

Futur proche

Near future with aller + infinitive — what you are about to do, very soon after the moment of speaking.

Jevais sursauter
Iam going to startle
Tuvas sursauter
Youare going to startle
Ilva sursauter
Heis going to startle
Nousallons sursauter
Weare going to startle
Vousallez sursauter
Youare going to startle
Ilsvont sursauter
Theyare going to startle

Passé récent

Recent past with venir de + infinitive — something that has just finished, still fresh in the speaker’s mind.

Jeviens de sursauter
Ihave just startled
Tuviens de sursauter
Youhave just startled
Ilvient de sursauter
Hehas just startled
Nousvenons de sursauter
Wehave just startled
Vousvenez de sursauter
Youhave just startled
Ilsviennent de sursauter
Theyhave just startled

Passé composé

Compound past with être or avoir + past participle — completed, one-off events and the backbone of spoken storytelling.

J'ai sursauté
Ihave startled
Tuas sursauté
Youhave startled
Ila sursauté
Hehas startled
Nousavons sursauté
Wehave startled
Vousavez sursauté
Youhave startled
Ilsont sursauté
Theyhave startled

Conditionnel présent

Conditional mood — polite requests, imagined outcomes, and what would happen under certain conditions.

Jesursauterais
Iwould startle
Tusursauterais
Youwould startle
Ilsursauterait
Hewould startle
Noussursauterions
Wewould startle
Voussursauteriez
Youwould startle
Ilssursauteraient
Theywould startle

Futur simple

Simple future — often more formal or literary than the near future; states intentions farther ahead in time.

Jesursauterai
Iwill startle
Tusursauteras
Youwill startle
Ilsursautera
Hewill startle
Noussursauterons
Wewill startle
Voussursauterez
Youwill startle
Ilssursauteront
Theywill startle

Imparfait

Imperfect — repeated habits in the past, background description, and actions still in progress when something else occurred.

Jesursautais
Iwas startling
Tusursautais
Youwere startling
Ilsursautait
Hewas startling
Noussursautions
Were startling
Voussursautiez
Youwere startling
Ilssursautaient
Theywere startling

Impératif présent

Present imperative — direct commands and friendly requests; only tu, nous, and vous person forms exist.

(Tu)sursaute
Youstartle
(Nous)sursautons
Westartle
(Vous)sursautez
Youstartle

Participe présent

Present participle — the -ant form in subordinate clauses, compound tenses, and many fixed expressions.

sursautant
startling

Gérondif présent

Gerund with en + present participle — simultaneous action, manner, or cause while something else is going on.

en sursautant
startling

Similar conjugation models (Regular)

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