Key facts

Étouffer

To suffocate · to suffocate/to stifle/to muffle/to smother

B1Regular
Stem
étouff
Past participle
étouffé

Examples

J'étouffe ici.

I'm suffocating here.

Il n'étouffe pas le bruit.

It doesn't muffle the noise.

Nous étouffions Lucie.

We were stifling Lucie.

Nous avons étouffé le feu.

We stifled the fire.

Présent

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

Group 1
J'étouffe
Isuffocate
Tuétouffes
Yousuffocate
Ilétouffe
Hesuffocates
Nousétouffons
Wesuffocate
Vousétouffez
Yousuffocate
Ilsétouffent
Theysuffocate

Futur proche

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

Jevais étouffer
Iam going to suffocate
Tuvas étouffer
Youare going to suffocate
Ilva étouffer
Heis going to suffocate
Nousallons étouffer
Weare going to suffocate
Vousallez étouffer
Youare going to suffocate
Ilsvont étouffer
Theyare going to suffocate

Passé récent

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

Jeviens d'étouffer
Ihave just suffocated
Tuviens d'étouffer
Youhave just suffocated
Ilvient d'étouffer
Hehas just suffocated
Nousvenons d'étouffer
Wehave just suffocated
Vousvenez d'étouffer
Youhave just suffocated
Ilsviennent d'étouffer
Theyhave just suffocated

Passé composé

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

J'ai étouffé
Ihave suffocated
Tuas étouffé
Youhave suffocated
Ila étouffé
Hehas suffocated
Nousavons étouffé
Wehave suffocated
Vousavez étouffé
Youhave suffocated
Ilsont étouffé
Theyhave suffocated

Conditionnel présent

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

J'étoufferais
Iwould suffocate
Tuétoufferais
Youwould suffocate
Ilétoufferait
Hewould suffocate
Nousétoufferions
Wewould suffocate
Vousétoufferiez
Youwould suffocate
Ilsétoufferaient
Theywould suffocate

Futur simple

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

J'étoufferai
Iwill suffocate
Tuétoufferas
Youwill suffocate
Ilétouffera
Hewill suffocate
Nousétoufferons
Wewill suffocate
Vousétoufferez
Youwill suffocate
Ilsétoufferont
Theywill suffocate

Imparfait

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

J'étouffais
Iwas suffocating
Tuétouffais
Youwere suffocating
Ilétouffait
Hewas suffocating
Nousétouffions
Were suffocating
Vousétouffiez
Youwere suffocating
Ilsétouffaient
Theywere suffocating

Impératif présent

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

(Tu)étouffe
Yousuffocate
(Nous)étouffons
Wesuffocate
(Vous)étouffez
Yousuffocate

Participe présent

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

étouffant
suffocating

Gérondif présent

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

en étouffant
suffocating

Similar conjugation models (Regular)

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