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1
A Definitive Guide to
French Verbs
2
Contents
Preface........................................................................4
The Basics of Verbs
What is a verb?...........................................................6
Infinitives....................................................................8
Conjugation..............................................................10
Tense and Aspect......................................................12
Tenses
The Present Tense....................................................14
The Present Participle...............................................15
The Perfect Tense.....................................................18
The Auxiliary Verb....................................................19
Reflexive Verbs.........................................................20
The Past Participle....................................................21
The Near Future Tense.............................................25
The Imperfect Tense.................................................27
The Future Tense......................................................30
The Pluperfect Tense................................................32
The Future Perfect Tense.........................................35
The Past Historic Tense............................................39
Moods
What is a Mood?......................................................42
The Conditional Mood..............................................43
The Imperative Mood...............................................48
The Subjunctive Mood..............................................52
Third Person Commands with the Subjunctive........56
The Perfect Subjunctive............................................57
3
Negatives..............................................................................60
Glossary.................................................................................62
Irregular Verb Tables............................................................70
4
Preface
Verbs play a vital role in grammar, in sentences, in language
and understanding them is key to understanding a language.
We learn from a young age that verbs are doing words,
action words or some other naïve and ambiguous definition
that deprives verbs of the credit that they truly deserve -
they are in fact much more important than that and I hope
that, in learning them in great depth, you come to appreciate
their true responsibility.
You may not yet realise how complex verbs can become,
particularly if you have never studied a language in so much
linguistic depth. It may seem strange to have to study in such
detail something you do unconsciously in your mother
tongue but my aim is to simplify the world of verbs by
stripping them back to the very basics and taking you on a
journey that will allow you to eventually structure your own
sentences with ease.
Linguistic terminology can be confusing for some and it may
well be the reason why many people stop learning languages
altogether. But avoiding the technical terms can be even
more confusing than learning them and I believe that
labelling helps us to understand the construction of language
and eventually helps us to think independently when building
sentences. Do not fret. Any such terminology is written in
bold and is explained fully in the glossary at the back of this
book.
5
Take your time when learning French and make sure that you
understand everything you have learnt before you move on.
Naturally, the topics in this book gradually become more
complex and, if you do not understand the previous section,
you will find it very difficult to understand the next. This book
is not designed to be read in a day and it is important to
spend time understanding and mastering each section before
tackling a new aspect of verbs.
Most of all, enjoy language learning and do not let it become
a source of stress. Re-read anything you do not understand
and practise as much as you can in order to become as
proficient in the language as possible.
Happy learning!
6
What is a verb?
Before you even consider studying verbs in a foreign
language, you must understand them in your own. We are
told at an early age that verbs are doing words, action words
or something of the sort. This is true at a very basic level, but
they are much more important than this. Verbs are the
chassis of a sentence1 and embedded within them is a
plethora of meanings - when the action takes place (tense),
how it takes place (sprint and run both have similar meanings,
but have different connotations), who is completing the
action (subject), who is receiving the action (object) -
ultimately giving them the most powerful role in meaning.
But before we dive into the unknown, let's stick with what
we know and consider that primary school definition: doing
words. Play, jump, laugh, sit, fall, break, stop, look, grab,
kill...all of them expressing some kind of action; something
which can be done. In the world of linguistics, these are
known as dynamic verbs.
What your teachers didn't tell you is that some verbs express
more abstract concepts; ideas, thoughts, emotions and
other less physical actions: think, know, like, hate, love,
believe, wish, hope, dream, envy...what linguists call stative
verbs. It's not so important to be able to differentiate
between stative and dynamic verbs, but you must
understand that they are more than just physical actions and
1 The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker
7
they therefore exceed the old definition of doing words.
Verbs in fact refer to an action or a state and provide the
bulk of meaning in a sentence - give them the credit they
deserve.
Finally, try not to make assumptions about French grammar
based on that of English. Since they both have different roots,
they are bound to differ in some areas and you must not
assume that English is the basis upon which all languages
work. French has its own way of saying things and you will
have to accept this if you wish to go far in language learning.
8
Infinitives
Verbs in all inflected languages have many different forms
which give us more information about the action the word
expresses.
For example, the verb in
John is playing football and
John played football...
...is the same: to play. However, it appears in different forms
to give us information about the time of the action. The
former is playing indicates that the action is currently
happening whereas the latter played tells us that the action
was completed in the past and is now no longer happening.
Changing verbs in this way is known as conjugation and you
will be learning how to conjugate verbs in many different
ways.
However, for a verb to be conjugated, it must have a root
form onto which we can add suffixes, prefixes and other
elements to alter the meaning. This neutral form of a verb is
known as the infinitive and is the form usually found in
dictionaries. In English, we can recognise an infinitive by the
word to which comes before the verb: to play, to jump, to
laugh, to sit, to fall, to think, to know, to like, to hate, to love.
Here, we are given no indication of who is doing the action,
when it happens or who is the recipient of the action, hence
its use as a neutral form. As a result, looking up the word
9
played in a dictionary is futile because it is a conjugated form
of the word to play and is not a word in its own right. This
can make looking words in any language tricky since some
conjugations do not resemble their infinitive: we know that
ate is the perfect tense form of to eat but it is unlikely that
you will find ate in a dictionary on its own. This is known as
an irregular verb and we will encounter similar situations in
French, but learning about conjugation will help you to
combat this.
French infinitives are very different as they are made up of
just one word. It is the way the verb ends that provides
meaning in French and, for infinitives, there are three
possible endings:
-er jouer to play, aller to go, arriver to arrive
-ir finir to finish, partir to leave, mourir to die
-re attendre to wait, prendre to take, boire to drink
Each group of infinitives has its own set of conjugations,
although there are some similarities that make memorising
them that little bit easier.
-er verbs (or first conjugation verbs) are by far the most
common, followed by -ir (second conjugation) and, finally
the least common of all -re (third conjugation).
This make take some time to get your head around, but it
isn't nearly as confusing as it may initially appear.
10
Conjugation
French, like English, is known as a non pro-drop language,
meaning that it relies on pronouns to tell us who is doing the
action. Saying play football in English gives us no indication as
to who is playing (other than it is not he, she or it since that
would be plays) and sounds more like a command. Likewise,
saying joue au foot in French is ambiguous as the person
doing the action could be I, he, she or it. Subject pronouns
are therefore very important and you must be familiar with
them in order to conjugate verbs successfully.
Je first person singular
I
Tu second person singular
You when talking about/to a friend,
relative or younger person
Il / elle / on third person singular
He / she / it / one on means one or we in an informal
manner Nous
first person plural We
this is more formal than on
Vous second person plural
You when talking about/to an older
person, someone you do not know well, an authoritative figure or a
group of people.
Ils /elles third person plural
They ils is used for a group of men or a mixed group whereas elles is used
for a group of women only.
11
Il, elle and on are grouped together because the conjugation
of each one is always the same. The same goes for ils and
elles.
Like English, the French subject pronoun comes before the
verb in affirmative statements:
he plays
il joue
we finish
nous finissons
Conjugation of regular verbs is extremely simple since all we
have to do is remove the infinitive ending and add the
endings that correspond to the subject and the tense.
12
Tense and Aspect
The tense of a verb tells us when an action takes, took or will
take place. There are three basic tenses:
Past Present Future
happened happens will happen
Aspect is a little more difficult to grasp as it indicates the
whether the action is completed or in progress. The two
basic forms of aspect are:
Perfective Progressive
completed in progress
It is not important that you understand the different aspects
of a verb and you are not expected to be able to analyse the
differences in meaning, but by combing both tense and
aspect, we form six basic tenses that you will learn from this
book:
Progressive Perfective
Present I play Present Tense
I played Perfect Tense
Past I was playing Imperfect Tense
I had played Pluperfect Tense
Future I will play Future Tense
I will have played Future Perfect Tense
13
TENSES
14
The Present Tense
The present tense expresses an action that happens on a
regular basis, does happen or is currently happening:
I play
I do play
I am playing
In French, all three of these sentences are expressed in
exactly the same way.
The French present tense is made up of just two parts: the
subject and the verb. So, when it comes to translating I am
playing is important that you do not try to translate each
word individually. You should recognise this as the present
tense and conjugate as follows:
1. Remove the -er, -ir or -re from the infinitive.
2. Add the appropriate, present tense ending:
* the -ent at the end of a third person, plural verb is not pronounced.
-er -ir -re
je -e -is -s
tu -es -is -s
il / elle / on -e -it -
nous -ons -issons -ons
vous -ez -issez -ez
ils / elles -ent* -issent* -ent*
15
OK, so you've got to learn 18 different verb endings, but you
will notice patterns that will make learning them much
simpler.
Examples
She eats / She is eating / She does eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. remove the infinitive ending: manger
2. add the appropriate ending for elle - mange
3. she eats = elle mange
We finish / We are finishing / We do finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. remove the infinitive ending: finir
2. add the appropriate ending for nous: -finissons
3. we finish = nous finissons
They wait / They are waiting / They do wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. remove the infinitive ending: attendre
2. add the appropriate ending for il - attendent
3. They wait = ils attendent
16
The Present Participle
As you should already know, French does not differentiate
between I am playing (the gerund) and I play; both are
expressed using the present tense that you learnt in the
previous section. However, French verbs do have an
equivalent -ing form and, although it is not used as
frequently as in English, it is certainly worth learning.
To form the present participle for any verb conjugation:
1. Take the nous form of the verb in the present tense
2. Remove the -ons
3. Add -ant
This works for most verbs, except the following.
être to be étant
avoir to have ayant
savoir to know sachant
The French present participle cannot be used as often as it is
in English. The following usage, for example, is wrong:
Je suis jouant au foot
I am playing football
We simply cannot translate the gerund in this way and must
use the regular, present tense to say something like this.
17
Another mistake one might make is assuming that we can say:
J'aime jouant au foot
I like playing football
To translate this, we would use the infinitive:
J'aime jouer au foot
I like to play football
So when can we use the present participle?
1. Expressing an action that is/was happening while another
action take/took place:
Entendant le bruit, j'ai fermé la fenêtre
Hearing the noise, I closed the window
Un homme, fumant une cigarette, est entré le bureau
A man smoking a cigarette entered the office
2. Used with en, the present participle can mean by or while:
En lisant ce livre tu deviendras très intelligent
By reading this book you will become very intelligent
Luc s'est fait mal en mangeant son dîner
Luc hurt himself while eating his dinner
18
The Perfect Tense
The perfect tense is used to express an action that happened,
has happened or did happen:
I played
I have played
I did play
As with the present, all of these are expressed in the same
way in French.
The French perfect tense is made up of three parts: the
subject the auxiliary verb and the past participle. The
auxiliary verb the equivalent of the word have in I have
played and is there only to tell us that we are talking about
the past.
In French, the auxiliary verb can either be avoir to have or
être to be. We will learn how to choose the auxiliary verb
later, but first it is important to know the conjugation for
avoir and être which are both irregular:
avoir - to have
j'ai
tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
être - to be
je suis
tu es
il/elle/on est
nous sommes
vous êtes
ils/elles sont
19
The Auxiliary Verb
Most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary verb. There are only 16
verbs which use être, plus all reflexive verbs (page 19).
A common way of remembering the 16 être verbs is DR. &
MRS VANDERTRAMP:
Descendre to go down/descend descendu
Revenir to come back revenu
Mourir to die mort
Rentrer to come in rentré
Sortir to go out sorti
Venir to come venu
Arriver to arrive arrivé
Naître to be born né
Devenir to become devenu
Entrer to enter entré
Retourner to return retourné
Tomber to fall tombé
Rester to stay resté
Aller to go allé
Monter to go up monté
Partir to leave parti
20
Reflexive Verbs
A reflexive verb is a verb in which the doer of the action (the
subject) is also the receiver of the action (the object). In
English, reflexive verbs use reflexive pronouns such as myself,
himself, themselves etc.
In French, reflexive pronouns precede the verb and are as
follows:
Infinitive - se
je me nous nous
tu te vous vous
il/elle/on se ils/elles se
se, me and te all become s', m' and t' when they come before
a vowel or silent h.
Be careful, some verbs which are reflexive in French are not
necessarily reflexive in English, and vice versa:
se reposer to relax
se brosser to brush (hair, teeth)
se blesser to hurt/injure oneself
se laver to wash oneself
se baigner to bathe
s'attendre to expect
21
The Past Participle
The past participle is the equivalent of played in I have
played and is the verb the provides the meaning. In English,
past participles usually end with -ed.
In French, regular past participles are formed by removing
the infinitive ending and adding:
-é for -er verbs joué played, mangé eaten
-i for -ir verbs fini finished, parti left
-u for -re verbs attendu waited, descendu descended
When the verb takes être, the past participle must agree
with the subject.
If one man/masculine noun has done the action, the past
participle remains unchanged.
If more than one man/masculine noun has done the action,
add an -s to the end of the past participle.
If one woman/feminine noun has done the action, add an -e
to the end of the past participle.
If more than one women/feminine noun has done the action,
add -es to the end of the past participle.
Some past participles are irregular and can be found in the
verb tables at the back of this book.
22
Now it is simply a case of putting the subject, the auxiliary
verb and the past participle together.
Examples
She ate / She has eaten / She did eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the present tense
with elle is elle a
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mangé
3. she ate = elle a mangé
We finished / We have finished / We did finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the present tense
with nous is nous avons
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we finished = nous avons fini
23
They waited / They have waited / They did wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the present
tense with ils is ils ont
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they waited = ils ont attendu
You left / You have left / You did leave
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes être, which conjugated in the present tense
with vous is vous êtes
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes être, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. You left = vous êtes partis
She got dressed / She has got dressed / She did get dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes être, which
conjugated in the present tense with elle is elle s'est
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habillé
24
3. Because s'habiller takes être, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habillée
4. She got dressed = elle s'est habillée
25
The Near Future
The near future tense is used to express an action that is
going to happen:
I am going to play
This is by far the easiest way of expressing the future as it
does not rely upon a list of endings like the other tenses.
Instead, it is constructed in much the same way as English:
I am going to play
subject present tense of to go infinitive
je vais jouer
In order to construct this tense, it is important to familiarise
yourself with the conjugation of the irregular verb aller to go:
Once you have the present tense of aller (the I am going part)
all you need is an infinitive.
aller - to go
je vais
tu vas
il/elle/on va
nous allons
vous allez
ils/elles vont
26
Examples
She is going to eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. Present tense of aller in the elle form - elle va
2. Infinitive to eat - manger
3. She is going to eat = elle va manger
We are going to finish
We = nous
to finish = finir
1. Present tense of aller in the nous form - nous allons
2. Infinitive to finish - finir
3. We are going to finish = nous allons finir
They are going to wait
They = ils
to wait = attendre
1. Present tense of aller in the ils form - ils vont
2. Infinitive to wait - attendre
3. They are going to wait = ils vont attendre
27
The Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense is used to express an action that was
happening while another action was taking place or that used
to happen:
I was playing
I used to play
Once again, both of the sentences above are expressed in the
same way in French and you should not try to translate them
word-for-word. The imperfect tense in French is made up of
just two parts: the subject and the verb.
To conjugate:
1. Start by taking the nous form of the verb which almost
always ends with -ons.
2. Remove the -ons - this is the imperfect stem
3. Add the imperfect ending which relates to the subject
Imperfect Ending
je -ais
tu -ais
il / elle / on -ait
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils / elles -aient
28
This method works for all verbs, regular or irregular, except
for être whose nous form (sommes) does not end with -ons.
This is no problem. The imperfect stem for être is ét- and all
endings are added as usual.
Examples
She used to eat / she was eating
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. nous form of the verb which slightly irregular for manger -
mangeons
2. remove the -ons - mangeons
3. Add the appropriate ending for elle - mangeait
4. She used to eat = elle mangeait
We used to finish / we were finishing
We = nous
to finish = finir
1. nous form of the verb finir - finissons
2. remove the -ons - finissons
3. Add the appropriate ending for nous - finissions
4. We used to finish = nous finissions
29
They used to wait / they were waiting
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. nous form of the verb attendre - attendons
2. remove the -ons - attendons
3. Add the appropriate ending for ils - attendaient
4. They used to wait = ils attendaient
30
The Future Tense
We already know how to express the near future, but this
restricts us to actions that are going to happen soon. The
future tense is used to express an action that will happen:
I will play
The future in English is made of three parts. In French, there
are just two: the subject and the verb.
Regular verbs use the infinitive as their future stem and then
add endings to indicate the future. With -re verbs, remove
the -e before adding the ending.
Future Ending
je -ai
tu -as
il / elle / on -a
nous -ons
vous -ez
ils / elles -ont
Some future stems are irregular and you can see these in the
verb tables at the back of this book.
31
Examples
She will eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. infinitive form of the verb - manger
2. add the appropriate future ending for elle - mangera
3. she will eat = elle mangera
We will finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. infinitive form of the verb - finir
2. add the appropriate future ending for nous - finirons
3. we will finish = nous finirons
They will wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. infinitive form of the verb - attendre
2. remove the -e - attendr
3. add the appropriate future ending for ils - attendront
4. they will wait = ils attendront
32
The Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect tense is used to express an action that had
happened: I had played
The pluperfect tense works in much the same way as the
perfect tense. It combines the subject, an auxiliary verb and a
past participle. The only difference between the pluperfect
and the perfect tense is the tense of the auxiliary verb. For
the pluperfect, the auxiliary verb must be in the imperfect
tense.
The choice of auxiliary verb is the same as it would be in the
past and the rules of agreement remain.
Examples
She had eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect
tense with elle is elle avait
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mangé
3. she had eaten = elle avait mangé
33
We had finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect tense
with nous is nous avions
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we had finished = nous avions fini
They waited / They have waited / They did wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect
tense with ils is ils avaient
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they had waited = ils avaient attendu
You had left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes être, which conjugated in the impefect tense
with vous is vous étiez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes être, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
34
4. You had left = vous étiez partis
She had got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes être, which
conjugated in the imperfect tense with elle is elle s'était
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habillé
3. Because s'habiller takes être, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habillée
4. She had got dressed = elle s'était habillée
35
The Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is used to express an action that will
have happened:
I will have played
The future perfect tense is another tense that works in much
the same way as the past. It combines the subject, an
auxiliary verb and a past participle. The only difference
between the future perfect and the perfect tense is the tense
of the auxiliary verb. For the future perfect, the auxiliary verb
must be in the future tense.
The choice of auxiliary verb is the same as it would be in the
past and the rules of agreement remain. It is therefore
important to familiarise yourself with the future conjugations
for avoir and être which are irregular:
avoir - to have
j'aurai
tu auras
il/elle/on aura
nous aurons
vous aurez
ils/elles auront
être - to be
je serai
tu seras
il/elle/on sera
nous serons
vous serez
ils/elles seront
36
Examples
She will have eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense
with elle is elle aura
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mangé
3. she will have eaten = elle aura mangé
We will have finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense with
nous is nous aurons
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we will have finished = nous aurons fini
37
They will have waited
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense
with ils is ils auront
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they will have waited = ils auront attendu
You will have left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes être, which conjugated in the future tense with
vous is vous aurez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes être, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. you will have left = vous aurez partis
She will have got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes être, which
conjugated in the future tense with elle is elle se sera
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habillé
38
3. Because s'habiller takes être, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habillée
4. she will have got dressed = elle se sera habillée
39
The Past Historic Tense
The past historic is a literary tense used to express actions
that happened in the past, just like the perfect tense. As you
will only ever read it in novels, poetry and possibly
newspapers, it is not important to study it in depth and you
only need to be able to recognise it.
Conjugation in the past historic is as simple as removing the
infinitive ending and adding the appropriate past historic
ending. -er verbs have their own set of endings while -ir and -
re verbs share the same past historic prefixes:
Past Historic Ending for -er verbs
je -ai
tu -as
il / elle / on -a
nous -âmes
vous -âtes
ils / elles -èrent
Past Historic Ending for -ir/re verbs
je -is
tu -is
il / elle / on -it
nous -îmes
vous -îtes
ils / elles -irent
40
Of course, there are irregular forms of the past historic, many
of which can be found in the verb tables at the back of this
book.
The past historic is very much a dying tense in French and
being able to conjugate it is not necessary. Regular verbs are
easily recognisable without learning the lists of endings and,
as long as you can recognise the few irregular forms, you will
be able to read the past historic with ease.
41
MOODS
42
What is a mood?
So far, we have been learning to conjugate verbs in the
indicative mood, the mood of certainty, fact or question.
Other moods exist to give commands (imperative), express
emotions, doubt, wishes and uncertainty (subjunctive) and
express an action which would or could happen (conditional).
The conditional is often considered more of a tense than a
mood as it conjugates by combining two other tenses, but it
is technically a mood; the form of the verb that shows the
mode or manner in which a thought is expressed2.
Do not be intimidated by the concept of moods; for the most
part, you'll simply learn when to use each one and never
have to think about it. Listen, read and speak enough and
they will eventually all come naturally without the need to
think about the terminology.
2 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/english-grammar-101-verb-mood/
43
The Conditional Mood
The conditional mood is used to express an action that would
or could take place, if the conditions were correct:
I would play
I would have played
The reason it is a mood and not a tense is that it can be
expressed in both the present (the first of the two sentences
above) and the perfect tense (the second sentence).
However, many people consider it a tense because it is
simply a combination of the future tense and the imperfect
tense.
To conjugate in the present tense:
1. Take the future stem (usually the infinitive)
2. Add the conditional endings
Examples
She would eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. infinitive form of the verb - manger
2. add the appropriate imperfect ending for elle - mangerait
3. she would eat = elle mangerait
44
We would finish
We = nous
to finish = finir
1. infinitive form of the verb - finir
2. add the appropriate imperfect ending for nous - finirions
3. we would finish = nous finirions
They would wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. infinitive form of the verb - attendre
2. remove the -e - attendr
3. add the appropriate imperfect ending for ils - attendraient
4. they would wait = ils attendraient
45
To conjugate the conditional in the perfect tense, as with the
past, pluperfect and future perfect, we use the auxiliary verb
and past participle. Rather predictably, the auxiliary verb for
the conditional perfect must be in the conditional mood.
Examples
She would have eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with elle is elle aurait
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mangé
3. she would have eaten = elle aurait mangé
We would have finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional mood
with nous is nous aurions
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we would have finished = nous aurions fini
46
They would have waited
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with ils is ils auraient
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they would have waited = ils auraient attendu
You would have left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes être, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with vous is vous auriez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes être, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. You would have left = vous auriez partis
She will have got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes être, which
conjugated in the conditional mood with elle is elle se serait
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habillé
47
3. Because s'habiller takes être, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habillée
4. She will have got dressed = elle se serait habillée
48
The Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used to give commands:
Play!
Let's play!
Since we can only give commands to other people, the
imperative mood only exists for the second person singular
(tu), second person plural (vous) and first person plural
(nous).
Regular conjugation is really simple as it is usually the same
as the present indicative, minus the subject pronoun.
The only exception is that the -s is removed from the tu form
of -er verbs.
With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun is removed and
the equivalent emphatic pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous,
vous, eux, elles) must follow the verb with a hyphen.
Examples
Eat! (to a friend)
to eat = manger
1. present tense indicative, tu form of manger - tu manges
2. remove the subject pronoun - tu manges
3. manger is an -er verb, so we must remove the -s - manges
4. eat! = mange
49
Let's finish!
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. present indicative, nous form of finir - nous finissons
2. remove the subject pronoun - nous finissons
3. Let's finish! = finissons!
Wait! (to a group of people)
you = vous
to wait = attendre
1. present indicative, vous form of attendre - vous attendez
2. remove the subject pronoun - vous attendez
3. Wait! = attendez!
Hurry up! (to a friend)
you = tu, emphatic form = toi
to hurry = se dépêcher
1. present indicative, tu form of se dépêcher - tu te dépêches
2. remove the subject + reflexive pronouns - tu te dépêches
3. as it is an -er verb, remove the final -s - dépêches
4. add the emphatic pronoun to the end - dépêche-toi
5. Hurry up! = dépêche-toi!
50
Word order with the imperative can become confusing when
we start to add pronouns.
For negative commands (telling somebody not to do
something), pronouns come before the verb and follow the
standard pronoun order, as shown by the table below:
Ne le fais pas! Don't do it!
Ne le lui donnez pas! Don't give it to him!
Ne me le donne pas! Don't give it to me!
me
te
se
nous
vous
le
la
les
lui
leur y en
51
Affirmative commands (telling somebody to do something)
are not so simple. Firstly, all pronouns are hyphenated after
the verb in the following order:
Mange-le! Eat it!
Tuez-les! Kill them!
me and se become moi and toi respectively, unless they are
followed by y or en, in which case they become m' and s'.
Ecoutez-moi! Listen to me!
Va-t'en! Go away!
The final -s is not dropped from the tu form when followed
by y or en.
Penses-y Think about it
Vas-y Go (away)!
Irregular imperatives can be found in the verb tables at the
back of this book but are often the same as their subjunctive
form...
le
la
les
moi / m'
toi / t'
lui
nous
vous
leur
y en
52
The Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is rather a complex mood as it can be used in
so many situations. Generally, it is used to express a will,
wish, necessity or doubt although there are many other
situations in which it can be used.
The subjunctive is dying out in English, although its use with
the verb to be remains common:
I wish (that) I were younger (as opposed to I wish I am younger)
It is important that you be there (as opposed to It is important that you are there)
In French, the subjunctive only follows the word que. That is
not to say that it always follows que, but cannot be used
unless que appears before it.
Take the phrase: It is important that you be here
We are clearly expressing a necessity, which indicates that
we need to use the subjunctive. The word que is the
equivalent of the English that in this case. Therefore:
Il est important que tu sois ici
...is how to say it is important that you be here.
53
To conjugate regular verbs:
1. Take the ils/elles form of the verb
2. Remove the -ent
3. Add the subjunctive ending
Most of the time, the subjunctive will look no different to the
indicative because the endings for je, tu, il, elle, on, ils and
elles are the same.
Some subjunctive forms are irregular and can be found in the
irregular verb tables at the back of this book.
NB. There is no future subjunctive. When phrases are used in
the future tense, the present subjunctive is used.
Here are some phrases that the subjunctive must follow:
Subjunctive Ending
je -e
tu -es
il / elle / on -e
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils / elles -ent
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afin que... so that...
pourvu que... provided that...
la/le seul(e)...que... the only...that...
à condition que... provided that...
il faut que... it is important that...
il est important que... it is important that..
vouloir que... to want
avant que...* before...
douter que... to doubt that...
avoir besoin que... to need
il est possible que... it is possible that..
ne pas penser que... to not think that...
être content que... to be happy that
à moins que...* unless...
bien que... although
craindre que...* to fear that
There are indeed many other phrases that require the
subjunctive and you will certainly come across them if you
read and listen to enough French.
*These phrases also require a ne explétif which comes
before the verb:
Partons avant qu'il n'arrive! Let's leave before he arrives!
Je ne veux pas le faire à moins que tu ne le fasses avec moi.
I don't want to do it unless you do it with me.
55
Examples
It is important that she eats
she = elle
to eat = manger
1.take the ils/elles form of manger - mangent
2. remove the -ent -mangent
3. add the subjunctive ending for elle - mange
4. it is important that she eats - il est important qu'elle
mange
We must / it is important that we finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1.take the ils/elles form of finir- finissent
2. remove the -ent -finissent
3. add the subjunctive ending for nous - finissions
4. we must finish - il faut qu'on finissions
The only person who waits
The only person = La seule personne
to wait = attendre
1.take the ils/elles form of attendre - attendent
2. remove the -ent -attendent
3. add the subjunctive ending for il/elle/on - attende
4. the only person who waits - la seule personne qui attende
56
Third Person Commands with the Subjunctive
The subjunctive is also used to express a sort of 'command' in
the third person, such as:
Let him do it!
God save the Queen
In French, this is simply the word que, followed by the
subject and the verb in the subjunctive:
Qu'il le fasse! Let him do it!
Que Dieu sauve la Reine God Save the Queen
57
The Perfect Subjunctive
The perfect subjunctive is used in the same way as the
present subjunctive, only in the perfect tense. It works in
exactly the same way as the perfect tense, only the auxiliary
verb must be in the subjunctive. It is therefore important
that you are familiar with the subjunctive conjugations for
avoir and être:
The rules for auxiliary verbs and agreement remain the same
as those for the perfect tense and it is only the auxiliary verb
that will change.
avoir - to have
j'aie
tu aies
il/elle/on ait
nous ayons
vous ayez
ils/elles aient
être - to be
je sois
tu sois
il/elle/on soit
nous soyons
vous soyez
ils/elles soient
58
Examples
I am happy that you ate
you = vous
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with vous is vous ayez
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mangé
3. I am happy that you ate = je suis content(e) que vous ayez
mangé
I doubt that he has finished
I = je
he = il
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive mood
with il is il ait
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. I doubt that he has finished = Je doute qu'il ait fini
59
Although I cried, I was happy
I = je
to cry = pleurer
1. pleurer takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with je is j'aie
2. pleurer is regular, so its past participle is pleuré
3. Although I cried, I was happy = bien que j'aie pleuré, j'étais
content
I am afraid that he hasn't arrived
I = je
he = il
to arrive = arriver
1. arriver takes être, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with il is il soit
2. arriver is regular, so its past participle is arrivé
3. I am afraid that he hasn't arrived = j'ai peur qu'il ne soit
pas arrivé
60
Negatives
By now, you should be an expert in French verbs...in the
affirmative at least! To make a sentence negative, the verb
must be sandwiched by two negative parts
ne verb negative word
Ne always appears in negative phrases (except in spoken
French in which it can be omitted) but the negative word
depends on the meaning of the negation.
ne...aucun(e)* not one, not any, no ne...guère rarely
ne...jamais never
ne...ni...ni neither...nor
ne...nulle part nowhere
ne...pas not
ne...personne nobody
ne...plus no longer, anymore
ne...que only
ne...rien nothing
*must agree with the noun to which it refers
61
Examples
Je ne l'ai pas fait
I haven't done it / I didn't do it
Il ne mange jamais les légumes
He never eats vegetables
Nous n'avons pas vu personne
We didn't see anyone
Elle n'a ni frère ni soeur
She has neither brother nor sister
Vous n'avez aucune idée
You have no idea
Je ne les ai vus nulle part
I haven't seen them anywhere
On ne se réveille qu'avant midi
We only wake up after midday
Elles ne se sont jamais arrivées
They never arrived
Je ne la vois guère
I rarely see her
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Glossary
affirmative statement a declarative sentence; a sentence which states something to be true .
auxiliary verb a verb that does not provide meaning to a sentence but helps to establish the tense in which the action takes place.
compound tense a tense that is made up of three parts: subject, auxiliary verb and past participle.
conditional a form of writing verbs when the action could or would happen if the conditions were sufficient to allow it to happen.
conjugation changing a verb's form so that it tells us more about the tense and subject of the action.
63
connotation the implications of a word outside of its denotation (dictionary definition).
dynamic verb a verb which expresses a physical action.
emphatic pronoun a pronoun used to emphasise a particular person. In French, these are: moi (me), toi (you, to a friend, family member or younger person), lui (him), elle (her), nous (us), vous (you, plural or formal), eux (them, men or mixed group), elles (them, women).
feminine noun a French noun which falls under the feminine gender. Grammatical gender does not necessarily relate to biological gender and is simply a way of categorising nouns.
first conjugation verb the most common form of verb in French; all those whose infinitive ends with -er.
64
future stem The form of a verb in the future tense before the addition of future endings.
gerund the -ing form of a verb in English which either acts as a noun or to express an action that is currently taking place.
imperative a form of writing verbs when giving commands, making suggestions or giving instructions.
imperfect stem The form of a verb in the imperfect tense before the addition of imperfect endings.
indicative mood a form of writing verbs when stating facts, certainties and questions.
infinitive the root form or un-conjugated form of a verb.
65
infinitive ending the final two letters of a French infinitive. Either ---er,-ir or re.
inflected language a language which changes the way words are spelt to create different meanings.
irregular verb a verb which does not follow the normal pattern of conjugation.
masculine noun a French noun which falls under the masculine gender. Grammatical gender does not necessarily relate to biological gender and is simply a way of categorising nouns.
ne explétif the word ne that appears in affirmative statements and carries no meaning whatsoever. It is used to indicate a sense of doubt or fear in some situations but is very rare.
66
non pro-drop language a language that relies upon pronouns to indicate the subject of a sentence. English is a non pro-drop language.
noun a person, place or thing.
object the person/thing receiving the action in a sentence.
past participle The form of a verb that indicates that the action happened in the past. Typically, English past participles end with -ed. In French, they usually end with -é, -i or -u.
perfect tense the past tense, used to express an action that happened in the past, usually on just one occasion.
prefix a group of letters that can be put at the start of a word to alter its meaning.
67
present participle The -ing form of a verb that indicates that the action is currently happening.
pronoun a word that replaces a noun.
reflexive pronoun A pronoun used to indicate that the subject of the action is performing said action on them/itself. In French, they are me (myself), te (yourself, to a friend, family member or younger person), se (himself, herself, itself), nous (ourselves), vous (yourself, plural and formal) and se (themselves).
reflexive verb a verb in which the subject is also the object. Reflexive verbs are accompanied by reflexive pronouns.
regular verb a verb which follows a pattern in its conjugation.
68
second conjugation verb French verbs whose infinitives end with -ir.
stative verb a verb which expresses a state of being rather than a physical action.
subject the person/thing doing the action in a sentence.
subject pronoun a pronoun that replaces the name of the subject of a sentence. In French, these are: je (I), tu (you, to a friend, family member or younger person, il (he/it), elle (she/it), on (we, one), nous (we), vous (you, plural or formal), ils (they, men or mixed group), elles (they, women).
subjunctive a form of writing verbs when there is an element of uncertainty, emotion, wish or doubt.
69
suffix a group of letters that can be put at the end of a word to alter the meaning.
tense forms that a verb can take to indicate the time of the action.
third conjugation verb the least common form of verb in French; all those whose infinitives end with -re.
verb a word which expresses an action or state of being.
70
Irregular Verb Tables
The following pages contain simple tense conjugations for
some of the most commonly used verbs in French. Some
include similar conjugation sections which list further verbs
that conjugate in a similar way based on their ending. For
example:
to come - venir I come - je viens
to remember - se souvenir I remember - je me souviens
Perfect tenses are not included in the tables as they are
made by combining elements from other tenses (pluperfect =
imperfect auxiliary + past participle, for example) and can
therefore be constructed from the information given.
Participles are provided under all tables and the auxiliary
verb is given for each.
71
aller - to go
Present Imperfect Future
je vais tu vas il/elle/on va nous allons vous allez ils/elles vont
j'allais tu allais il/elle/on allait nous allions vous alliez ils/elles allaient
j'irai tu iras il/elle/on ira nous irons vous irez ils/elles iront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'irais tu irais il/elle/on irait nous irions vous iriez ils/elles iraient
j'allai tu allas il/elle/on alla nous allâmes vous allâtes ils/elles allèrent
j'aille tu ailles il/elle/on aille nous allions vous alliez ils/elles aillent
(tu) vas-y! (nous) allons-y! (vous) allez-y!
Present Participle: allant Auxiliary verb: être
Past Participle: allé
72
avoir - to have
Present Imperfect Future
j'ai tu as il/elle/on a nous avons vous avez ils/elles ont
j'avais tu avais il/elle/on avait nous avions vous aviez ils/elles avaient
j'aurai tu auras il/elle/on aura nous aurons vous aurez ils/elles auront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'aurais tu aurais il/elle/on aurait nous aurions vous auriez ils/elles auraient
j'eus tu eus il/elle/on eut nous eûmes vous eûtes ils/elles eurent
j'aie tu aies il/elle/on ait nous ayons vous ayez ils/elles aient
(tu) aie! (nous) ayons! (vous) ayez!
Present Participle: ayant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: eu
73
battre - to beat
Present Imperfect Future
je bats tu bats il/elle/on bat nous battons vous battez ils/elles battent
je battais tu battais il/elle/on battait nous battions vous battiez ils/elles battaient
je battrai tu battras il/elle/on battra nous battrons vous battrez ils/elles battront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je battrais tu battrais il/elle/on battrait nous battrions vous battriez ils/elles battraient
je battis tu battis il/elle/on battit nous battîmes vous battîtes ils/elles battirent
j'batte tu battes il/elle/on batte nous battions vous battiez ils/elles battent
(tu) bats! (nous) battons! (vous) battez!
Present Participle: battant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: battu
74
boire - to drink
Present Imperfect Future
je bois tu bois il/elle/on boit nous buvons vous buvez ils/elles boivent
je buvais tu buvais il/elle/on buvait nous buvions vous buviez ils/elles buvaient
je boirai tu boiras il/elle/on boira nous boirons vous boirez ils/elles boiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je boirais tu boirais il/elle/on boirait nous boirions vous boiriez ils/elles boiraient
je bus tu bus il/elle/on but nous bûmes vous bûtes ils/elles burent
je boive tu boives il/elle/on boive nous buvions vous buviez ils/elles boivent
(tu) bois! (nous) buvons! (vous) buvez!
Present Participle: buvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: bu
75
commencer - to start
Present Imperfect Future
je commence tu commences il/elle/on commence nous commençons vous commencez ils/elles commencent
je commençais tu commençais il/elle/on commençait nous commencions vous commenciez ils/elles commençaient
je commencerai tu commenceras il/elle/on commencera nous commencerons vous commencerez ils/elles commenceront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je commencerais tu commencerais il/elle/on commencerait nous commencerions vous commenceriez ils/elles commenceraient
je commençai tu commenças il/elle/on commença nous commençâmes vous commençâtes ils/elles commencèrent
je commence tu commences il/elle/on commence nous commencions vous commenciez ils/elles commencent
Imperative
(tu) commence! (nous)commençons! (vous) commencez!
Isn't commencer regular?
Commencer is regular, but if the ending does not start with
an e- or -i, you must put a cedilla (ç) on the c in order to
soften the [c] sound.
Present Participle: commençant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: commencé
76
Similar conjugations:
produire to produce introduire to introduce
construire to build réduire to reduce
cuire to cook traduire to translate
déduire to deduce
conduire - to drive
Present Imperfect Future
je conduis tu conduis il/elle/on conduit nous conduisons vous conduise ils/elles conduisent
je conduisais tu conduisais il/elle/on conduisait nous conduisions vous conduisiez ils/elles conduisaient
je conduirai tu conduiras il/elle/on conduira nous conduirons vous conduirez ils/elles conduiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je conduirais tu conduirais il/elle/on conduirait nous conduirions vous conduiriez ils/elles conduiraient
je conduisis tu conduisis il/elle/on conduisit nous conduisîmes vous conduisîtes ils/elles conduisirent
je conduise tu conduises il/elle/on conduise nous conduisions vous conduisiez ils/elles conduisent
Imperative
(tu) conduis! (nous) conduisons! (vous) conduisez!
Present Participle: conduisant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: conduit
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connaître - to know (a person)
Present Imperfect Future
je connais tu connais il/elle/on connait nous connaissons vous connaissez ils/elles connaissent
je connaissais tu connaissais il/elle/on connaissait nous connaissions vous connaissiez ils/elles connaissaient
je connaîtrai tu connaîtras il/elle/on connaîtra nous connaîtrons vous connaîtrez ils/elles connaîtront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je connaîtrais tu connaîtrais il/elle/on connaîtrait nous connaîtrions vous connaîtriez ils/elles connaîtraient
je bus tu bus il/elle/on but nous bûmes vous bûtes ils/elles burent
je connaisse tu connaisses il/elle/on connaisse nous connaissions vous connaissiez ils/elles connaissent
Imperative
(tu) connais! (nous) connaissons! (vous) connaissez!
Present Participle: connaissant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: connu
Similar Conjugations
apparaître to appear
disparaître to disappear
paraître to seem
reconnaître to recognise
excl. naître to be born
78
Present Participle: courant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: couru
courir - to run
Present Imperfect Future
je cours tu cours il/elle/on court nous courons vous courez ils/elles courent
je courais tu courais il/elle/on courait nous courions vous couriez ils/elles couraient
je courrai tu courras il/elle/on courra nous courrons vous courrez ils/elles courront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je courrais tu courrais il/elle/on courrait nous courrions vous courriez ils/elles courraient
je courus tu courus il/elle/on courut nous courûmes vous courûtes ils/elles coururent
je coure tu coures il/elle/on coure nous courions vous couriez ils/elles courent
(tu) cours! (nous) courons! (vous) courez!
79
Similar Conjugations
se plaindre to complain
atteindre to reach
peindre to paint
teindre to dye
joindre to join
craindre - to fear
Present Imperfect Future
je crains tu crains il/elle/on craint nous craignons vous craignez ils/elles craignent
je craignais tu craignais il/elle/on craignait nous craignions vous craigniez ils/elles craignaient
je craindrai tu craindras il/elle/on craindra nous craindrons vous craindrez ils/elles craindront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je craindrais tu craindrais il/elle/on craindrait nous craindrions vous craindriez ils/elles craindraient
je craignis tu craignis il/elle/on craignit nous craignîmes vous craignîtes ils/elles craignirent
je craigne tu craignes il/elle/on craigne nous craignions vous craigniez ils/elles craignent
Imperative
(tu) crains! (nous) craignons! (vous) craignez!
Present Participle: craignant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: craint
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Present Participle: croyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: cru
croire - to believe
Present Imperfect Future
je crois tu crois il/elle/on croit nous croyons vous croyez ils/elles croient
je croyais tu croyais il/elle/on croyait nous croyions vous croyiez ils/elles croyaient
je croirai tu croiras il/elle/on croira nous croirons vous croirez ils/elles croiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je croirais tu croirais il/elle/on croirait nous croirions vous croiriez ils/elles croiraient
je crus tu crus il/elle/on crut nous crûmes vous crûtes ils/elles crurent
je croie tu croies il/elle/on croie nous croyions vous croyiez ils/elles croient
(tu) crois! (nous) croyons! (vous) croyez!
81
Present Participle: devant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: dû
devoir - to have to
Present Imperfect Future
je dois tu dois il/elle/on doit nous devons vous devez ils/elles doivent
je devais tu devais il/elle/on devait nous devions vous deviez ils/elles devaient
je devrai tu devras il/elle/on devra nous devrons vous devrez ils/elles devront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je devrais tu devrais il/elle/on devrait nous devrions vous devriez ils/elles devraient
je dus tu dus il/elle/on dut nous dûmes vous dûtes ils/elles durent
je doive tu doive il/elle/on doive nous devions vous deviez ils/elles doivent
(tu) dois! (nous) devons! (vous) devez!
82
Present Participle: disant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: dit
dire - to say/tell
Present Imperfect Future
je dis tu dis il/elle/on dit nous disons vous dites ils/elles disent
je disais tu disais il/elle/on disait nous disions vous disiez ils/elles disaient
je dirai tu diras il/elle/on dira nous dirons vous direz ils/elles diront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je dirais tu dirais il/elle/on dirait nous dirions vous diriez ils/elles diraient
je dis tu dis il/elle/on dit nous dîmes vous dîtes ils/elles dirent
je dise tu dises il/elle/on dise nous disions vous disiez ils/elles disent
(tu) dis! (nous) disons! (vous) dites!
83
dormir - to sleep
Present Imperfect Future
je dors tu dors il/elle/on dort nous dormons vous dormez ils/elles dorment
je dormais tu dormais il/elle/on dormait nous dormions vous dormiez ils/elles dormaient
je dormirai tu dormiras il/elle/on dormira nous dormirons vous dormirez ils/elles dormiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je dormirais tu dormirais il/elle/on dormirait nous dormirions vous dormiriez ils/elles dormiraient
je dormis tu dormis il/elle/on dormit nous dormîmes vous dormîtes ils/elles dormirent
je dorme tu dormes il/elle/on dorme nous dormions vous dormiez ils/elles dorment
Imperative
(tu) dors! (nous) dormons! (vous) dormez!
Present Participle: dormant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: dormi
Similar Conjugations
sortir to go out
partir to leave
mentir to lie (tell a lie)
servir to serve
se sentir to feel
84
écrire - to write
Present Imperfect Future
j'écris tu écris il/elle/on écrit nous écrivons vous écrivez ils/elles écrivent
je écrivais tu écrivais il/elle/on écrivait nous écrivions vous écriviez ils/elles écrivaient
je écrirai tu écriras il/elle/on écrira nous écrirons vous écrirez ils/elles écriront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je écrirais tu écrirais il/elle/on écrirait nous écririons vous écririez ils/elles écriraient
j'écrivis tu écrivis il/elle/on écrivit nous écrivîmes vous écrivîtes ils/elles écrivirent
j'écrive tu écrives il/elle/on écrive nous écrivions vous écriviez ils/elles écrivent
Imperative
(tu) écris! (nous) écrivons! (vous) écrivez!
Present Participle: écrivant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: écrit
Similar Conjugations
décrire to describe
transcrire to transcribe
s'inscrire to register
servir to serve
85
Present Participle: envoyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: envoyé
envoyer - to send
Present Imperfect Future
j'envoie tu envoies il/elle/on envoie nous envoyons vous envoyez ils/elles envoient
j'envoyais tu envoyais il/elle/on envoyait nous envoyions vous envoyiez ils/elles envoyaient
j'enverrai tu enverras il/elle/on enverra nous enverrons vous enverrez ils/elles enverront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'enverrais tu enverrais il/elle/on enverrait nous enverrions vous enverriez ils/elles enverraient
j'envoyai tu envoyas il/elle/on envoya nous envoyâmes vous envoyâtes ils/elles envoyèrent
j'envoie tu envoie il/elle/on envoie nous envoyions vous envoyiez ils/elles envoient
(tu) envoie! (nous) envoyons! (vous) envoyez!
86
Present Participle: étant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: été
être - to be
Present Imperfect Future
je suis tu es il/elle/on est nous sommes vous êtes ils/elles sont
j'étais tu étais il/elle/on était nous étions vous étiez ils/elles étaient
je serai tu seras il/elle/on sera nous serons vous serez ils/elles seront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je serais tu serais il/elle/on serait nous serions vous seriez ils/elles seraient
je fus tu fus il/elle/on fut nous fûmes vous fûtes ils/elles furent
je sois tu sois il/elle/on soit nous soyons vous soyez ils/elles soient
(tu) sois! (nous) soyons! (vous) soyez!
87
Present Participle: faisant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: fait
faire - to do/make
Present Imperfect Future
je fais tu fais il/elle/on fait nous faisons vous faites ils/elles font
je faisais tu faisais il/elle/on faisait nous faisions vous faisiez ils/elles faisaient
je ferai tu feras il/elle/on fera nous ferons vous ferez ils/elles feront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je ferais tu ferais il/elle/on ferait nous ferions vous feriez ils/elles feraient
je fis tu fis il/elle/on fit nous fîmes vous fîtes ils/elles firent
je fasse tu fasses il/elle/on fasse nous fassions vous fassiez ils/elles fassent
(tu) fais! (nous) faisons! (vous) faites!
88
Present Participle: n/a Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: fallu
Falloir is an impersonal verb with only one form. It used
frequently to mean to have to or to be necessary. When used
in a general sense, il faut is followed by an infinitive:
Il faut faire la vaisselle
It is important to do the washing up
When used with a specific person, we use il faut que which
must be followed by the subjunctive
Il faut que je fasse la vaiselle
It is important that I do the washing up
falloir - to have to / to be necessary
Present Imperfect Future
il faut il fallait il faudra
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
il faudrait il fallut il faille n/a
89
Present Participle: lisant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: lu
lire - to read
Present Imperfect Future
je lis tu lis il/elle/on lit nous lisons vous lisez ils/elles lisent
je lisais tu lisais il/elle/on lisait nous lisions vous lisiez ils/elles lisaient
je lirai tu liras il/elle/on lira nous lirons vous lirez ils/elles liront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je lirais tu lirais il/elle/on lirait nous lirions vous liriez ils/elles liraient
je lus tu lus il/elle/on lut nous lûmes vous lûtes ils/elles lurent
je lise tu lises il/elle/on lise nous lisions vous lisiez ils/elles lisent
(tu) lis! (nous) lisons! (vous) lisez!
90
manger - to eat
Present Imperfect Future
je mange tu manges il/elle/on mange nous mangeons vous mangez ils/elles mangent
je mangeais tu mangeais il/elle/on mangeait nous mangions vous mangiez ils/elles mangeaient
je mangerai tu mangeras il/elle/on mangera nous mangerons vous mangerez ils/elles mangeront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je mangerais tu mangerais il/elle/on mangerait nous mangerions vous mangeriez ils/elles mangeraient
je mangeai tu mangeas il/elle/on mangea nous mangeâmes vous mangeâtes ils/elles mangèrent
je mange tu manges il/elle/on mange nous mangions vous mangiez ils/elles mangent
Imperative
(tu) mange! (nous) mangeons! (vous) mangez!
Present Participle: mangeant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: mangé
Isn't manger regular?
Manger is regular, but if the ending does not start with an e-
or -i, you must one after the -g- in order to soften the [g]
sound.
91
Similar Conjugations
permettre to allow/permit
compromettre to compromise
promettre to promise
admettre to admit
mettre - to put
Present Imperfect Future
je mets tu mets il/elle/on met nous mettons vous mettez ils/elles mettent
je mettais tu mettais il/elle/on mettait nous mettions vous mettiez ils/elles mettaient
je mettrai tu mettras il/elle/on mettra nous mettrons vous mettrez ils/elles mettront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je mettrais tu mettrais il/elle/on mettrait nous mettrions vous mettriez ils/elles mettraient
je mis tu mis il/elle/on mit nous mîmes vous mîtes ils/elles mirent
je mette tu mettes il/elle/on mette nous mettions vous mettiez ils/elles mettent
Imperative
(tu) mets! (nous) mettons! (vous) mettez!
Present Participle: mettant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: mis
92
Present Participle: mourant Auxiliary verb: être
Past Participle: mort
mourir - to die
Present Imperfect Future
je meurs tu meurs il/elle/on meurt nous mourons vous mourez ils/elles meurent
je mourais tu mourais il/elle/on mourait nous mourions vous mouriez ils/elles mouraient
je mourrai tu mourras il/elle/on mourra nous mourrons vous mourez ils/elles mourront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je mourrais tu mourrais il/elle/on mourrait nous mourrions vous mouriez ils/elles mourraient
je mourus tu mourus il/elle/on mourut nous mourûmes vous mourûtes ils/elles moururent
je meure tu meures il/elle/on meure nous mourions vous mouriez ils/elles meurent
(tu) meurs! (nous) mourons! (vous) mourez!
93
Present Participle: naissant Auxiliary verb: être
Past Participle: né
naître - to be born
Present Imperfect Future
je nais tu nais il/elle/on naît nous naissons vous naissez ils/elles naissent
je naissais tu naissais il/elle/on naissait nous naissions vous naissiez ils/elles naissaient
je naîtrai tu naîtras il/elle/on naîtra nous naîtrons vous naîtrez ils/elles naîtront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je naîtrais tu naîtrais il/elle/on naîtrait nous naîtrions vous naîtriez ils/elles naîtraient
je naquis tu naquis il/elle/on naquit nous naquîmes vous naquîtes ils/elles naquirent
je naisse tu naisses il/elle/on naisse nous naissions vous naissiez ils/elles naissent
(tu) nais! (nous) naissons! (vous) naissez!
94
ouvrir - to open
Present Imperfect Future
j'ouvre tu ouvres il/elle/on ouvre nous ouvrons vous ouvrez ils/elles ouvrent
je ouvrais tu ouvrais il/elle/on ouvrait nous ouvrions vous ouvriez ils/elles ouvraient
j'ouvrirai tu ouvriras il/elle/on ouvrira nous ouvrirons vous ouvrirez ils/elles ouvriront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
j'ouvrirais tu ouvrirais il/elle/on ouvrirait nous ouvririons vous ouvririez ils/elles ouvriraient
j'ouvris tu ouvris il/elle/on ouvrit nous ouvrîmes vous ouvrîtes ils/elles ouvrirent
j'ouvre tu ouvres il/elle/on ouvre nous ouvrions vous ouvriez ils/elles ouvrent
Imperative
(tu) ouvre! (nous) ouvrons! (vous) ouvrez!
Present Participle: ouvrant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: ouvert
Similar Conjugations
couvrir to cover
découvrir to discover
souffrir to suffer
offrir to offer/give (gift)
95
Present Participle: pleuvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: plu
pleuvoir - to rain
Present Imperfect Future
il pleut il pleuvait il pleuvra
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
il pleuvrait il plut il pleuve n/a
96
Present Participle: pouvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: pu
pouvoir - to be able
Present Imperfect Future
je peux tu peux il/elle/on peut nous pouvons vous pouvez ils/elles peuvent
je pouvais tu pouvais il/elle/on pouvait nous pouvions vous pouviez ils/elles pouvaient
je pourrai tu pourras il/elle/on pourra nous pourrons vous pourrez ils/elles pourront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je pourrais tu pourrais il/elle/on pourrait nous pourrions vous pourriez ils/elles pourraient
je pus tu pus il/elle/on put nous pûmes vous pûtes ils/elles purent
je puisse tu puisses il/elle/on puisse nous puissions vous puissiez ils/elles puissent
n/a
97
Similar Conjugations
apprendre to learn
méprendre to mistake
surprendre to surprise
comprendre to understand
prendre - to take
Present Imperfect Future
je prends tu prends il/elle/on prend nous prenons vous prenez ils/elles prennent
je prenais tu prenais il/elle/on prenait nous prenions vous preniez ils/elles prenaient
je prendrai tu prendras il/elle/on prendra nous prendrons vous prendrez ils/elles prendront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je prendrais tu prendrais il/elle/on prendrait nous prendrions vous prendriez ils/elles prendraient
je pris tu pris il/elle/on prit nous prîmes vous prîtes ils/elles prirent
je prenne tu prennes il/elle/on prenne nous prenions vous preniez ils/elles prennent
Imperative
(tu) prends! (nous) prenons! (vous) prenez!
Present Participle: prenant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: pris
98
Similar Conjugations
percevoir to perceive
apercevoir to foresee
décevoir to disappoint
recevoir - to receive
Present Imperfect Future
je reçois tu reçois il/elle/on reçoit nous recevons vous recevez ils/elles reçoivent
je recevais tu recevais il/elle/on recevait nous recevions vous receviez ils/elles recevaient
je recevrai tu recevras il/elle/on recevra nous recevrons vous recevrez ils/elles recevront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je recevrais tu recevrais il/elle/on recevrait nous recevrions vous recevriez ils/elles recevraient
je reçus tu reçus il/elle/on reçut nous reçûmes vous reçûtes ils/elles reçurent
je reçoive tu reçoives il/elle/on reçoive nous recevions vous receviez ils/elles reçoivent
Imperative
(tu) reçois! (nous) recevons! (vous) recevez!
Present Participle: recevant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: reçu
99
rire - to laugh
Present Imperfect Future
je ris tu ris il/elle/on rit nous rions vous riez ils/elles rient
je riais tu riais il/elle/on riait nous riions vous riiez ils/elles riaient
je rirai tu riras il/elle/on rira nous rirons vous rirez ils/elles riront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je rirais tu rirais il/elle/on rirait nous ririons vous ririez ils/elles riraient
je ris tu ris il/elle/on rit nous rîmes vous rîtes ils/elles rirent
je reçoive tu reçoives il/elle/on reçoive nous recevions vous receviez ils/elles reçoivent
Imperative
(tu) ris! (nous) rions! (vous) riez!
Present Participle: riant
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: ri
Similar Conjugations
sourire to smile
100
s'asseoir - to sit down
Present Imperfect Future
je m'assieds tu t'assieds il/elle/on s'assieds nous nous asseyons vous vous asseyez ils/elles s'asseyent
je m'asseyais tu t'asseyais il/elle/on s'asseyait nous nous asseyions vous vous asseyiez ils/elles s'asseyaient
je m'assiérai tu t'assiéras il/elle/on s'assiéra nous nous assiérons vous vous assiérez ils/elles s' assiéront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je m'assiérais tu t'assiérais il/elle/on s'assiérait nous nous assiérions vous vous assiériez ils/elles s' assiéraient
je m'assis tu t'assis il/elle/on s'assit nous nous assîmes vous vous assîtes ils/elles s'assirent
je m'asseye tu t'asseyes il/elle/on s'asseye nous nous asseyions vous vous asseyiez ils/elles s'asseyent
Imperative
(tu) assieds-toi! (nous) asseyons-nous! (vous) asseyez-vous!
Present Participle: s'asseyant
Auxiliary verb: être
Past Participle: assis
101
Present Participle: sachant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: su
savoir - to know (a fact)
Present Imperfect Future
je sais tu sais il/elle/on sait nous nous savons vous vous savez ils/elles savent
je savais tu savais il/elle/on savait nous savions vous saviez ils/elles savaient
je saurai tu sauras il/elle/on saura nous saurons vous saurez ils/elles sauront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je saurais tu saurais il/elle/on saurait nous saurions vous sauriez ils/elles sauraient
je sus tu sus il/elle/on sut nous sûmes vous sûtes ils/elles surent
je sache tu saches il/elle/on sache nous sachions vous sachiez ils/elles sachent
(tu) sache! (nous) sachions! (vous) sachiez!
102
Present Participle: suivant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: suivi
suivre - to follow
Present Imperfect Future
je suis tu suis il/elle/on suit nous nous suivons vous vous suivez ils/elles suivent
je suivais tu suivais il/elle/on suivait nous suivions vous suiviez ils/elles suivaient
je suivrai tu suivras il/elle/on suivra nous suivrons vous suivrez ils/elles suivront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je suivrais tu suivrais il/elle/on suivrait nous suivrions vous suivriez ils/elles suivraient
je suivis tu suivis il/elle/on suivit nous suivîmes vous suivîtes ils/elles suivirent
je suive tu suives il/elle/on suive nous suivions vous suiviez ils/elles suivent
(tu) suis! (nous) suivons! (vous) suivez!
103
Similar Conjugations
se souvenir* to remember prévenir to warn
soutenir to support appartenir to belong
tenir to hold contenir to contain
devenir* to become entretenir to maintain
revenir* to come back
* the auxiliary verb is être for these verbs
venir - to come
Present Imperfect Future
je viens tu viens il/elle/on vient nous venons vous venez ils/elles viennent
je venais tu venais il/elle/on venait nous venions vous veniez ils/elles venaient
je viendrai tu viendras il/elle/on viendra nous viendrons vous viendrez ils/elles viendront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je viendrais tu viendrais il/elle/on viendrait nous viendrions vous viendriez ils/elles viendraient
je vins tu vins il/elle/on vint nous vînmes vous vîntes ils/elles vinrent
je vienne tu viennes il/elle/on vienne nous venions vous veniez ils/elles viennent
Imperative
(tu) viens! (nous) venons! (vous) venez!
Present Participle: venant
Auxiliary verb: être
Past Participle: venu
104
Present Participle: vivant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: vécu
vivre - to live
Present Imperfect Future
je vis tu vis il/elle/on vit nous vivons vous vivez ils/elles vivent
je vivais tu vivais il/elle/on vivait nous vivions vous viviez ils/elles vivaient
je vivrai tu vivras il/elle/on vivra nous vivrons vous vivrez ils/elles vivront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je vivrais tu vivrais il/elle/on vivrait nous vivrions vous vivriez ils/elles vivraient
je vécus tu vécus il/elle/on vécut nous vécûmes vous vécûtes ils/elles vécurent
je vive tu vives il/elle/on vive nous vivions vous viviez ils/elles vivent
(tu) vis! (nous) vivons! (vous) vivez!
105
Present Participle: voyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: vu
voir - to see
Present Imperfect Future
je vois tu vois il/elle/on voit nous voyons vous voyez ils/elles voient
je voyais tu voyais il/elle/on voyait nous voyions vous voyiez ils/elles voyaient
je verrai tu verras il/elle/on verra nous verrons vous verrez ils/elles verront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je verrais tu verrais il/elle/on verrait nous verrions vous verriez ils/elles verraient
je vis tu vis il/elle/on vit nous vîmes vous vîtes ils/elles virent
je voie tu voies il/elle/on voie nous voyions vous voyiez ils/elles voient
(tu) vois! (nous) voyons! (vous) voyez!
106
Present Participle: voulant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: voulu
vouloir - to want
Present Imperfect Future
je veux tu veux il/elle/on veut nous voulons vous voulez ils/elles veulent
je voulais tu voulais il/elle/on voulait nous voulions vous vouliez ils/elles voulaient
je voudrai tu voudras il/elle/on voudra nous voudrons vous voudrez ils/elles voudront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je voudrais tu voudrais il/elle/on voudrait nous voudrions vous voudriez ils/elles voudraient
je voulus tu voulus il/elle/on voulut nous voulûmes vous voulûtes ils/elles voulurent
je veuille tu veuilles il/elle/on veuille nous voulions vous vouliez ils/elles veuillent
(tu) veuille! (nous) veuillons! (vous) veuillez!