French 4: Verbs

Verbs in French can largely be classified into 3 groups:

1. Verbs that end in -ER
2. Verbs that end in -IR
3. Irregularly conjugated verbs

An example of ER ending verbs is Parler - To speak:

Je parle - I speak
Tu parles - You speak
Il parle - He speaks
Elle parle - She speaks
Nous parlons - We speak
Vous parlez - You speak (formal/ plural)
Ils/ Elles parlent - They speak

An example of IR ending verbs is Finir - To finish

Je finis - I finish
Tu finis - You finish
Il/ Elle finit - He/ She finishes
Nous finissons - We finish
Vous finissez - You finish
Ils/ Elles finissent - They finish

Irregular verbs tend to need individual conjugation and memorization:

Aller - To go

Je vais - I go
Tu vas - You go
Il/ Elle va - He/ She goes +
Nous allons - We go
Vous allez - You go
Ils/ Elles vont - They go

Dormir - To sleep

Je dors - I sleep
Tu dors - You sleep
Il/ Elle dort - He/ She sleeps
Nous dormons - We sleep
Vous dormez - You sleep
Ils/ Elles dorment - They sleep

Ouvrir - To open

J'ouvre - I open
Tu ouvres - You open
Il/ Elle ouvre - He/ She opens
Nous ouvrons - We open
Vous ouvrez - You open
Ils/ Elles ouvrent - They open

Vendre - To sell

Je vends - I sell
Tu vends - You sell
Il/ Elle vend - He/ She sells
Nous vendons - We sell
Vous vendez - You sell
Ils/ Elles vendent - They sell

Spelling changing verbs - end in -ger, -cer; change slightly in the nous form; e.g.: manger, lancer - nous mangeons; nous lançons.

Stem changing verbs differ in spelling in their nous and vous forms; E.g.: Appeler - to call - Nous appelons; vous appelez.

Impersonal verbs often have to do with weather - pleuvoir - to rain; neiger - to snow; faire chaud - to be warm/ hot.

Pronominal verbs work with a reflexive pronoun. For example, reflexive verbs describe an action being done by the subject, to the subject.
E.g.: Se raser - to shave oneself; se laver - to wash oneself; se lever - to raise oneself/ to get up

Se raser

Je me rase
Tu te rases
Il se rase
Nous nous rasons
Vous vous rasez
Elles se rasent

When two object pronouns modify the same verb, they always appear in a predefined order: me/te/nous/vous/se > le/la/les > lui/leur > y > en.

Verbs with À and De

As you learned previously, à or de can appear after a verb to introduce an infinitive or object. You should consider such a preposition to be an integral part of the verb that completes or changes its meaning.
Je commence à manger. — I am starting to eat.
Ma nièce essaie de dormir. — My niece is trying to sleep.

Y REPLACES À + THING

For verbs appended with à (like penser à), the adverbial pronoun y can replace à + a thing.
Tu penses à l'examen ? Oui, j'y pense encore.

The present tense can also express the recent past in the construction venir de + infinitive, but these should be translated to the simple past or present perfect in English.

Vocabulary

129	Vouloir	To want	Verb
130	Comprendre	To understand	Verb
131	Pouvoir	To be able to	Verb
132	Devoir	To have to	Verb
133	Savoir	To know	Verb
134	Faire	To do	Verb
135	Aller	To go	Verb
136	Acheter	To buy	Verb
137	Aider	To help	Verb
138	Appeler	To call	Verb
139	Apporter	To bring	Verb
140	Apprendre	To learn	Verb
141	Attendre	To wait	Verb
142	Chercher	To search	Verb
143	Commander	To order	Verb
144	connaître	To know	Verb
145	Affirmer	to affirm	Verb
146	Appartenir	To belong	Verb
147	Tenir	To hold	Verb
148	Arriver	To come	Verb
149	Bronzer	To tan	Verb
150	Continuer	To continue	Verb
151	Douter	To doubt	Verb
152	Croire	To believe	Verb
153	dépender	to depend	Verb
154	échanger	to exchange	Verb
155	écouter	to listen	Verb
156	entendre	to hear	Verb
157	travailler	to work	Verb
158	servir	to serve	Verb
159	essayer	to try	Verb
160	exister	to exist	Verb
161	expliquer	to explain	Verb
162	habiter	to live	Verb
163	jouer	to play	Verb
164	laisser	to leave	Verb
165	commencer	to begin	Verb
166	lever	to get up/ to raise	Verb
167	manquer	to miss	Verb
168	mentir	to lie	Verb
169	partir	to leave	Verb
170	passer	to pass	Verb
171	penser	to think	Verb
172	peser	to weigh	Verb
173	plaisir	to please	Verb
174	planter	to plant	Verb
175	préférer	to prefer	Verb
176	présenter	to present	Verb
177	promener	to walk	Verb
178	recevoir	to receive	Verb
179	offrir	to offer	Verb
180	refuser	to refuse	Verb
181	remarquer	to remark	Verb
182	rendre	to return	Verb
183	Reposer	to rest	Verb
184	Rentrer	to re-enter	Verb
185	Repondre	To reply	Verb
186	représenter	to represent	Verb
187	réserver	to reserve	Verb
188	retourner	to return	Verb
189	revenir	to return	Verb
190	rester	to rest	Verb
191	ressembler	to resemble	Verb
192	sembler	to seem	Verb
193	utiliser	to use	Verb
194	sentir	to smell	Verb
195	signifier	to mean	Verb
196	sortir	to go out	Verb
197	supposer	to assume	Verb
198	tomber	to fall	Verb
199	enfuir	to escape	Verb
200	raser	to shave	Verb
201	Respecter	to respect	Verb
202	Agiter	to act	Verb
203	Contenir	to contain	Verb
204	couper	to cut	Verb
205	courir	to run	Verb
206	cuisiner	to cook	Verb
207	dire	to say	Verb
208	donner	to give	Verb
209	entrer	to enter	Verb
210	finir	to finish	Verb
211	gagner	to win	Verb
212	intéresser	to interest	Verb
213	Lancer	to throw	Verb
214	laver	to wash	Verb
215	marcher	to walk	Verb
216	mériter	to merit	Verb
217	mettre	to put	Verb
218	montrer	to show	Verb
219	monter	to climb	Verb
220	cacher	to hide	Verb
221	motiver	to motivate	Verb
222	neiger	to snow	Verb
223	ouvrir	to open	Verb
224	perdre	to lose	Verb
225	pleuvoir	to rain	Verb
226	porter	to wear	Verb
227	poser	to pose	Verb
228	posséder	to possess	Verb
229	prendre	to take	Verb
230	proposer	to propose	Verb
231	saisir	to grab	Verb
232	souhaiter	to wish	Verb
233	suivre	to follow	Verb
234	terminer	to end	Verb
235	trouver	to find	Verb
236	vendre	to sell	Verb
237	voir	to see	Verb
238	vivre	to live	Verb
239	ajouter	to add	Verb
240	améliorer	to improve	Verb
241	concerner	to concern	Verb
242	devenir	to become	Verb
243	dormir	to sleep	Verb
244	regarder	to look	Verb
245	casser	to break	Verb