Key facts

Veiller

To ensure · to stay awake/to ensure

B2Regular
Stem
veill
Past participle
veillé

Examples

Je veille sur toi.

I watch over you.

Il ne veille pas au grain.

He doesn't keep a sharp lookout.

-

We were watching over Paul.

-

We stayed up with mom.

Présent

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

Group 1
Jeveille
Iensure
Tuveilles
Youensure
Ilveille
Heensures
Nousveillons
Weensure
Vousveillez
Youensure
Ilsveillent
Theyensure

Futur proche

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

Jevais veiller
Iam going to ensure
Tuvas veiller
Youare going to ensure
Ilva veiller
Heis going to ensure
Nousallons veiller
Weare going to ensure
Vousallez veiller
Youare going to ensure
Ilsvont veiller
Theyare going to ensure

Passé récent

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

Jeviens de veiller
Ihave just ensured
Tuviens de veiller
Youhave just ensured
Ilvient de veiller
Hehas just ensured
Nousvenons de veiller
Wehave just ensured
Vousvenez de veiller
Youhave just ensured
Ilsviennent de veiller
Theyhave just ensured

Passé composé

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

J'ai veillé
Ihave ensured
Tuas veillé
Youhave ensured
Ila veillé
Hehas ensured
Nousavons veillé
Wehave ensured
Vousavez veillé
Youhave ensured
Ilsont veillé
Theyhave ensured

Conditionnel présent

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

Jeveillerais
Iwould ensure
Tuveillerais
Youwould ensure
Ilveillerait
Hewould ensure
Nousveillerions
Wewould ensure
Vousveilleriez
Youwould ensure
Ilsveilleraient
Theywould ensure

Futur simple

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

Jeveillerai
Iwill ensure
Tuveilleras
Youwill ensure
Ilveillera
Hewill ensure
Nousveillerons
Wewill ensure
Vousveillerez
Youwill ensure
Ilsveilleront
Theywill ensure

Imparfait

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

Jeveillais
Iwas ensuring
Tuveillais
Youwere ensuring
Ilveillait
Hewas ensuring
Nousveillions
Were ensuring
Vousveilliez
Youwere ensuring
Ilsveillaient
Theywere ensuring

Impératif présent

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

(Tu)veille
Youensure
(Nous)veillons
Weensure
(Vous)veillez
Youensure

Participe présent

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

veillant
ensuring

Gérondif présent

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

en veillant
ensuring

Similar conjugation models (Regular)

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