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French I - Present Tense of Verbs

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Study GuideFrench I–Present Tense of Verbs1.Regular Verbs in French1. What Regular Verbs AreIn French,regular verbsfollow predictable patterns when they are conjugated.They are divided intothree main groups based on their infinitive endings:•–er verbs•–ir verbs•–re verbsThe conjugation pattern for one verb in a group, you can use thesame pattern for all verbs in thatgroup.

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Study Guide2. How to Form the Present TenseTo conjugate regular verbs in thepresent tense, follow these steps:1.Remove the infinitive ending(-er,-ir, or-re)2.Add the correct endingdepending on the subject pronoun.Example verb parts:

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Study GuideVerbInfinitiveStemparlerparlerparl-finirfinirfin-vendrevendrevend-3. Present Tense Endings for–ER VerbsExample:parler (to speak)SubjectEndingExampleje-eparletu-esparlesil/elle-eparlenous-onsparlonsvous-ezparlezils/elles-entparlent4. Present Tense Endings for–IR VerbsExample:finir (to finish)SubjectEndingExampleje-isfinistu-isfinis

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Study Guideil/elle-itfinitnous-issonsfinissonsvous-issezfinissezils/elles-issentfinissent5. Present Tense Endings for–RE VerbsExample:vendre (to sell)SubjectEndingExampleje-svendstu-svendsil/elle—vendnous-onsvendonsvous-ezvendezils/elles-entvendentNotice:Thethird person singular (il/elle)hasno ending.6. Special Exceptions in–RE VerbsThree verbs ending in-romprebehave slightly differently.Examples:•rompre–to break•corrompre–to corrupt•interrompre–to interrupt

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Study GuideIn thethird person singular, they end with-t:•il rompt•il corrompt•il interrompt7. Meaning of the Present Tense in FrenchTheFrench present tensecan express several meanings in English:FrenchEnglish MeaningJe parleI speakJe parleI do speakJe parleI am speakingUnlike English, French usuallydoes not use “do” or “am” as helpersunless they appearindependently.Key TakeawayFrench regular verbs belong tothree groups:•–er verbs•–ir verbs•–re verbsTo conjugate them in thepresent tense:1.Remove theinfinitive ending.2.Add the correctsubject ending.

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Study Guide2.Regular Verbs with Spelling Changes (Shoe Verbs)1. What Spelling-Change Verbs AreSome French verbs are mostlyregularbut havesmall spelling changes in certain forms.These verbs are often called“shoe verbs.”They are called this because the forms that change look like the shape of ashoewhen you markthem on a conjugation chart.2. What “Shoe” Means in ConjugationThespelling changes usually occur in these forms:•je•tu•il / elle / on•ils / ellesThese forms make the shape of ashoein a conjugation table.The forms that usuallydo NOT changeare:•nous•vousThese often keep thesame spelling as the infinitive stem.

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Study Guide3. Why Spelling Changes HappenThe spelling changes usually happen tokeep the correct pronunciationof the verb.For example:•to keep asoft sound•to maintain theoriginal vowel soundThe change is usuallysmall(like adding a letter or changing a vowel).4. Typical Pattern of Shoe VerbsSubjectChange?jechangestuchangesil / elle / onchanges

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Study Guidenoususually no changevoususually no changeils / elleschangesThis is why the pattern looks like ashoe shape.5. Important Idea to RememberEven though these verbs have spelling changes:•they still followregular conjugation endings•only thestem spelling changesExample pattern:stem change + regular endingKey Takeaway•Shoe verbsare verbs withspelling changes in certain forms.•The changes usually occur inje, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles.•Nous and vous usually stay regular.•The changes help maintaincorrect pronunciation.3.Irregular Verbs in FrenchIrregular verbsare verbs thatdo not follow the normal conjugation rulesof-er,-ir, or-reverbfamilies. Because their forms change unpredictably, theymust be memorized.These verbs are very common in everyday French.Most Common Irregular Verbs1. aller (to go)
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Document Details

University
Texas A&M University
Course
French I
Subject
World Languages

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