Key facts

Ternir

To tarnish · to tarnish/to fade/to dull

C1Regular
Stem
tern
Past participle
terni

Examples

Je ternis le métal.

I tarnish the metal.

Il ne ternit pas son nom.

He doesn't tarnish his name.

Nous ternissions tout.

We were tarnishing everything.

Nous avons terni ça.

We tarnished that.

Présent

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

Group 2
Jeternis
Itarnish
Tuternis
Youtarnish
Ilternit
Hetarnishes
Nousternissons
Wetarnish
Vousternissez
Youtarnish
Ilsternissent
Theytarnish

Futur proche

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

Jevais ternir
Iam going to tarnish
Tuvas ternir
Youare going to tarnish
Ilva ternir
Heis going to tarnish
Nousallons ternir
Weare going to tarnish
Vousallez ternir
Youare going to tarnish
Ilsvont ternir
Theyare going to tarnish

Passé récent

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

Jeviens de ternir
Ihave just tarnished
Tuviens de ternir
Youhave just tarnished
Ilvient de ternir
Hehas just tarnished
Nousvenons de ternir
Wehave just tarnished
Vousvenez de ternir
Youhave just tarnished
Ilsviennent de ternir
Theyhave just tarnished

Passé composé

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

J'ai terni
Ihave tarnished
Tuas terni
Youhave tarnished
Ila terni
Hehas tarnished
Nousavons terni
Wehave tarnished
Vousavez terni
Youhave tarnished
Ilsont terni
Theyhave tarnished

Conditionnel présent

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

Jeternirais
Iwould tarnish
Tuternirais
Youwould tarnish
Ilternirait
Hewould tarnish
Nousternirions
Wewould tarnish
Vousterniriez
Youwould tarnish
Ilsterniraient
Theywould tarnish

Futur simple

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

Jeternirai
Iwill tarnish
Tuterniras
Youwill tarnish
Ilternira
Hewill tarnish
Nousternirons
Wewill tarnish
Vousternirez
Youwill tarnish
Ilsterniront
Theywill tarnish

Imparfait

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

Jeternissais
Iwas tarnishing
Tuternissais
Youwere tarnishing
Ilternissait
Hewas tarnishing
Nousternissions
Were tarnishing
Vousternissiez
Youwere tarnishing
Ilsternissaient
Theywere tarnishing

Impératif présent

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

(Tu)ternis
Youtarnish
(Nous)ternissons
Wetarnish
(Vous)ternissez
Youtarnish

Participe présent

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

ternissant
tarnishing

Gérondif présent

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

en ternissant
tarnishing

Similar conjugation models (Regular)

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