6 Ways to Conjugate Verbs in French

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 13:47

Verb conjugation is often one of the biggest obstacles facing French learners. Fortunately, the basic structure is similar to the Italian one, that is, it is necessary to modify the verb (run, speak, etc.) according to the subject (me, her, you, us, etc.) and the tense (past, present, future) that you want to express. Although French has a total of 16 tenses, 5 are the most used and adaptable to most situations.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Understanding Conjugation

Step 1. Conjugating a verb means changing it according to the subject, just like in Italian

For example, you would say I run, but in the third person singular you would say he runs. In French, the procedure is similar: each pronoun (I, he, she, we, you, you) requires a different conjugation.

Step 2. Learn pronouns

French has the same amount of pronouns as Italian. Memorizing them is pretty easy:

• Je: "I".
• You: "you".
• Il, elle, on: "he", "she", indefinite pronoun.
• Nous: "we".
• Vous: "you", "you".
• Ils, elles: "they", "they".

Step 3. Learn to distinguish the "infinitive" mood, which is invariable and allows you to understand what the conjugation of a verb is

In Italian there are three: "-are", "-ere" and "-ire". The same goes for French: "-er" (aller, "to go"), "-ir" (ouvrir, "to open") and "-re" (répondre, "to answer"). The infinitive is the basic form of the verb, which must then be conjugated.

For example, in Italian you would never say "He is", you would say "He is". In this way the verb "to be" is conjugated

Step 4. Recognize regular verbs

As stated earlier, French has three conjugations. Each of them has a set of pre-established rules for the inflection of verbal forms.

• Verbs in "-er", including parler ("to speak") and manger ("to eat").
• Verbs in "-ir", including applaudir ("applaud") and finir ("finish").
• Verbs in "-re", including entendre ("to feel").

Step 5. Recognize irregular verbs

Unfortunately, in French there are verbs that do not follow the same conjugation rules, presenting variations in almost all tenses; therefore it is good to learn them separately. While not complete, the following list shows some of the more common ones:

• Être: "to be".
• Avoir: "to have".
• Aller: "to go".
• Vouloir: "to want".
• Faire: "to do".
• Mettre: "to put, to arrange".

Method 2 of 2: Présent de l'Indicatif

Step 1. Use the present tense to describe current or usual actions

Usage is practically the same as in Italian. This tense allows you to translate phrases like "I swim in the pool" or "He eats fish". Each conjugation has very specific rules, but there are also irregular verbs that do not follow these rules. Here are the regular ones:

• Verbs in "-er": parler ("to speak") and manger ("to eat").
• Verbs in "-ir": applaudir ("applaud") and finir ("finish").
• Verbs in "-re": entendre ("to feel").

Step 2. Conjugate verbs ending in "-er" by adding the right endings to the base

Each pronoun (I, you, him, her, it, us, them) has a different ending that must be added to the root of the verb. They are: "-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent". For example, here's how to conjugate parler ("to speak"):

• First person singular: "-e". Je parl-e ("I speak")
• Second person singular: "-es". Tu parl-es ("You speak")
• Third person singular: "-e". Il / elle parl-e ("He / she speaks")
• First person plural: "-ons". Nous parl-ons ("We speak")
• Second person plural: "-ez". Vous parl-ez ("You speak")
• Third person plural: "-ent. Ils / elles parl-ent </ i <(" They / they speak ")

Step 3.

Conjugate verbs in "-ir" by adding the right endings to the verb stem.

They are: "-is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent". For example, here's how the verb applaudir ("applaud") is conjugated:

• First person singular: "-is". J'applaudis ("I applaud")
• Second person singular: "-is". Tu applaudis ("You applaud")
• Third person singular: "-it". Il / elle applaudit ("He / she applauds")
• First person plural: "-issons". Nous applaudissons ("We applaud")
• Second person plural: "-issez". Vous applaudissez ("You applaud")
• Third person plural ":" -issent ". Ils / elles applaudissent (" They / they applaud ")

Conjugate verbs ending in "-re" by adding the right endings to the stem. Although they are less common, you still need to learn how to combine them. The endings are "-s, -s, unmodified verb base, -ons, -ez, -ent". As you may have noticed, in the third person singular there is no need to add any termination to the base of the verb. For example, here's how to conjugate répondre, "to answer":

• First person singular: "-s". Je réponds ("I answer")
• Second person singular: "-s". Tu réponds ("You answer")
• Third person singular: same base as the verb. The / elle répond ("He / she replies")
• First person plural: "-ons". Nous répondons ("We answer")
• Second person plural: "-ez". Vous répondez ("You answer")
• Third person plural: "-ent". Ils répondent ("They answer")

Learn to conjugate the most common irregular verbs. There are many, but it is essential to memorize the most used ones from the beginning because they are essential to advance further in learning grammar. The others can be quickly searched online by typing "verb + conjugation".

• Être ("to be"): je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont.
• Avoir ("to have"): j'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont.
• Aller ("to go"): je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.
• Faire ("to do"): je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.
• Note: the conjugations of être, avoir and aller are necessary to form other tenses (past and future). For example, to form the futur proche we must conjugate aller ("to go") and add the verb to the infinitive (it serves to express an immediate future, the translation would be: "I am for + verb in the infinitive").

Passé Simple and Passé Composé

1. The distant past is used to describe completed past actions. The passé simple indicates actions that have a very precise beginning and end, such as "I threw a ball" or "They made a cake". Past actions or states repeated frequently or habitually (e.g. climate or mood) require a different tense. The passé simple is the most used past tense in French.

   

2. Combine the present indicative of avoir to obtain the passé composé. It is a compound tense, that is, made up of two parts, the first represented by a conjugated version of avoir ("to have") and the second by the past participle of the verb. In Italian it corresponds to the perfect past tense ("I eaten" or "Ha corso"). Here is a reminder of the conjugation of avoir:

   

   J'ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont

3. Find the past participle of the verb. Consider the following sentence in Italian: "I ate": "ate" is the past participle of "to eat". In French you have to make the same construction. Fortunately, the past participle of the various verbs is easy to remember:

   

   • Verbs in "-er": "-é". Examples: parlé, montré, decided.
   • Verbs in "-ir": "-i". Examples: fine, réussi.
   • Verbs in "-re": "-u". Examples: entendu, répondu.

4. Join the two parts to form the perfect past tense. To obtain it, it is sufficient to combine the adequate conjugation of avoir and the past participle. This tense can be translated into Italian both by means of the present perfect ("I spoke" or "They listened") and of the past tense ("I spoke" or "Listened"). Here are some examples:

   

   • First person singular: "ai + verb". Example: J'ai parlé ("I spoke").
   • Second person singular: "as + verb". Example: Tu as fine ("You are done").
   • Third person singular: "a + verb". Example: Il / elle a entendu ("He / she has heard").
   • First person plural: "avons + verb". Example: Nous avons réussi ("We succeeded").
   • Second person plural: "avez + verb". Example: Vous avez essayé ("You tried").
   • Third person plural: "ont + verb". Example: Ils / elles ont répondu ("They / they answered").

5. There are verbs that need the conjugation of être rather than avoir. The formula "avoir + past participle" is applicable to 95% of French verbs. However, some require the formula "être + past participle" to form the perfect past tense. The function of this tense remains unchanged. Here are the verbs in question:

   

   • Devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, rentrer, tomber, retourner, arriver, mourir, partir.
   • The acronym Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp is useful to remember them (as you can see, each letter of the acronym corresponds to the initials of the verbs listed above).
   • Grammatically speaking, these verbs are called "intransitive".

6. Replace avoir with être to conjugate verbs from the Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp list. Then add the past participle. Remember to conjugate it considering gender and number. In the case of the plural it requires a final "-s", while if the subject is feminine it is necessary to add a final "-e".

   

   • First person singular: "suis + verb". Example: Je suis tombée ("I have fallen").
   • Second person singular: "es + verb". Example: Tu es tombé ("You have fallen").
   • Third person singular: "est + verb". Example: Il est tombé ("He fell").
   • First person plural: "sommes + verb". Example: Nous sommes tombés ("We have fallen").
   • Second person plural: "êtes + verb". Example: Vous êtes tombés ("You have fallen").
   • Third person plural: "sont + verb". Example: Elles sont tombées ("They have fallen").

   Learnfait

   1. The imperfect refers to past actions repeated over a period of time. It is not a difficult concept to grasp because it corresponds to the imperfect of Italian. It is therefore used for actions, situations and habits that occurred repeatedly (therefore not at a specific and concluded moment) in the past, just think of phrases such as: "When I was 10 I played hide and seek" or "Every week they ate Chinese food". The subject of the first sentence had the custom of playing hide and seek, while the subjects of the second usually ordered Chinese food.

      

      • The imperfect is used for: states, climate, habitual actions, emotions, age, basic information.
      • The distant past describes events that began and ended at a certain time ("I bought a cake and ate it"), while the imperfect gives information on repeated habits and situations ("I was 10 years old", "I went to the supermarket every day at out of school "," There was the sun ").

   2. To conjugate a verb in the imperfect, first identify its root by removing the ending "-ons" from the first person plural (nous) of the present indicative. This also works for irregular verbs. The stem is the invariable part of the verb and contains its meaning. For example, in Italian the root of the verb "to walk" is "weg- ". Here are some examples:

      

      • Parler: parl-ons → parl.
      • Finir: finiss-ons → finiss.
      • Entendre: entend-ons → entend.
      • Avoir: av-ons → av.
      • Faire: fais-ons → fais.
      • The only exception to the rule is être, as the ending of the first person plural is not "-ons" (nous sommes). The root of être is ét.

   3. At this point, add the right endings to the stem. Contrary to the passé composé, the verb is composed of a single word, so conjugating it is simple. The endings are as follows: "-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient". In the following example, the verb regarder ("look") was used:

      

      • First person singular: "-ais". Je regardais ("I looked").
      • Second person singular: "-ais". Tu regardais ("You looked").
      • Third person singular: "-ait". The / elle regardait ("He / she looked").
      • First person plural: "-ions". Nous regardions ("We looked").
      • Second person plural: "-iez". Vous regardiez ("You looked").
      • Third person plural: "-aient". Ils / elles regardaient ("They / they watched").

      Futur Proche and Futur Simple

      1. The futur proche indicates an imminent action. It is formed in the following way: aller + verb in the infinitive. This simple construction literally translates as: "I'm for + verb". For example, you can use this tense to render sentences like "I'm going to run", "She's going to eat" or "They're going to study", basically to express any action that will take place in the immediate future. To use the futur proche it is therefore sufficient to conjugate aller to the present indicative and add the verb to the infinitive. In the example we used the verb nager ("to swim"):

         

         • First person singular: "vais + verb". Je vais nager ("I'm going to swim").
         • Second person singular: "vas + verb". Tu vas nager ("You are going to swim").
         • Third person singular: "va + verb". The va nager ("He is going to swim").
         • First person plural: "allons + verb". Nous allons nager ("We are going to swim").
         • Second person plural: "allez + verb". Vous allez nager ("You are about to swim").
         • Third person plural: "vont + verb". Ils / elles vont nager ("They're going to swim").

      2. To form the futur simple you need to add certain endings to the infinitive of the verb, or the form you find in the dictionary, such as parler, finir or entendre. The root needed to form the future ends always in "-r", so you have to remove the final "-e" from verbs like entender to continue. In any case, there is only one set of endings applicable to any verb: "-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont". In the following example, nager ("to swim") was used.

         

         • First person singular: "-ai". Je nagerai ("I will swim).
         • Second person singular: "-as". Tu nageras ("You will swim").
         • Third person singular: "-a". The / elle nagera ("He will swim").
         • First person plural: "-ons". Nous nagerons ("We will swim").
         • Second person plural: "-ez". Vous nagerez ("You will swim").
         • Third person plural: "-ont". Ils / elles nageront ("They will swim").

      3. Recognize words with irregular roots. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, but they are few. You can find a full list here. Here are some examples and their roots for the future:

         

         • Être: "serr-".
         • Voir: "verr-".
         • Pouvour: "pourr-".
         • Vouloir: "voudr-".
         • Aller: "ir-".

      4. In a compound sentence, both the main proposition and the coordinate must be conjugated in the future (or neither), but it is not difficult to remember because in Italian it is done in the same way. Example: Quand elle finira, elles mangeront ("They will eat when she finishes").

         

         Subjonctif

         1. The subjunctive is used to express uncertain or hypothetical possibilities, feelings, actions and ideas, such as "I want you to do something", "We need to talk" or "You hope he will call you". The use is similar to what is done in the Italian language. The best way to understand it is to read and speak French, observing how and when it is used.

            

            The most common expressions in which the subjunctive is used are the following: "Il faut que + pronoun + verb conjugated to the subjunctive" ("It is necessary that + pronoun + verb") and "Je veux que + pronoun + verb conjugated to the subjunctive" ("I want + pronoun + verb")

         2. The subjunctive must always be introduced with que ("che").

            

            Examples: The faut que ("It is necessary that") and Aimer mieux que ("Prefer that").

         3. Identify the root of the verb by removing the ending "-ent" from the third person plural (ils / elles) of the present indicative. This also applies to irregular verbs. The root is the invariable base of the verb and contains its meaning. For example, in Italian the root of "to walk" is "weg- ". Here are some examples:

            

            • Parler: Parl-ent → Parl-.
            • Finir: Finiss-ent → Finniss-.
            • Entendre: Entend-ent → Entend-.

         4. Complete the conjugation by adding the subjunctive endings. There is only a series of endings to form it. They are: "-e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent". Remember to add that too. The following examples translate the phrase "It is necessary for (me, you, her, etc.) to speak".

            

            • First person singular: "-e". Il faut que je parle ("It is necessary that I speak").
            • Second person singular: "-es". Il faut que tu parles ("You must speak").
            • Third person singular: "-e". Il faut que il / elle parle ("He / she must speak").
            • First person plural: "-ions". Il faut que nous parlions ("We must speak").
            • Second person plural: "-iez". Il faut que vous parliez ("You must speak").
            • Third person plural: "-ent". Il faut que ils / elles parlent ("It is necessary that they / they speak").

         5. Some verbs have an irregular conjugation. All verbs that do not end in "-ent" in the third person plural of the present tense (Ils / elles) have an irregular stem. Fortunately, the endings are the same as illustrated in the previous passage. Here are some of the most used verbs:

            

            • Faire: "fass-".
            • Savoir: "sach-".
            • Pouvour: "puiss-".
            • Deepening: several words have two roots: for the pronouns je, tu, il / elle / on and ils / elles the root of the third person plural of the present indicative is used, while for nous and vous the root of the first person plural of the present indicative (example: boire: boiv and buv).

         6. Memorize the conjugations of être and avoir. They are the only two totally irregular verbs in the subjunctive. Unfortunately they are also the most used words in French. Here's how to combine them:

            

            • Être: je sois, tu sois, il / el soit, nous soyons, vous soyez, ils / elles soient.
            • Avoir: j'aie, tu aies, il / el ait, nous ayons, vous ayez, ils / elles aient.

            Advice

            • Before trying to speak, learn the rules of pronunciation.
            • Reading and listening are among the most effective methods to understand how to correctly conjugate verbs, as you listen to them and instinctively learn the difference between right and wrong.
            • The pronoun vous means both "you" and "you".
            • First learn the present tense of regular and irregular verbs: for more complex conjugations some forms of this tense are used as a basis.

            Warnings

            When in doubt, always use the present indicative. It is easy to use and pronounce

            • https://www.verbix.com/languages/french.shtml
            • https://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/conjugations/
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