# Appeler Conjugation — Every Tense of the French Verb “To Call”

> **Appeler** means “to call”. Présent: **j’appelle, tu appelles, il appelle, nous appelons, vous appelez, ils appellent**. The **L doubles** wherever the vowel before it is pronounced — and the reflexive **s’appeler** is how French says what you are called: *je m’appelle…*

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Updated: 2026-09-16

## Présent — one L or two

Double l in the singular and for ils; single l for nous and vous. The same boot as acheter, solving the same problem by different means.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’appelle | I call |
| tu appelles | you call |
| il / elle appelle | he / she calls |
| nous appelons | we call |
| vous appelez | you call |
| ils / elles appellent | they call |

**Doubling and accents do the same job** — Acheter writes è to show the vowel is pronounced; appeler doubles the consonant instead. Both are telling you the same thing: j’appelle is “ja-PELL”, while nous appelons is “noo-za-PLOHN” with the vowel swallowed. French has two spellings for one rule, and which verb uses which is simply learnt.

**Also does this: jeter** — Jeter (to throw) doubles its t in exactly the same four places: je jette, nous jetons. So does rappeler (to call back, to remind).

## S’appeler — what you are called

French does not say what your name is. It says what you call yourself — a reflexive verb, with the pronoun changing to match.

| French | Literally | Means |
|---|---|---|
| je m’appelle Marie | I call myself Marie | my name is Marie |
| tu t’appelles comment ? | you call yourself how? | what’s your name? |
| comment vous appelez-vous ? | how do you call yourself? | what’s your name? (formal) |
| il s’appelle Paul | he calls himself Paul | his name is Paul |
| ça s’appelle comment ? | it calls itself how? | what’s that called? |

**⚠ Not mon nom est** — Mon nom est Marie is grammatical and sounds translated — it is what a form asks for, not what a person says. Use je m’appelle. And the reflexive pronoun changes with the subject: me, te, se, nous, vous, se.

The plain, non-reflexive verb is for calling somebody else — on the phone, or by shouting: j’appelle un taxi, appelle-moi ce soir.

## Passé composé — appelé

Regular: appelé, single l, with avoir. The reflexive form takes être instead and agrees — elle s’est appelée.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’ai appelé | I called / have called |
| tu as appelé | you called / have called |
| il / elle a appelé | he / she called / have called |
| nous avons appelé | we called / have called |
| vous avez appelé | you called / have called |
| ils / elles ont appelé | they called / have called |

## Imparfait — single L throughout

Built from appelons, so there is no doubling anywhere: j’appelais.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’appelais | I used to call / was calling |
| tu appelais | you used to call / was calling |
| il / elle appelait | he / she used to call / was calling |
| nous appelions | we used to call / was calling |
| vous appeliez | you used to call / was calling |
| ils / elles appelaient | they used to call / was calling |

## Futur and conditionnel — the double L comes back

Like acheter’s accent, the doubling survives into the futur in every form: j’appellerai, nous appellerons. Two ls and an r — worth writing out once, because it looks wrong.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’appellerai | I will call |
| tu appelleras | you will call |
| il / elle appellera | he / she will call |
| nous appellerons | we will call |
| vous appellerez | you will call |
| ils / elles appelleront | they will call |

## Conditionnel — would call

J’appellerais, doubling intact.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’appellerais | I would call |
| tu appellerais | you would call |
| il / elle appellerait | he / she would call |
| nous appellerions | we would call |
| vous appelleriez | you would call |
| ils / elles appelleraient | they would call |

## Subjonctif — the boot again

Double l in the boot, single outside it — the présent’s pattern exactly.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’appelle | (that) I call |
| tu appelles | (that) you call |
| il / elle appelle | (that) he / she call |
| nous appelions | (that) we call |
| vous appeliez | (that) you call |
| ils / elles appellent | (that) they call |

## Impératif — call me

Appelle ! with no s, doubled l. With a pronoun attached it hyphenates: appelle-moi.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| appelle ! | call! (to one person you know) |
| appelons ! | let’s call! |
| appelez ! | call! (formal, or to a group) |

## Plus-que-parfait — had called

J’avais appelé.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’avais appelé | I had called |
| tu avais appelé | you had called |
| il / elle avait appelé | he / she had called |
| nous avions appelé | we had called |
| vous aviez appelé | you had called |
| ils / elles avaient appelé | they had called |

## FAQ

### How do you conjugate appeler in the present tense?

J’appelle, tu appelles, il / elle appelle, nous appelons, vous appelez, ils / elles appellent. Double l everywhere except nous and vous.

### Why does the L double in appeler?

To show that the vowel before it is pronounced. J’appelle is “ja-PELL”; nous appelons swallows that vowel, so the l stays single.

### How do you say your name in French?

Je m’appelle plus your name — literally “I call myself”. Mon nom est is grammatical but sounds like a form, not a person.

### What is the future of appeler?

J’appellerai — the double l carries through every form of the futur and the conditionnel.

### Which other verbs double a consonant like appeler?

Jeter (je jette) doubles its t, and rappeler follows appeler exactly.

## Related guides

- Acheter conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/acheter-conjugation
- Parler conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/parler-conjugation
- French verb conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/french-verb-conjugation
- All free French guides: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides