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French II – Basic Verbs

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Study GuideFrench II–Basic Verbs1. Regular Verbs in FrenchIn French, most verbs follow predictable patterns when they are conjugated. These are calledregularverbs. Learning these patterns makes conjugation much easier because once you know the rule, youcan apply it to many verbs.French regular verbs belong tothree main infinitive families:•-er verbs•-ir verbs•-re verbsTheinfinitiveis the basic form of the verb (for example:danser,choisir,rendre). To conjugate aregular verb in thepresent tense, follow these simple steps:1.Remove the infinitive ending(-er,-ir, or-re).2.Add the correct endingfor the subject pronoun.Once you memorize the endings for each family, you can conjugate most regular verbs easily.Present Tense Endings for Regular VerbsHere are examples of how verbs from each family are conjugated.

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Study Guide-ER Verb Example:danser(to dance)Common-er endings:-e,-es,-e,-ons,-ez,-ent-IR Verb Example:choisir(to choose)Common-ir endings:-is,-is,-it,-issons,-issez,-issent-RE Verb Example:rendre(to return)Common-re endings:-s,-s,—,-ons,-ez,-entNotice that in thethird person singular (il/elle/on)form,-re verbs do not add an endingafterremoving-re.

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Study GuideSpecial Note: Verbs LikerompreSome-re verbshave a small spelling change in one form.The verbrompre(to break)and related verbs add a“t”in thethird person singularform.Examples:•il rompt(he breaks)•il corrompt(he corrupts)•il interrompt(he interrupts)This change helps maintain correct pronunciation.Key Takeaway•French regular verbs followpredictable patterns.•Identify the verb family (-er,-ir,-re).•Remove the infinitive endingandadd the correct present-tense ending.2.Verbs with Spelling ChangesWhat Are “Shoe Verbs”?Some regular French verbs change their spelling when they are conjugated in thepresent tense.These are often called“shoe verbs.”

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Study GuideWhy the name? If you look at the verb chart, the forms that change (je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles)form a shape that looks like ashoe or boot. The formsnousandvousare outside the “shoe,” sothey usuallydo not change.This spelling change helps keep thecorrect pronunciationof the verb.Verbs Ending in-cerFor verbs that end in-cer, the letterc changes to çbeforeaoro.This keeps thesoft “s” soundof the letterc.In thepresent tense, this change happensonly in thenousform.Example:placer(to place)•je place•tu places•il/elle/on place•nous plaçons•vous placez•ils/elles placentOther common-cer verbs include:•annoncer (to announce)•avancer (to move forward)•commencer (to begin)•effacer (to erase)•lancer (to throw)•menacer (to threaten)•prononcer (to pronounce)•remplacer (to replace)•renoncer à (to give up)

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Study GuideVerbs Ending in-gerFor verbs ending in-ger, an extrasilent “e”is added betweenganda/o.This keeps thesoft “j” soundof the letterg.In thepresent tense, this also happensonly in thenousform.Example:nager(to swim)•je nage•tu nages•il/elle/on nage•nous nageons•vous nagez•ils/elles nagentOther common-ger verbs include:•arranger (to arrange)•changer (to change)•corriger (to correct)•déménager (to move house)•déranger (to disturb)•diriger (to direct)•manger (to eat)•obliger (to force)•partager (to share)•plonger (to dive)•ranger (to tidy)•songer à (to think about)•voyager (to travel)

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Study GuideVerbs Ending in-yerFor verbs ending in-yer, they changes to ibefore asilent ein the “shoe forms.”This means the change happens in:•je•tu•il/elle/on•ils/ellesButnousandvouskeep the originaly.Example:envoyer(to send)•j’envoie•tu envoies•il/elle/on envoie•nous envoyons•vous envoyez•ils/elles envoientOther-yer verbs include:•employer (to employ)•ennuyer (to bother)•essuyer (to wipe)•nettoyer (to clean)•renvoyer (to fire/send back)Special Note About-ayer VerbsSome verbs that end in-ayercaneither change y to ior keep the ybefore a silente.Both forms are often acceptable.

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Study GuideExamples:•essayer (to try)•payer (to pay)Key Takeaway•Spelling changes helpmaintain correct pronunciation.•Many changes happen only in the“shoe” forms(je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles).•-cer verbs:c → ç innousform.•-ger verbs:addeinnousform.•-yer verbs:y → i in theshoe forms.•-ayer verbs:maychange or stay the same.3.Irregular Verbs in FrenchUnlike regular verbs,irregular verbs do not follow a single pattern. Their conjugations change indifferent ways, so they usually need to bememorized individually.Even though they are irregular, many of these verbs arevery common in everyday French, solearning them is important for speaking and understanding the language.Below are some of themost frequently used irregular verbsin the present tense.Very Common Irregular Verbsaller (to go)•je vais•tu vas•il/elle/on va•nous allons•vous allez•ils/elles vont

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Study Guideavoir (to have)•j’ai•tu as•il/elle/on a•nous avons•vous avez•ils/elles ontêtre (to be)•je suis•tu es•il/elle/on est•nous sommes•vous êtes•ils/elles sontThese three verbs (aller, avoir, être) are among themost important verbs in Frenchand are usedvery frequently.Other Common Irregular Verbsboire (to drink)•je bois•tu bois•il/elle/on boit•nous buvons•vous buvez•ils/elles boivent

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Study Guidecourir (to run)•je cours•tu cours•il/elle/on court•nous courons•vous courez•ils/elles courentdire (to say / to tell)•je dis•tu dis•il/elle/on dit•nous disons•vous dites•ils/elles disentdormir (to sleep)•je dors•tu dors•il/elle/on dort•nous dormons•vous dormez•ils/elles dormentVerbs similar todormirkeep the consonant before-irin plural forms. Examples include:•endormir(to put to sleep)

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Study Guide•mentir(to lie)•partir(to leave)•sentir(to feel or smell)•servir(to serve)•sortir(to go out)écrire (to write)•j’écris•tu écris•il/elle/on écrit•nous écrivons•vous écrivez•ils/elles écriventfaire (to make / to do)•je fais•tu fais•il/elle/on fait•nous faisons•vous faites•ils/elles fontlire (to read)•je lis•tu lis•il/elle/on lit
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Document Details

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

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