Verbs Conjugations

ER Verbs

When writing a sentence, the verb must be conjugated according to the subject.  Below is an example of how to conjugate regular verbs ending with "er".

parler  'to speak'

je parlenous parlons
tu parlesvous parlez
il/elle/on parleils/elles parlent

Note:Je changes to j' before a verb starting with a vowel or a silent h (ex.j'adore, j'habite).  

Steps to conjugation:

1.   Drop the "er" from the infinitive to form the stem. (Ex. Parler = infinitive; parl = stem)

2. Identify the subject of the sentence. (Ex. Je parl__. Mes parents parl__.)

3. Write the appropriate endings. (Ex. Je parle. Mes parents parlent.)

ER Ending Verbs

 marcher
je
marche
tu
marches
il/elle
marche
nous
marchons
vous
marchez
ils/elles
marchent
 écouter
j'
écoute
tu
écoutes
il/elle
écoute
nous
écoutons
vous
écoutez
ils/elles
écoutent


For the verbs below, the e remains in the nous form .

 
changer
** to change
manger
** to eat
nager
** to swim
partager
** to share

Nous partageons et nous mangeons!
We share and we eat.

Verbs of this type
 
aimer
** to like
 to love
commencer
** to begin 
donner
** to give
écouter
** to listen to
emprunter
** to borrow
étudier
** to study
fermer
** to close
goûter
** to taste
laver
** to wash
marcher
** to walk
rester
** to stay
sauter
** to jump
prêter
** to lend
parler
** to talk
travailler
** to work

ER Verbs Videos:

ER verb song: Britney Spears learns ER verbs 

ER verb in France: Watch a video to learn ER verbs in a subway in Paris

ER Verbs Practice:

ER verbs pronunciation : Click on this link to listen to common ER verbs, tips on conjugations, and quizes for more practice

ER verbs powerpoint: View a powerpoint presentation on conjugating ER verbs for more practice

ER Verbs Games:

·    Millionaire : See if you can be a millionaire by answering questions related to ER verbs

·    Matching : Match verbs with English translations

·    Jumbled Words : See how many verbs you can unscramble

·    Hangman 

  • Battleship : Answer questions to sink the enemy's ship

Ir Ending Verbs

 accomplir
j'
accomplis 
tu 
accomplis
il/ elle 
accomplit
nous 
accomplissons
vous 
accomplissez
ils/elles 
accomplissent
 bâtir
je 
bâtis
tu 
bâtis
il/ elle 
bâtit
nous 
bâtissons
vous 
bâtissez
ils/elles 
bâtissent

 Practice conjugating -ir regular verbs!
Verbs of this type
accomplir
** to accomplish
bâtir
** to build
choisir
** to choose
embellir
** to make beautiful
envahir
** to invade
finir
** to finish
grandir
** to grow up
obéir
** to obey
punir
** to punish
remplir
** to fill
réunir
** to reunite
réussir
** to succeed
saisir
** to seize

 

 

Re Ending Verbs

RE verbs are verbs that end with an "re".  Conjugating regular RE verbs are very similar to conjugating ER verbs.  The only difference are the endings to the singular pronouns/ subjects.  Below is an example:

prendre - "to take" 

je prendsnous prendons
tu prendsvous prendez
il/elle/on prend  (NO endings)ils/elles prendent
 

  Note: The "s" and the "ent" at the end of the verb are silent. Do not pronounce them.

 
entendre
j' 
entends
tu 
entends
il/ elle 
entend
nous 
entendons
vous 
entendez
ils/elles 
entendent
 
vendre
je 
vends 
tu 
vends
il/ elle 
vend
nous 
vendons
vous 
vendez
ils/elles 
vendent

Practice conjugating -re type verbs!
Verbs of this type
attendre
** to wait
défendre
** to defend
descendre
** to descend
entendre
** to hear
étendre
**to stretch;
to spread out
fendre
** to split
fondre
** to melt
pendre
** to hang
pondre
** to lay an egg
perdre
** to lose
rendre
** to render
répandre
** to spread
répondre
** to answer
tendre
** to tighten
vendre
** to sell

 

Almost Regular

These verbs are essentially regular with slight changes.

In the following verbs, the second to the last vowel becomes è for all conjugations except the nous and vous forms.

 espérer
j'
espère
tu 
espère
il/ elle 
espère
nous 
espérons
vous 
espérez
ils/elles 
espèrent
Verbs of this type
céder
 to yield,
to cede
célébrer
 to celebrate
compléter
 to complete
considérer
 to consider
espérer
 to hope
posséder
 to possess
préférer
 to prefer
protéger
 to protect
répéter
 to repeat
  
 acheter
j' 
achète
tu 
achètes
il/ elle 
achète
nous 
achetons
vous 
achetez
ils/elles 
achètent
Verbs of this type
acheter
 to buy
amener
 to bring,
to lead toward
élever
 to raise
emmener
 to take,
to lead away
enlever
 to lift
geler
 to freeze
lever
 to raise
mener
 to lead
peser
 to weigh
promener
 to take a walk

Practice conjugating the above verbs

More  Verbs Games:

  • Millionaire : See if you can be a millionaire by answering questions related to RE/IR verbs
  • Jeapardy:  Challenge yourself with conjugations of tricky ER and RE verbs
  • Jeapardy:  Challenge yourself with conjugations of tricky IR and RE verbs
  • Jeapardy:  Challenge yourself with conjugations of ER verbs with accents
  • Concentration:  Match the definitions of common verbs

LANGUAGE GUIDE - Listen and practice more verbs conjugations

Verbs Help:

Junior Verb List - A list of 100 most common verbs listed in alphabetical order from English to French

Intermediate Verb List - Download a list of over 600 verbs listed in alphabetical order in both English and French; Common verbs are highlighted

Conjugator: Help with conjugations? Type in any verb and see a list of conjugations in different tenses.  Make sure you choose the CORRECT tense for your writing!