Introduction to French Verbs

What is a verb? What's the difference between French verbs and English verbs?
A verb is the action word in a sentence. It can tell you what is happening, name an action, describe a feeling, or indicate a state of being. Please note that all the verbs in this paragraph are bolded. In the English present tense, there are just two verb forms, or conjugations, depending on the subject. There's one form for the third person singular, and another for all other subjects: I sing, you sing, we sing, they sing, but he sings and she sings. The verb to be is the only exception, with three conjugations: I am, you are, he is, we are, they are. In contrast, French verbs have up to six conjugations - a different one for each grammatical person: chanter - je chante, tu chantes, il chante, nous chantons, vous chantez, ils chantent tre - je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous tes, ils sont Categories of French verbs Based on patterns in the conjugations, French verbs are divided into categories: A. Regular verbs There are three different sets of regular verbs: 1. regular -ER verbs 2. regular -IR verbs 3. regular -RE verbs Regular verbs within each set are all conjugated the same way in all of the tenses. Once you learn how to conjugate one regular verb in each category, you can conjugate the majority of French verbs. B. Stem-changing verbs These verbs take the regular -ER verb endings, but the stem of the conjugation may change, depending on the subject. C. Irregular verbs Irregular verbs end in -ER, -IR, or -RE, but don't follow the regular verb patterns. Instead, their conjugations are unique or are limited to just a few verbs, so you must memorize each of the conjugations

separately. The 10 most common French verbs are all irregular. There are two types of verbs which may fall into any of the above categories, but also have an additional particularity: 1. Pronominal verbs Pronominal verbs, including reflexive verbs, require reflexive pronouns. 2. Impersonal verbs Impersonal verbs have just one conjugation: for the impersonal subject "it." French verb forms In addition to different forms for each subject pronoun in the present tense, verbs can be conjugated into other tenses as well as voices and moods. To learn more, take a look at my lesson on French verb conjugation or the French verb timeline. I know this seems like a lot of information, but don't get discouraged! Once you learn the patterns, you can conjugate the vast majority of French verbs. In the meantime, you can find out any conjugation with my French verb conjugator. And if you happen across a conjugation you don't recognize, plug it into the French verb deconjugator to find out what verb it's from and what it means. There are five main kinds of verbs in French: regular -ER, -IR, -RE; stem-changing; and irregular. Once you've learned the rules of conjugation for each of the first three kinds of verbs, you should have no problem conjugating regular verbs in each of those categories. The majority of French verbs are regular -ER verbs - see the next page for a list of some common -ER verbs. The verb form that ends in -ER is called the infinitive (in English, the infinitive is the verb preceded by the word "to"), and -ER is the infinitive ending. The verb with the infinitive ending removed is called the stem or radical. To conjugate -ER verbs, remove the infinitive ending to find the stem and add the endings in the table below.

French Regular -ER Verbs

Some common French regular -ER verbs

French regular -ER verbs, by far the largest group of French verbs, share a conjugation pattern. Here are just a few of the most common regular -ER verbs:

aimer arriver

to like, to love to arrive, to happen to sing to look for to begin

chanter chercher

commencer* danser

to dance to ask for to spend (money) to hate to give to listen to to study

demander dpenser dtester donner couter tudier** fermer goter jouer laver

to close to taste to play to wash to eat

manger* nager* parler passer penser porter

to swim to talk, to speak to pass, spend (time) to think to wear, to carry

regarder rver

to watch, to look at

to dream to seem

sembler skier*

to ski to work to find to visit (a place) to fly, to steal

travailler trouver visiter voler

*All regular -ER verbs are conjugated according to the regular -ER verb conjugation pattern, except for one small irregularity in verbs that end in -ger and -cer, which are known as spelling-change verbs. **Though conjugated just like regular -ER verbs, watch out for verbs that end in -IER

-CER Verbs - French Spelling Change Verbs

Verbes qui changent d'orthographe
Verbs that end in -cer, like lancer, have a spelling change before endings that begin with the hard vowels a or o. Because c followed by a or o would make a hard c sound (like in cold), the c has to change to (c with a cedilla) to keep the c soft (as in cell). In the present tense and the imperative, this c > spelling change is found only in the nous conjugation: lanons. It is needed in the present participle, lanant, but not the past participle, lanc. And it occurs in the following tenses/moods: Imperfect - singular conjugations plus the third person plural Pass simple - all conjugations except the third person plural Imperfect subjunctive - all conjugations There is no spelling change in the conditional, future, or subjunctive. The table below summarizes just the spelling change conjugations, or you can see lancer conjugated in all tenses.

All verbs that end in -cer undergo this spelling change, including annoncer to announce avancer to advance commencer to begin dnoncer to denounce divorcer to divorce effacer to erase lancer to throw menacer to threaten placer to put prononcer to pronounce remplacer to replace renoncer to renounce
Present
je tu il nous vous ils

Imperfect lanais lanais lanait lancions lanciez lanaient

Pass simple lanai lanas lana lanmes lantes lancrent

lance lances lance lanons lancez lancent

Imperfect subjunctive lanasse lanasses lant lanassions lanassiez lanassent

Participles Present lanant Past lanc

-GER Verbs - French Spelling Change Verbs

Verbes qui changent d'orthographe
Verbs that end in -ger, like manger, have a spelling change before endings that begin with the hard vowels a or o. Because g followed by a or o would make a hard g sound (like in gold), e has to be added after g to keep the g soft (as in gel). In the present tense and the imperative, this g > ge spelling change is found only in the nous conjugation: mangeons. It is needed in the present participle, mangeant, but not the past participle, mang. And it occurs in the following tenses/moods: Imperfect - singular conjugations plus the third person plural Pass simple - all conjugations except the third person plural

 Imperfect subjunctive - all conjugations There is no spelling change in the conditional, future, or subjunctive. The table below summarizes just the spelling change conjugations, or you can see manger conjugated in all tenses. All verbs that end in -ger undergo this spelling change, including arranger to arrange bouger to move changer to change corriger to correct dcourager to discourage dmnager to move dranger to disturb diriger to direct encourager to encourage engager to bind exiger to demand juger to judge loger to lodge manger to eat mlanger to mix nager to swim obliger to oblige partager to share rdiger to write voyager to travel

Present je tu il nous vous ils mange manges mange mangeons mangez mangent

Imperfect mangeais mangeais mangeait mangions mangiez mangeaient

Pass simple mangeai mangeas mangea mangemes mangetes mangrent

Imperfect subjunctive mangeasse mangeasses manget mangeassions mangeassiez mangeassent

Participles Present mangeant Past mang

French -IER Verbs

How to conjugate -IER verbs in French

French verbs that end in -ier are conjugated according to the same rules as regular -er verbs, but there is a letter combination in certain conjugations that makes -ier verbs seem strange. In the present tense, there is potential for confusion. The present tense stem of -ier verbs ends in -i; for example, the stem of tudier is tudi. This means that the nous and vous forms of -ier verbs end in -ions and -iez, which leads some students to think, mistakenly, that they are looking at an imperfect conjugation: j'tudie tu tudies il tudie nous tudions vous tudiez ils tudient The imperfect and subjunctive are where the real strangeness occurs. Because the stem ends in i and the nous and vous endings for the imperfect and subjunctive begin with i, -ier verbs have ii (two i's in a row) in those conjugations: Imperfect j'tudiais tu tudiais il tudiait nous tudiions vous tudiiez ils tudiaient Subjunctive j'tudie tu tudies il tudie nous tudiions vous tudiiez ils tudient Not only does the double i look strange, but it is pronounced as well. The i in tudiez is pronounced as a semi-vowel that sounds like a y

(written [j] in IPA), while ii in tudiiez is the i sound followed by the semi-vowel: [ij]. Listen to the difference: tudiez [e ty dje] tudiiez [e ty di je] In sum, while -ier verbs are conjugated just like regular -er verbs, they can look strange, so you may need to make a special effort to be able to conjugate them and recognize their conjugations. Go on to page 2 for a list of common -ier verbs. French -IER verb conjugations To conjugate an -IER verb in the present tense, remove -er and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the -IER verbs copier (to copy), marier (to marry), and skier (to ski): Pronoun je tu il nous vous ils Ending -e -es -e -ons -ez -ent copier > copicopie copies copie copions copiez copient marier > marimarie maries marie marions mariez marient skier > skiskie skies skie skions skiez skient

French Regular -IR Verbs

How to conjugate regular -IR verbs in French

There are five main kinds of verbs in French: regular -ER, -IR, -RE; stem-changing; and irregular. Once you've learned the rules of conjugation for each of the first three kinds of verbs, you should have no problem conjugating regular verbs in each of those categories. Regular -IR verbs are the second largest category of French verbssee the next page for a list of some common -IR verbs. The verb form that ends in -IR is called the infinitive (in English, the infinitive is the verb preceded by the word "to"), and -IR is the infinitive ending. The verb with the infinitive ending removed is called the stem or radical. To conjugate -IR verbs, remove the infinitive ending to find the stem and add the endings in the table below. French regular -IR verb conjugations
To conjugate an -IR verb in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the regular -IR verbs choisir (to choose), finir (to finish), and russir (to succeed):

Pronoun je tu il nous vous ils

Ending -is -is -it -issons -issez -issent

choisir > choischoisis choisis choisit choisissons choisissez choisissent

finir > finfinis finis finit finissons finissez finissent

russir > russrussis russis russit russissons russissez russissent

French Irregular -IR Verbs

Learn about patterns for irregular -ir French verbs

Irregular verbs are the bane of every French student's existence, but there is some good news. There are some patterns in the irregularities - once you learn the conjugations for one verb in a group, you shouldn't have any trouble with the other verbs in that group. There are two groups of irregular -IR verbs: 1. The first group of irregular verbs includes dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir, and all of their derivatives (repartir, etc). These verbs drop the last letter of the radical in the singular conjugations see example in table below. 2. The second group of verbs includes couvrir, cueillir, dcouvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir, and their derivatives (recouvrir, etc). These verbs are conjugated like regular -ER verbs - see example in table below. The rest of the irregular -IR verbs don't follow a pattern - you have to memorize the conjugations for each one separately: asseoir, courir, devoir, falloir, mourir, pleuvoir, pouvoir, recevoir, savoir, tenir, valoir, venir, voir, vouloir Group 1 Endings -s -s -t -ons -ez -ent Group 2 Endings -e -es -e -ons -ez -ent

Pronoun je tu il nous vous ils

dormir > dor(m)dors dors dort dormons dormez dorment

couvrir > couvrcouvre couvres couvre couvrons couvrez couvrent

French Regular -RE Verbs

How to conjugate regular -RE verbs in French

There are five main kinds of verbs in French: regular -ER, -IR, -RE; stem-changing; and irregular. Once you've learned the rules of conjugation for each of the first three kinds of verbs, you should have no problem conjugating regular verbs in each of those categories. The smallest category of regular French verbs -RE verbs - see the next page for a list of some common -RE verbs. The verb form that ends in -RE is called the infinitive (in English, the infinitive is the verb preceded by the word "to"), and -RE is the infinitive ending. The verb with the infinitive ending removed is called the stem or radical. To conjugate -RE verbs, remove the infinitive ending to find the stem and add the endings in the table below. French regular -RE verb conjugations To conjugate an -RE verb in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the regular -RE verbs descendre (to descend), perdre (to lose), and vendre (to sell): Pronoun je tu il nous vous ils Ending -s -s -ons -ez -ent descendre > descenddescends descends descend descendons descendez descendent perdre > perdperds perds perd perdons perdez perdent vendre > vendvends vends vend vendons vendez vendent

French regular -RE verbs are a small group of French verbs which share a conjugation pattern. Here are the most common regular -RE verbs: attendre dfendre descendre entendre tendre fondre pendre perdre to wait (for) to defend to descend to to hear to stretch to melt to hang, suspend to lose to claim

prtendre rendre

to give back, return to spread, scatter to answer

rpandre rpondre vendre

to sell

Top French Verbs

Most common French verbs

Of the thousands of French verbs, there are a few that get used far more than the rest, so you need to make sure that you know what they mean and how to use and conjugate them. Here are lessons and conjugations for the 10 most common French verbs. Once you've looked those over, try the conjugation quizzes for a quick analysis of your conjugation expertise.

TRE - TO BE AVOIR - TO HAVE FAIRE - TO DO, MAKE DIRE - TO SAY, TELL ALLER - TO GO VOIR - TO SEE SAVOIR - TO KNOW POUVOIR - TO BE ABLE FALLOIR - TO BE NECESSARY VOULOIR - TO WANT

French Pronominal Voice and Pronominal Verbs

French verbs that require a reflexive pronoun
Pronominal verbs are verbs that need a reflexive pronoun in addition to a subject pronoun, because the subject(s) performing the action of the verb are the same as the object(s) being acted upon. Nous nous habillons. We're getting dressed (dressing ourselves). Tu te baignes. You're taking a bath (bathing yourself). The pronominal voice is much more common in French than in English - many French verbs that require the pronominal voice are equivalent to the active voice in English. In French, you can recognize pronominal verbs by the se which precedes the infinitive. French has three types of pronominal verbs: reflexive verbs reciprocal verbs idiomatic pronominal verbs There are two steps in conjugating pronominal verbs. First, take the reflexive pronoun se, change it to agree with the subject of the verb,

and place it directly in front of the verb. Then, as with all verbs, conjugate the infinitive according to whether it's an -er, -ir, -re, or irregular verb. Elle se brosse les dents. She's brushing her teeth. Vous vous levez tard. You get up late. (See what pronominal verbs look like conjugated into all the simple tenses: se moquer | se souvenir) French Reflexive Verbs - Verbes sens rflchi The most common pronominal verbs are reflexive verbs, which indicate that the subject of the verb is performing the action upon himself, herself, or itself. Reflexive verbs mainly have to do with parts of the body,* clothing, personal circumstance, or location. Here are some common reflexive verbs: s'adresser to address, speak to s'approcher de to approach s'asseoir to sit down se baigner to bathe, swim se brosser (les cheveux, les dents) to brush (one's hair, one's teeth) se casser (la jambe, le bras) to break (one's leg, one's arm) se coiffer to fix one's hair se coucher to go to bed se couper to cut oneself se dpcher to hurry se dshabiller to get undressed se doucher to take a shower s'nerver to get annoyed s'enrhumer to catch a cold se fcher to get angry se fatiguer to get tired se fier to trust s'habiller to get dressed s'habituer to get used to s'imaginer to imagine s'intresser to be interested in se laver (les mains, la figure) to wash (one's hands, one's face) se lever to get up se maquiller to put on makeup

se se se se se se se se se se se se se se se

marier (avec) to get married (to) mfier de to mistrust, distrust, beware of/about moquer de to make fun of (someone else) moucher to blow one's nose noyer to drown peigner to comb one's hair promener to take a walk raser to shave refroidir to cool down, get cold regarder to look at oneself reposer to rest rveiller to wake up soler to get drunk souvenir de to remember taire to be quiet

Tu te reposes. You're resting. Il se lve 8h00. He gets up at 8:00. Note that many reflexive verbs also have a non-reflexive use; that is, they can describe someone performing the action of the verb on someone or something else: Elle se promne. She's taking a walk. vs Elle promne le chien. She's taking the dog for a walk. Je me lave les mains. I'm washing my hands. vs Je lave le bb. I'm washing the baby. *When referring to parts of the body, the French possessive pronoun is rarely used. Instead, the owner is indicated with the reflexive pronoun and the definite article precedes the body part. Note: Some verbs that are normally not pronominal may be used with a reflexive pronoun in order to avoid the passive voice, in a construction known as the passive reflexive. French has three kinds of pronominal verbs. The most common are reflexive verbs, but there are also two lesser-known types: reciprocal verbs and idiomatic pronominal verbs.

French Reciprocal Verbs - Verbes sens rciproque While reflexive verbs tell you that one or more subjects are acting upon themselves, reciprocal verbs indicate that there are two or more subjects acting on one another. Here are the most common French reciprocal verbs: s'adorer to adore (one another) s'aimer to love s'apercevoir to see se comprendre to understand se connatre to know se dtester to hate se dire to tell se disputer to argue s'crire to write to s'embrasser to kiss se parler to talk to se promettre to promise se quitter to leave se regarder to look at se rencontrer to meet se sourire to smile at se tlphoner to call se voir to see Nous nous adorons ! We adore one another! Elles se voient le lundi. They see each other on Mondays. Note that reciprocal verbs can also be used without the pronoun for a non-reciprocal meaning: Nous nous comprenons. We understand each other. vs Nous comprenons la question. We understand the question. Ils s'aiment. They love each other. vs Ils m'aiment. They love me. French Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs - Verbes sens idiomatique

Idiomatic pronominal verbs are verbs that take on a different meaning when used with a reflexive pronoun. Here are the most common French idiomatic pronominal verbs (and their nonpronominal meanings): s'en aller to go away (to go) s'amuser to have a good time (to amuse) s'appeler to be named (to call) s'approprier to appropriate (to suit, adapt to) s'arrter to stop (oneself) (to stop [s.o. or s.t. else]) s'attendre () to expect (to wait for) se demander to wonder (to ask) se dbrouiller to manage, get by (to disentangle) se dpcher to hurry (to send quickly) se diriger vers to head toward (to run, be in charge of) se douter to suspect (to doubt) s'clipser to slip away/out (to eclipse, overshadow) s'loigner to move (oneself) away (to move s.t. else away) s'endormir to fall asleep (to put to sleep) s'ennuyer to be bored (to bother) s'entendre to get along (to hear) se fcher to get angry (to make angry) se figurer to imagine, picture (to represent, to appear) s'habituer to get used to (to get in the habit of) s'inquiter to worry (to alarm) s'installer to settle in (to a home) (to install) se mettre to begin to (to place, put) se perdre to get lost (to lose) se plaindre to complain (to pity, begrudge) se refuser de to deny oneself (the opportunity)o (to refuse) se rendre to go to (to return) se rendre compte de to realize (to account for) se runir to meet, get together (to gather, collect) se servir to use, make use of (to serve) se tromper to be mistaken (to deceive) se trouver to be located (to find) See how the meaning changes when idiomatic pronominal verbs are used with and without the reflexive pronoun: Je m'appelle Sandrine. My name is Sandrine. vs J'appelle Sandrine. I'm calling Sandrine.

Tu te trompes. You are mistaken. vs Tu me trompes. You are deceiving me. Placement of the reflexive pronoun is exactly the same as for object pronouns and adverbial pronouns: the pronoun directly precedes the verb in all tenses and moods* Je m'habille. I'm getting dressed. Tu te reposeras. You will rest. Il se levait quand... He was getting up when... *Except the affirmative imperative, when it follows the verb, attached by a hyphen: Repose-toi ! Rest! Habillons-nous. Let's get dressed. Pronominal verbs in the negative With negation, ne precedes the reflexive pronoun: Je ne m'habille pas. I'm not getting dressed. Tu ne te reposes jamais. You never rest. Pronominal verbs in the interrogative Questions with pronominal verbs are usually asked with est-ce que and the reflexive pronoun once again stays directly in front of the verb. If you use inversion, the reflexive pronoun precedes the inverted subject-verb: Est-ce qu'il se rase ? Se rase-t-il ? Is he shaving? Est-ce que tu te laves les mains ? Te laves-tu les mains ? Are you washing your hands? Pronominal verbs in the negative interrogative To ask a negative question with pronominal verbs, you pretty much

have to use inversion. The reflexive pronoun stays directly in front of the inverted subject-verb, and the negative structure surrounds that whole group: Ne se rase-t-il pas ? Isn't he shaving? Ne te laves-tu jamais les mains ? Don't you ever wash your hands? In compound tenses like the pass compos, all pronominal verbs are tre verbs, which means two things: The auxiliary verb is tre The past participle may need to agree with the subject in gender and number In compound tenses, the reflexive pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb, not the past participle: Elle s'est couche minuit. She went to bed at midnight. Ils s'taient vus la banque. They had seen one another at the bank. Aprs m'tre habill, j'ai allum la tl. After getting dressed, I turned on the TV. Agreement with pronominal verbs When pronominal verbs are in the compound tenses, the past participle has to agree with the reflexive pronoun when the pronoun is a direct object but not when it's an indirect object. So the trick is to figure out whether the reflexive pronoun is direct or indirect. 1. For most* pronominal verbs that are not followed by a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so the past participle needs to agree with it. Nous nous sommes douchs. We showered. Marianne s'est fche. Marianne got mad.

2. Likewise, with a pronominal verb plus a preposition plus a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so you need agreement: Elle s'est occupe du chien. She took care of the dog. Ils se sont souvenus de la pice. They remembered the play. 3. When a pronominal verb is followed directly by a noun with no preposition in between, the reflexive pronoun is indirect, therefore there is no agreement: Nous nous sommes achet une voiture. xxx Nous nous sommes achets une voiture. xxx We bought ourselves a car. Elle s'est dit la vrit. xxx Elle s'est dite la vrit. xxx She told herself the truth. 4. When you have a sentence with a reflexive pronoun plus an object pronoun, the reflexive pronoun is always the indirect object, so there is no agreement with it. However, there is agreement with the object pronoun, per the rules of direct object pronoun agreement: Nous nous le sommes achet. (Le livre is masculine) We bought it (the book) for ourselves. Nous nous la sommes achete. (La voiture is feminine) We bought it (the car) for ourselves. Elle se l'est dit. (Le mensonge is masculine) She told it (the lie) to herself. Elle se l'est dite. (La vrit is feminine) She told it (the truth) to herself.

*5. For the following verbs, the reflexive pronoun is always an indirect object so the past participle does not agree with it: s'acheter to buy (for) o.s. se demander to wonder se dire to say (to o.s. / e.o.) se donner to give (to e.o.) s'crire to write (to e.o.) se faire mal to hurt o.s. s'imaginer to imagine, think se parler to talk (to o.s. / e.o.) se plaire ( faire...) to enjoy (doing...) se procurer to obtain (for o.s.) se promettre to promise (o.s. / e.o.) se raconter to tell (e.o.) se rendre compte de to realize se rendre visite to visit (e.o.) se reprocher to criticize, blame (o.s. / e.o.) se ressembler to resemble (e.o.) se rire (de qqun) to mock (someone) se sourire to smile (at e.o.) se tlphoner to call (e.o.) Key: e.o. = each other o.s. = oneself

Nous nous sommes souri. xxx Nous nous sommes souris. xxx We smiled at each other. Elles se sont parl. xxx Elles se sont parles. xxx They talked to each other. When you use pronominal verbs in the infinitive or present participle, there are two things to keep in mind: The reflexive pronoun directly precedes the infinitive or present participle The reflexive pronoun agrees with its implied subject Pronominal verbs in dual-verb constructions Dual-verb constructions are those where you have a verb like aller (to go) or vouloir (to want) followed by an infinitive. When using a pronominal verb in this construction, it's important to remember that

the reflexive pronoun goes directly in front of the infinitive, not the conjugated verb, and that the reflexive pronoun has to agree with the subject. Je vais m'habiller. I'm going to get dressed. Nous voulons nous promener. We want to go for a walk. Tu devrais te laver les cheveux. You should wash your hair. Pronominal verbs after prepositions When you use pronominal verbs in the infinitive after prepositions, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb: Avant de te coucher, range ta chambre. Before you go to bed, clean your room. Il faut trouver un juge pour nous marier. We have to find a judge to get married. Pronominal verbs used as subjects To use pronominal verbs in the infinitive as subjects at the beginning of a sentence, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb: Me lever tt est une rgle de ma vie. Getting up early is a rule for me. Te moquer de ton frre n'est pas gentil. Making fun of your brother isn't nice. Pronominal verbs as present participles Once again, the reflexive pronoun always has to agree with the subject, including when pronominal verbs are used as present

participles: En me levant, j'ai entendu un cri. While getting up, I heard a scream. C'tait en vous inquitant que vous avez attrap un ulcre. It was by worrying that you got an ulcer.

French Impersonal Verbs

Verbes impersonnels
In order to understand French impersonal verbs, you first have to understand that they have nothing to do with personality. "Impersonal" simply means that the verb does not change according to grammatical person. Therefore, impersonal verbs have only one conjugation: the third person singular indefinite, or il, which in this case is equivalent to "it" in English. Notes Click on the underlined verbs to see how they are conjugated in all the simple tenses. Many impersonal verbs can also be used personally with somewhat different meanings - these are noted in the last column for your reference. Indicates that the verb needs the subjunctive. Impersonal verb meaning s'agir de - to be a question of, to have to do with Il s'agit d'argent. Il s'agit de faire ce qu'on peut. arriver - to happen, to be a possibility Il est arriv un accident. Il m'arrive de faire des erreurs. convenir - to be advisable, to be agreed Il convient d'tre prudent. Personal meaning agir - to act, behave It has to do with money. It's a question of doing what one can. arriver - to arrive There's been an accident. I sometimes make mistakes. convenir - to suit Caution is advised.

Il est convenu que nous dciderons demain. faire - to be (with weather or temperature) Il fait du soleil. Il faisait froid. falloir* - to be necessary Il faut le faire. Il faudra que je le fasse / Il me faudra le faire. importer* - to matter, be important Il importe qu'elle vienne. Il importe de le faire. neiger - to snow Il neige. Il va neiger demain. se passer - to happen Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? a s'est mal pass. pleuvoir - to rain Il pleut. Il a plu hier. se pouvoir* - to be possible Il se peut qu'elles soient l. Se peut-il que Luc finisse ?

It is agreed that we will decide tomorrow. faire - to do, make It's sunny. It was cold. It has to be done. It will be necessary for me to do it / I will have to do it. importer - to import It's important that she come. It's important to do it. It's snowing. It's going to snow tomorrow. passer - to pass, spend (time) What's happening? It went badly. It's raining. It rained yesterday. pouvoir - can, to be able They may be there / It's possible that they will be there. Is it possible that Luc will finish? / Could it be that Luc will finish? sembler - to seem It seems that she is sick. It seems impossible (to me).

sembler* - to seem Il semble qu'elle soit malade. Il (me) semble impossible.

suffire* - to suffice, be enough Il suffit que tu le fasses demain / Il te suffit de le faire demain. a suffit ! tenir - to depend on Il ne tient qu' toi de... a tient peu de chose. se trouver - to be, to happen to be Il se trouve toujours des gens qui... Il se trouve que c'est moi. valoir mieux* - to be better Il vaut mieux le faire toi-mme. Il vaut mieux que tu le fasses. venir - to come Il vient beaucoup de monde. Il vient un moment o...

suffire - to suffice It's enough if you do it tomorrow. That's enough! tenir - to hold, keep It's up to you to... It can go either way (literally: it depends on little) trouver - to find There are always people who... It happens to be me. valoir - to be worth It's better for you to do it (yourself). venir - to come A lot of people are coming. There comes a time when...

French Demonstrative Adjectives Adjectifs dmonstratifs

Introduction to French demonstrative adjectives

Definition: A demonstrative adjective points out a particular noun. Like other French adjectives, demonstrative adjectives have to agree with the word they modify in gender and number. Demonstrative adjectives: ce, cet, cette - this, that: ce livre - this book, that book cet homme - this man, that man cette femme this woman, that woman ces - these, those: ces livres - these books, those books ces ides - these ideas, those ideas Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) are words used in

place of articles to indicate a specific noun. In French, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify: Ce is the masculine singular demonstrative adjective: Ce prof parle trop. - This (That) teacher talks too much. J'aime ce livre. - I like this (that) book. Ce becomes cet in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or mute h (learn more): Cet homme est sympa. - This (That) man is nice. Je connais cet endroit. - I know this (that) place. Cette is feminine singular: Cette ide est intressante. - This (That) idea is interesting. Je veux parler cette fille. - I want to talk to this (that) girl. Ces is plural: Ces livres sont stupides. - These (Those) books are stupid. Je cherche ces femmes. - I'm looking for these (those) women. Notes: Ces is the only plural demonstrative adjective: "cettes" does not exist. The singular demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, and cette can all mean "this" or "that." Your listener can usually tell by the context which you mean, but if you want to stress one or the other, you can use the suffixes -ci (here) and -l (there): Ce prof-ci parle trop. - This teacher talks too much. Ce prof-l est sympa. - That teacher is nice. Cet tudiant-ci comprend. - This student understands. Cette fille-l est perdue. - That girl is lost. Likewise, ces can mean "these" or "those," and again you can use the suffixes to be more explicit: Je veux regarder ces livres-l. - I want to look at those books.

Je prfre ces pommes-ci. - I prefer these apples. Ces fleurs-ci sont plus jolies que ces fleurs-l. - These flowers are prettier than those flowers. The demonstrative adjective ce does not contract - in front of a vowel it changes to cet. So c' in the expression c'est is not a demonstrative adjective: it is an indefinite demonstrative pronoun. English this, that these, those Masculine ce ces Masc before vowel cet ces Feminine cette ces

Pass compos - French Compound Past Tense

The most common French past tense
The pass compos is the most common French past tense, often used in conjunction with the imperfect. The pass compos can express any of the following: I. An action completed in the past As-tu tudi ce weekend ? Did you study this weekend? Ils ont dj mang. They have already eaten. II. An action repeated a number of times in the past Oui, j'ai mang cinq fois hier. Yes, I did eat five times yesterday. Nous avons visit Paris plusieurs fois. We've visited Paris several times. III. A series of actions completed in the past Quand je suis arriv, j'ai vu les fleurs. When I arrived, I saw the flowers. Samedi, il a vu sa mre, a parl au mdicin et a trouv un chat.

Saturday he saw his mother, talked to the doctor, and found a cat. Related lesson: Repeating auxiliary verbs The pass compos has three possible English equivalents. For example, j'ai dans can mean I danced (simple past) I have danced (present perfect) I did dance (past emphatic) The pass compos is a compound conjugation, which means it has two parts: present tense of the auxiliary verb (either avoir or tre) past participle of the main verb Note: Like all compound conjugations, the pass compos may be subject to grammatical agreement: 4. 5. When the auxiliary verb is tre, the past participle must agree with the subject When the auxiliary verb is avoir, the past participle may have to agree with its direct object

French pass compos conjugations AIMER (auxiliary verb is avoir) j' ai aim tu as aim il, a aim elle DEVENIR (tre verb) je suis devenu(e) tu es devenu(e) il est devenu elle est devenue SE LAVER (pronominal verb) je me suis lav(e) tu t'es lav(e) il s'est lav elle s'est lave nous vous ils, elles nous vous ils elles nous vous ils elles avons aim avez aim ont aim

sommes devenu(e)s tes devenu(e)(s) sont devenus sont devenues nous sommes lav(e)s vous tes lav(e)(s) se sont lavs se sont laves

French Past Tenses - Pass compos vs Imperfect

Le Pass - Pass compos v Imparfait
One of the most striking differences between French and English is in verb tenses. Learning how to use the various past tenses can be very tricky, because English has several tenses which either do not exist in or do not translate literally into French - and vice versa. During the first year of French study, every student becomes aware of the troublesome relationship between the two main past tenses. The imperfect [je mangeais] translates to the English imperfect [I was eating] while the pass compos [j'ai mang] literally translates to the English present perfect [I have eaten] but can also be translated as the English simple past [I ate] or the emphatic past [I did eat]. It is extremely important to understand the distinctions between the pass compos and imperfect in order to use them correctly and thus express past events accurately. Before you can compare them, however, be sure that you understand each tense individually, as this will make it a lot easier to figure out how they work together.

French Past Participle

Introduction to the French past participle

The past participle, called le participe pass in French, is very similar in French and English. The French past participle usually ends in -, i, or -u, while its English equivalent usually ends in -ed or -en. The past participle has three main uses in French: 1. With an auxiliary verb, the past participle forms compound tenses such as the pass compos: J'ai travaill hier. I worked yesterday. Il est arriv midi. He arrived at noon.

2. With tre, the past participle is used to conjugate the French passive voice. Le mnage est fait tous les jours. The housework is done every day. Ce film sera suivi d'une discussion. This movie will be followed by a discussion. 3. Standing alone or with tre, the French past participle may be an adjective. Note that in some instances, the participe pass must be translated by the English present participle. Fatigu, je suis rentr minuit. Tired, I went home at midnight. Le garon du a pleur. The disappointed boy cried. Le chien assis sur le canap est mignon. The dog sitting (seated) on the couch is cute. Je ne vois pas d'homme agenouill. I don't see a kneeling man. Ce livre est crit en espagnol. This book is written in Spanish. Sais-tu si le dbat est termin ? Do you know if the debate is finished? Note: When used in the passive voice or as an adjective, the past participle needs to agree in gender and number with the word it modifies, following the normal rules of adjective agreement. In the compound tenses, it may or may not need to agree, depending on certain factors - learn more. La voiture est lave par mon fils. The car is washed by my son.

Les solutions proposes sont parfaites. The proposed solutions are perfect. Elles sont alles la banque. They went to the bank. O est Lise ? Je l'ai vue ce matin. Where is Lise? I saw her this morning. The past participle of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending of a verb and adding , i, or u to -er, -ir, and -re verbs, respectively: -ER verbs Verb parler (to talk) Remove er Add Past participle parl (talked) -IR verbs Verb russir (to succeed) Remove ir Add i Past participle russi (succeeded) -RE verbs Verb vendre (to sell) Remove re Add u Past participle vendu (sold) Most irregular French verbs have irregular past participles: acqurir > acquis apprendre > appris atteindre > atteint avoir > eu boire > bu comprendre > compris conduire > conduit

connatre > connu construire > construit courir > couru couvrir > couvert craindre > craint croire > cru dcevoir > du dcouvrir > dcouvert devoir > d dire > dit crire > crit tre > t faire > fait instruire > instruit joindre > joint lire > lu mettre > mis mourir > mort offrir > offert ouvrir > ouvert natre > n paratre > paru peindre > peint pouvoir > pu prendre > pris produire > produit recevoir > reu savoir > su souffrir > souffert suivre > suivi tenir > tenu

venir > venu vivre > vcu voir > vu vouloir > voulu