All verbs

/dəvniʁ/to becomeA2

Family
Family 5 — boot verbs
Takes
a noun — Followed by a noun or adjective — and no article before a job

Build map — what to memorise

These three pieces are learnt; every other tense is built from them.

The nous form
devenons
Presentprésentlearn it whole

Singular — the short stem

Presentprésent1 exception(s)

Boot verb — ils takes the singular stem back

deven-+-ons -ez -ent

  • ils deviennentthe rule said devenent
Imperfectimparfaitfollows the rule

deven-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Present participleparticipe-présentfollows the rule

deven-+-ant

Subjunctivesubjonctif-présentfollows the rule

Built on ils; nous and vous are the imparfait forms

devienn-+-e -es -e -ent

Infinitive
devenir
Simple futurefutur-simplestem changes

deviendr-+-ai -as -a -ons -ez -ont

Conditionalconditionnel-présentfollows the rule

Futur stem + imparfait endings

deviendr-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Near futurefutur-prochefollows the rule

aller + infinitive

devenir

Past participle
devenu

Takes être

Passé composépassé-composéfollows the rule

être (present) + past participle, with agreement

devenu

Pluperfectplus-que-parfaitfollows the rule

Auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle

devenu

Conjugation

présent
Ije deviens/ʒə dəvjɛ̃/I become
youtu deviens/ty dəvjɛ̃/you become
he/sheil devient/il dəvjɛ̃/he becomes
wenous devenons/nu dəvnɔ̃/we become
youvous devenez/vu dəvne/you become
theyils deviennent/il dəvjɛn/they become

Examples

  • Je deviens professeur.

    /ʒə də.vjɛ̃ pʁo.fɛ.sœʁ/

    I'm becoming a teacher.

  • Il devient froid.

    /il də.vjɛ̃ fʁwa/

    It's getting cold.

  • Que deviens-tu ?

    /kə də.vjɛ̃.ty/

    How are you doing these days?

Notes

  • No article before a profession: Je deviens professeur, not un professeur. Same rule as être. See travail-metiers.

  • Que deviens-tu ? is a real greeting — "what have you been up to?" — asked of someone you have not seen for a while. Nothing to do with becoming.

  • It takes être in the past: Il est devenu médecin. See passe-compose-etre.