French Verbs

How To Conjugate an -ER verb in French

1. Choose an -er verb, such as "parler" (to speak).
2. Remove the -er ending to get the verb stem: "parl-".
3. Add the appropriate ending to match the subject pronoun (je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles).
4. The endings for present tense are:

• je: -e
• tu: -es
• il/elle/iel/on: -e
• nous: -ons
• vous: -ez
• ils/elles: -ent

So, for example, "parler" in present tense would be:

• je parle
• tu parles
• il/elle/iel/on parle
• nous parlons
• vous parlez
• ils/elles parlent

The Difference Between Regular and Irregular Verbs

In French, regular verbs follow a predictable pattern in their conjugation, while irregular verbs do not follow a predictable pattern and must be memorized individually. Regular verbs are categorized into three groups based on their infinitive endings (-er, -ir, -re), while irregular verbs have unique conjugations that do not follow these patterns.

Subject Verb Inversion

In French, subject-verb inversion occurs when the subject and verb switch places in a sentence. This happens in questions, commands, and certain expressions. In questions, the subject and verb are inverted, with the verb coming before the subject. For example, "Tu parles français" (You speak French) becomes "Parles-tu français?"

Adding a ‘T’ when vowels are touching

In French, when the il/elle form of a verb ends in an "e", a "t" is added between the subject and the verb in the inverted form. This is done to improve pronunciation and to differentiate between the singular and plural forms. For example, "Elle parle" (She speaks) becomes "Parle-t-elle?" (Does she speak?). Another example is "Il aime" (He likes) becomes "Aime-t-il?" (Does he like?). This rule applies to all verbs that end in an "e" in the il/elle form, including regular and irregular verbs.

French Verbs (add as learned)

Acheter* -to buy

Adorer- to love

Aimer- to like

Arriver - to arrive

Chanter - to sing

Chasser - to chase/hunt

Chercher- to look for

Compter -to count

Danser - to dance

Dessiner - to draw

Donner - to give

Détester - to hate

Ecouter - to listen

Entrer - to enter

Étudier - to study

Gagner -to win/ to earn

Habiter - to live

Jouer - to play

Manger* - to eat

Nager - to swim

Parler - to speak

Partager - to share

Penser - to think

Porter - to wear

Préférer* - to prefer

Ranger - to tidy up

Regarder - to watch/ to look at

Rentrer - to re-enter

Rester - to stay

Sauter - to jump

Travailler - to work (false friend)

Trouver - to find

Voyager - to travel

*= change in spelling

Faire, Etre and Avoir

Etre - to be

Je suis - I am

Tu es - You are

Il, elle, iel, on est - He/She/They/One is

Nous sommes - We are

Vous etes - You are (Formal)

Ils, ells sont - They are

Avoir - to have

J’ai - I have

Tu as - You have

Il, elle, iel, on a - He, she, they, have

Nous avons - We have

Vous avez - You (formal/pluriel) have

Ils, elles ont - They have

Faire - to make/to do

I am doing - Je fais

You are doing - Tu fais

He/She/They NB/One is doing - Il/Elle/Iel/On fait

We are doing - Nous faisons

You are doing - Vous faites

They are doing - Ils/Elles font

-GER Verbs

-GER verbs like voyager, and manger have a slight change to the nous form. When conjugated nous, only take the -r off of the infinitive. I.E. mangeons and voyageons.

-CER Verbs

-CER verbs like commencer have a slight change to the nous form. When conjugating nous, add an accent cedille to the last ‘c’. I.E. commençer.

-YER Verbs

-YER verbs like payer have a slight change to the nous and vous from (it’s considered a ‘boot verb’). When conjugating nous and vous, change the ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and add the verb ending. I.E. Je paie

Boot Verbs

Acheter (To buy)

I buy - J’achètes

You buy - Tu achètes

They, he, she buys - On, Iel, Il, Elle achète

We buy - Nous achetons

You (formal) buy - achetez

They buy - Ils, Elles, achètent

Notice:

Nous & Vous have NO accents! Je, Tu, Elle, Iel, Il, on, Ils, and Elles all have an accent grave on the first ‘e’

Préférer (To prefer)

I prefer - Je préfère

You prefer - Tu préfères

They, he, she prefers - On, Iel, Il, Elle préfère

We prefer - Nous préférons

You (formal) prefer - Vous préférez

They prefer - Ils, Elles préfèrent

Notice:

Nous and Vous have accent aigu’s on the first 2 ‘e’s. Je, Tu, Elle, Iel, Il, on, Ils, and Elles have a ‘house’ accent combo “é + è”

1st and 2nd Verb Conjugation

When one subject pronoun is followed by two verbs, the first verb is conjugated and the second verb remains in the infinitive. I.E. Elle aime danser. When making a sentence with two verbs negative, ne and pas go around the conjugated verb.

Verb Negation

In order to make a verb negative, ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ go around the conjugated verb. If the verb begins with a vowel, the ‘ne’ turns into n’. I.E. Elle n’aime pas danser