Conjugation For Intermediate learners
What Is Conjugation (conjugaison) in French?
French verbs vary more than English verbs, which frequently only slightly (I go, he goes). Particularly for irregular verbs, conjugation can have an impact on the stem as well as the verb ending. Understanding conjugation is vital because even a minor error can alter the meaning of a sentence since the verb conveys important details about the subject, time, and context.
In French, verb conjugation (conjugaison) is the process of changing a verb form to reflect:
The subject (who is performing the action: I, you, he, we, etc.)
The tense (when the action happens: present, past, future, etc.)
Sometimes the mood (how the action is viewed: fact, possibility, desire, command)
The infinitive (infinitif)
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb. Think of it as the "dictionary form" or "to + verb" form in English.
parler
to speak
finir
to finish
prendre
to take
The three verb groups
French verbs are divided into three groups based on the infinitive ending and how they conjugate:
Group | Infinitive ending (terminaison) | Example | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st group | -er | parler | to speak | Largest group, mostly regular |
2nd group | -ir (with -issons in nous) | finir | to finish | Regular pattern, easier to memorize |
3rd group | -re, irregular -ir, -oir | prendre | to take | Irregular verbs, must be memorized individually |
The first group (-er verbs) is very predictable, so you can conjugate almost any new -er verb once you know the pattern. The third group is the most challenging because it includes many high-frequency irregular verbs like être, avoir, aller, venir, etc. These do not follow the regular patterns and require memorization.
How Conjugation Is Formed
Most French verb forms are built using two main parts:
The stem (the main part of the verb, usually obtained by removing the infinitive ending)
The ending (changes according to the subject and tense)
Example with parler → je parle:
infinitive: parler
stem: parl-
ending (for je, present tense): -e
Simple vs Compound Tenses
Simple tenses
formed with one conjugated verb
no auxiliary
je parle
I speak
je parlais
I was speaking
je parlerai
I will speak
Compound tenses
formed with an auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participle
j'ai parlé
I spoke
j'étais parti
I was gone
j'aurai fini
I will be finished
Present Tense (le présent)
The present tense is used to express actions happening now, habits, and general truths.
Subject | parler (1st) | finir (2nd) | prendre (3rd) |
|---|---|---|---|
je | parle | finis | prends |
tu | parles | finis | prends |
il / elle / on | parle | finit | prend |
nous | parlons | finissons | prenons |
vous | parlez | finissez | prenez |
ils / elles | parlent | finissent | prennent |
Tip!
Notice that for -er verbs, the endings (-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent) are very regular, but the pronunciation of many forms is identical (je parle, tu parles, il parle all sound like "parl").
Je, tu, il/elle, ils/elles all sound the same: parl.
Only nous (parlons) and vous (parlez) have distinct pronunciations.
Regular -ir verbs (second group)
Not all -ir verbs behave the same way. Only verbs that form -issons with nous belong to Group 2. The -issons, -issez, -issent endings help you recognize second-group verbs quickly.
Imperfect Tense (l'imparfait)
The imperfect tense is used to express descriptions in the past, habitual past actions, and background context.
Formation rule
take nous form of the present
remove -ons
add imperfect endings
Subject | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|
je | parlais | finissais | prenais |
tu | parlais | finissais | prenais |
il / elle / on | parlait | finissait | prenait |
nous | parlions | finissions | prenions |
vous | parliez | finissiez | preniez |
ils / elles | parlaient | finissaient | prenaient |
Future Simple (le futur simple)
The future simple is used to express actions that will happen, promises, and predictions.
Formation rule: future stem (full infinitive) + future endings
Subject | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|
je | parlerai | finirai | prendrai |
tu | parleras | finiras | prendras |
il / elle / on | parlera | finira | prendra |
nous | parlerons | finirons | prendrons |
vous | parlerez | finirez | prendrez |
ils / elles | parleront | finiront | prendront |
Conditional Present (le conditionnel présent)
The conditional present express politeness, wishes, and hypothetical situations.
Formation rule: future stem + imperfect endings
Subject | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|
je | parlerais | finirais | prendrais |
tu | parlerais | finirais | prendrais |
il / elle / on | parlerait | finirais | prendrait |
nous | parlerions | finirions | prendrions |
vous | parleriez | finiriez | prendriez |
ils / elles | parleraient | finiraient | prendraient |
Tip!
Notice that to form the future stem for third-group verbs, you have to drop the final -e from the infinitive.
vendre: vendr (future stem)
attendre: attendr (future stem)
Present Subjunctive (le subjonctif présent)
The present subjunctive is used to express doubt, emotion, and necessity. It is always used after expressions with que.
Formation: stem from the third-person plural of the present indicative + subjunctive endings
Subject | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|
que je | parle | finisse | prenne |
que tu | parles | finisses | prennes |
qu'il / elle / on | parle | finisse | prenne |
que nous | parlions | finissions | prenions |
que vous | parliez | finissiez | preniez |
qu'ils / elles | parlent | finissent | prennent |
Imperative (l'impératif)
The imperative is used to give orders, advice, and instructions. The imperative is formed from the present tense of the indicative.
Person | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|
(tu) | parle | finis | prends |
(nous) | parlons | finissons | prenons |
(vous) | parlez | finissez | prenez |
Warning!
Only -er verbs drop the -s in tu form.
tu → parle ! (drop the final -s in the singular)
Types of Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs in French can be classified into three major types, depending on how the stem behaves.
1. Verbs with completely different stems
These verbs have no stable stem. The root changes drastically from one tense to another and must be memorized.
Subject | être (to be) | avoir (to have) | aller (to go) | faire (to do/make) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
je | suis | ai | vais | fais |
tu | es | as | vas | fais |
il / elle / on | est | a | va | fait |
nous | sommes | avons | allons | faisons |
vous | êtes | avez | allez | faites |
ils / elles | sont | ont | vont | font |
2. Verbs with a stable stem but irregular endings
Here, the stem remains the same, but the endings differ from regular models. This category mainly includes many -ir and -re verbs.
Subject | dormir (to sleep) | partir (to leave) | sentir (to feel) |
|---|---|---|---|
je | dors | pars | sens |
tu | dors | pars | sens |
il / elle / on | dort | part | sent |
nous | dormons | partons | sentons |
vous | dormez | partez | sentez |
ils / elles | dorment | partent | sentent |
Warning!
Not all -ir verbs belong here — only those outside the -issons group.
2. Verbs with limited stem changes
These verbs have a small number of predictable stem alternations.
Subject | venir (to come) | tenir (to hold) | pouvoir (can) |
|---|---|---|---|
je | viens | tiens | peux |
tu | viens | tiens | peux |
il/elle /on | vient | tient | peut |
nous | venons | tenons | pouvons |
vous | venez | tenez | pouvez |
ils / elles | viennent | tiennent | peuvent |
Past Participles of Irregular Verbs
Verb | Past participle |
|---|---|
être | été |
avoir | eu |
faire | fait |
prendre | pris |
mettre | mis |
lire | lu |
dire | dit |
voir | vu |
Future Tense Irregular Stems
Many irregular verbs have unique stems for the simple future and conditional:
Infinitive | Future stem | Example: je… | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
être | ser- | je serai | I will be |
avoir | aur- | j'aurai | I will have |
aller | ir- | j'irai | I will go |
faire | fer- | je ferai | I will do |
venir | viendr- | je viendrai | I will come |
pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrai | I will be able |
vouloir | voudr- | je voudrai | I will want |
savoir | saur- | je saurai | I will know |
Participles
French has two main participles: the present participle and the past participle. They are verb forms that can act as verbs or adjectives.
Present Participle (Le participe présent)
The present participle is a verb form ending in -ant that expresses an action happening at the same time as another action. It is often used with en and never agrees.
It is formed from the nous form of the present tense: nous form − ons + ant
parler → parlant
to speak → speaking
finir → finissant
to finish → finishing
vendre → vendant
to sell → selling
Irregular forms are:
être → étant
to be → being
avoir → ayant
to have → having
savoir → sachant
to know → knowing
Usage of Present Participle
It expresses an action happening at the same time as the main verb, often with en (gérondif).
Elle travaille en écoutant de la musique.
She works while listening to music.
Sachant la réponse, il a souri.
Knowing the answer, he smiled.
Past Participle (Le participe passé)
The past participle is a verb form used in compound tenses and as an adjective. Its form depends on the verb and it may agree in gender and number.
Formation
-er verbs → -é (parlé)
-ir verbs → -i (fini)
-re verbs → -u (vendu)
Elle a mangé. (compound tense)
She has eaten.
une porte fermée (as an adjective)
a closed door
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