French Verbs
- Home
- Learn French
- Verbs
In English, verbs don’t change that much when they’re conjugated. For example, they usually add an “s” in the third person singular, the rest stays the same, I speak, you speak, he speaks, we speak, they speak, so as you have noticed the verb “to speak” stays almost unchanged, in French the verb can have up to 6 conjugations, each pronoun may use a unique form. But it’s not that complicated as it may seem, because most French verbs follow a pattern, once you’re familiar with that pattern you will be able to conjugate a big number of verbs the same way.
Just like in English a verb in French takes different forms in different tenses (present, future), voices, and moods.
Before talking about the conjugation categories, consider that a verb is divided into two parts, the first part is the stem or root and the second part is the ending which usually changes from one tense to another and from one person to another.
French verbs are categorized into 5 categories or groups, the first three categories are verbs ending in (-er), (-ir), and (-re), which are considered regular verbs, meaning that verbs having these endings in their infinitive are usually conjugated the same way depending on the tense. The good news is that this kind of verbs makes 90 % of all verbs.
The 4th group (ends in -er) and takes the same endings as regular verbs, but takes different stem when conjugated. Finally there is a 5th category which is unpredictable concerning its root (stem) as well as its endings. Both categories need to be memorized by heart, especially the fifth category which is hard to predict since it doesn’t follow any pattern but easy to memorize.
Past Tense (Passé Composé)
It’s the tense most used in conversational French referring to past actions, the equivalent to the simple past tense or perfect tense in English. I used the term past tense even though it’s called the passé composé or compound past because a new learner may not know that it’s called so, but the main point is that it’s used the same way we use the simple past tense, so the passé composé describes an action completed in the past and for actions repeated a number of times in the past. The passé composé is a compound tense and is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle of the main verb: J’ai vu ce film (I have seen that movie/ I saw that movie). Je suis allé à Paris (I have been to Paris/ I went to Paris). The passé composé is relatively easy to form, the only trick is to know the past participle of the verb, just like English (to see = voire) becomes (seen = vu) and the other thing is you should know if a certain verb is conjugated with “être” or “avoir”, usually motion verbs like “to go/ aller” “to come/ venir” are associated with “être”, the rest is associated with “avoir”.
In short, the passé composé is formed by conjugating (avoir or être) + the past participle of the verb. Remember that (avoir or être) should be conjugated to the right person before adding the past participle to it, another thing you should know about is that the past participle of verbs associated with “être” should agree in gender and number just like adjectives, examples: Je suis allé à Paris (I went to Paris) “a male talking here” . je suis allée à Paris (I went to Paris) “a female talking”, Nous sommes allés à Paris (we went to Paris) “males talking”, Nous sommes allées à Paris (we went to Paris) “females talking. Note that we added and “e” to the feminine, an “s” to the plural masculine, and an “es” to the plural feminine.
|
French Past Tense (Passé Composé) |
||
|
the pronouns and “avoir” |
+ The past participle of “to see/ voir” |
= …have see/ … saw |
|
j'ai tu as |
vu (seen) |
j'ai vu (I have seen/ I saw) |
|
the pronouns and “être” |
+ The past participle of “to go/ partir” |
= …have gone/ … went |
|
je suis tu es il/ elle est nous sommes vous êtes ils/ elles sont |
parti(e) parti(e) parti(e) parti(e)s parti(e)s parti(e)s |
je suis parti(e) (I have gone/ I went) tu es parti(e) (you have gone/ you went) il/ elle est parti(e) (he/ she has gone/ he went) nous sommes parti(e) (we have gone/ we went) vous êtes parti(e) (you guys have gone/ you went) ils/ elles sont parti(e) (they have gone/ they went) |
Present Tense
The present tense is used to just like English to express what happens in the present time. The present tense is regularly formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive and adding a personal ending to the stem: the stem of the verb (to speak/ parler) is (parl) now that we have the stem/ root of the verb, we will add the endings to it, since to speak/ parler belongs to the (-er) verbs we need to add the endings accordingly. The appropriate endings would be : je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent :
|
French Present Tense |
|
|
Example of (-er) verbs endings |
|
|
singular |
plural |
|
je parle (I
speak) |
nous parlons (we
speak) |
The appropriate endings for the second category (-ir)
are: je -is, tu -is,
il -it, nous -issons,
vous -issez, ils -issent.
Let’s take (to finish/ finir) the stem is fin:
|
Example of (-ir) verbs endings |
|
|
singular |
plural |
|
je finis (I finish) |
nous finissons (we finish) |
The appropriate endings for the 3rd category (-re
ending) are: je -s, tu -s, il -, nous -ons,
vous -ez, ils -ent.
For example the stem for (to lose/ perdre)
is perd:
|
French Present Tense |
|
|
Example of (-re) verbs endings |
|
|
singular |
plural |
|
je perds (I lose) |
nous perdons (we
lose) |
The forth categories is about verbs changing their stem
while keeping the same regular endings that the first category (-er) has, for
example the stem of the verb (to know/savoir) will be (sai) in the singular and
(sav) in the plural, plus the regular endings: je -s,
tu -s, il -t,
nous -ons, vous -ez,
ils -ent.
|
Example of (-er) verbs with irregular stem |
|
|
singular |
plural |
|
je sais (I know) |
nous savons (we know) |
These kind of verbs need to be memorized; or at least memorize their stem.
The 5th group contains the kind of verbs that
have irregular stems and irregular endings, for example the verb (to come/
venir) ends in (-ir) but doesn’t take the endings of the (-ir) categories,
venir takes the following endings instead: je -s,
tu -s, il -t,
nous -ons, vous -ez,
ils -ent. Also its stem is not simply (ven)
but (vien) in the singular, (ven) in the plural, and add an extra (n) in the
third person plural.
|
French Present Tense |
|
|
Example of (-er) verbs with irregular stem |
|
|
singular |
plural |
|
je viens (I come) |
nous venons (we
come) |
The last category contains the toughest verbs and should be memorized by heart; it appears that they’re used a lot, so it may come handy if you memorize them.
Present Subjunctive
To start learning the subjunctive means that you’re making big progress in learning French. The subjunctive is used when doubt, wishing or strong emotion are expressed. The subjunctive most of the time occurs in subordinate clauses introduced by "que" (that): il faut que je m'en aille (I have to go, I have to get going).
The present subjunctive is usually formed by adding je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils –ent to the stem of the first person plural (we/ nous) verb form, for example the verb “to choose/ choisir” it’s easy to conjugate it into the present subjunctive, to do that first let’s take the stem of its first person plural in the present tense (indicative), we choose = nous choisissons, we’re only interested in its stem (choisiss) because we will apply it to all other persons by adding the following endings to it to conjugate it into the present subjunctive: je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils –ent, we will end up having:
|
French Present Subjunctive |
|
je choisisse (I choose) tu choisisses (you choose) il choisisse (he chooses) nous choisissions (we choose) vous choisissiez (you guys choose) ils choisissent (they choose) |
Note that a “que” should be placed before the subject pronoun, il faut que je choisisse (I have to choose)
Well, life would be boring if there were no exceptions, that’s why French people insist on having some exceptions to the rule:
There are two different kinds of exceptions, the first one takes the same endings as the regular verbs, but the stem changes slightly, like: aller (to go), faire (to do), pouvoir (to be able to) and savoir (to know). They take an irregular stem, while keeping the same regular endings. For example faire (to do) would be conjugated as:
|
Verb “faire” in the subjunctive. |
Stem is “fass” |
The endings that were added to the stem. |
|
je fasse tu fasses il fasse nous fassions vous fassiez ils fassent |
The stem of the verb “faire/ to do” is “fass” and we added the following endings to it: |
je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils –ent |
The second kind of exceptions which follow the same pattern as regular verbs for the singular conjugations (je, tu, il, elle) as and the third person plural (ils/elles), but, they use the first person plural (nous) as the stem for their nous and vous forms of the subjunctive. For example the verb “venir/ to come” would be conjugated as follows:
|
French Subjunctive |
||
|
Verb “faire” in the subjunctive. |
Stem is “fass” |
The endings that were added to the stem. |
|
je vienne tu viennes il vienne nous venions vous veniez ils viennent |
The stem of the verb “venir/ to come” is “vienn” in most pronouns except the first and second pronoun plural, where it is “ven” |
je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils –ent |
Present Conditional Tense
One of the easiest tense in French is what we will learn now. The present conditional tense describes an action which is possible but not a fact: j’apprendrais l’anglais si j’avais du temps (I would learn English if I had time). The present conditional is considered the easiest tense to form, because it uses the same conjugation for all groups with only few special cases. To form the conditional for groups of verbs ending in (-er) and (-ir) add the appropriate ending which are: je -ais, tu -ais, il -ait, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -aient to the infinitive. And for verbs ending in (-re) just drop the final “e” of the infinitive and add the same ending you added before, which are again: je -ais, tu -ais, il -ait, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -aient.
|
French Conditional |
|
|
Present Conditional “Parler” (to speak) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je parlerais (I would
speak) |
nous parlerions (we would
speak) |
|
French Conditional |
|
|
Present Conditional “Partir” (to leave, or to go) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je partirais (I would
go) |
nous partirions (we
would go) |
|
French Conditional |
|
|
Present Conditional “Prendre” (to take) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je prendrais (I would take) tu prendrais (I would take) il, elle prendrait (I would take) |
nous prendrions (I would take) vous prendriez (I would take) ils, elles prendraient (I would take) |
Note that the last “e” of prendre is dropped, that happens only with verbs ending in “re” in their infinitive.
These are the exceptional cases that you need to have a look at, they’re not really special cases but you need to make a slight modification to the stem and not to the ending, just like you do to the future tense. The table below shows some verbs that have their stem changed in the present conditional:
|
Verb (stem-) english |
Verb (stem-) english |
Verb (stem-) english |
|
aller (ir-) to go avoir (aur-) to have devoir (devr-) have to être (ser-) to be |
faire (fer-) to do pouvoir (pourr-) be able to savoir (saur-) to know venir (viendr-) to come |
voir (verr-) to see vouloir (voudr-) to want |
For example the verb to go “aller” has a changed stem which is: (ir-) so, if we conjugate it into the present conditional we would have:
|
Present Conditional “Aller” (to go) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
J’ irais (I would go) |
nous irions (we would
go) |
I think this lesson of the French conditional is pretty easy and can be mastered in no time.
Future Tense
The future tense simply describes actions in the future, in
French it’s the easiest tense to make, just use the whole infinitive verb plus
these following ending for (-er) and (-ir) verbs: je -ai, tu -as, il -a, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ont,
which means that you don’t have to worry about the stem of a verb, just take it
as is (infinitive) and add the future endings to it.
|
French Future Tense |
|
|
Example of verbs ending in (-er) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je mangerai (I will eat) |
nous mangerons (we will eat) |
|
French Future Tense |
|
|
Example of verbs ending in (-ir) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je finirai (I will
finish) |
nous finirons (we will finish) |
For verbs ending in (-re) you can still use the infinitive form but you have to
omit the last “e”, for example the verb “to take/ prendre” becomes “prendr” before adding the same endings of the future
tense we used for the (-er) and (-ir): je -ai,
tu -as, il -a,
nous -ons, vous -ez,
ils -ont
|
French Future |
|
|
Example of verbs ending in (-re) |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je prendrai (I will take) tu prendras (you will take) il/ elle prendra (he/ she will take) |
nous prendrons (we will take) vous prendrez (you guys will take) ils/ elles prendront (they will take) |
Some verbs take a completely irregular form in the French future tense, like the verb (to go/ aller), the stem would be “ir” + the usual ending, je -ai, tu -as, il -a, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ont, these kind of verbs should be memorized by heart.
|
French Future |
|
|
Example of irregular verbs |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je irai (I will go) tu iras (you will go) il/ elle ira (he/ she will go) |
nous irons (we will go) vous irez (you guys will go) ils/ elles iront (they will go) |
Imperfect
The imperfect tense is used in actions that were ongoing in the past at the same time as other actions went on or occurred, the imperfect/ imparfait is the equivalent of the past progressive "was" or "was …-ing” in English, and is usually used for habitual actions in the past, actions of an unspecified duration, in conjunction with the passé composé , wishes or suggestions …the good news is that there is only one ending for all kind of verbs: je -ais, tu -ais, il -ait, nous -ions, vous -iez, ils -aient.
|
French Imperfect |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je finissais (I was finishing) |
nous finissions (we were
finishing) ils, elles finissaient (they were finishing) |
|
French Imperfect |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
je mangeais (I was eating)* |
nous mangions (we were eating) vous mangiez (you guys were eating) ils, elles mangeaient (they were eating)* |
* Usually we don’t add an “e” to the stem in the imperfect, but since the letter “g” was the last letter in the stem we had to add an “e”, otherwise the sound will change.
Some more verbs in the imperfect tense:
|
French Imperfect |
|||
|
|
Parler (to speak) |
Aller (to go) |
Être (to be) |
|
je |
parlais |
allais |
étais |
|
tu |
parlais |
allais |
étais |
|
il |
parlait |
allait |
était |
|
nous |
parlions |
allions |
étions |
|
vous |
parliez |
alliez |
étiez |
|
ils |
parlaient |
allaient |
étaient |
Imperative
The imperative is used in French the same way it is used in English, to give an order, offer an advice, request something ... Note that the imperative in French doesn’t use subject pronouns (je, tu, il ….) and if it’s necessary to use them they would be used after the verb and not after, also note that there are only three forms in the imperative (tu/ you, nous/ we, and vous/ you guys or you polite), which makes it easy for you to master.
Ouvre la fenêtre: Open the window! (familiar)
Ouvrons la fenêtre: let’s open the window
Ouvrez la fenêtre! Open the window! (polite)
Allons y! Let’s go!
The good news is that to conjugate the imperative of verbs ending in (-ir) and (-er) you simply need to use the indicative present conjugation.
While the imperative of (-er) verbs are conjugated the same as the indicative present, but the final s of the tu form should be omitted.
Tu regardes/ you look. becomes : Regarde! Look!
The only irregular forms in the imperative are the verbs (avoir/to have, être/ to be, savoir/ to know, vouloir/ to want to)
|
French Imperative |
||||
|
Second person singular |
aie |
sois |
sache |
veuille |
|
First person plural |
ayons |
soyons |
sachons |
veuillons |
|
Second person plural/ or polite form |
ayez |
soyez |
sachez |
veuillez |
And finally to make a negative command, simply place (ne) or (n’ before a vowel) in front of the verb and the appropriate negative adverb (pas, plus… after the verb:
N’ouvre pas la fenêtre: don’t open the window! (familiar)
N’ouvrons pas la fenêtre: let’s not open the window
N’ouvrez pas la fenêtre! don’t Open the window! (polite)
More on French Verbs
This section contains: Conjugation of French Verbs of the First group. Try to memorize the way they're used because they're very important in communication, and might be very helpful to convey your most important expressions. Make sure to check our Learn French page, which contains several lessons that might help you in your learning process.
Verb of the First groupThe verb ending by –ER at the infinitive form are from this group.
Here an exemple with the verb Chanter (to sing)
Indicative
Present
je chante
tu chantes
il chante
nous chantons
vous chantez
ils chantent
Present perfect
j'ai chanté
tu as chanté
il a chanté
nous avons chanté
vous avez chanté
ils ont chanté
Imperfect
je chantais
tu chantais
il chantait
nous chantions
vous chantiez
ils chantaient
Past perfect
j'avais chanté
tu avais chanté
il avait chanté
nous avions chanté
vous aviez chanté
ils avaient chanté
Past
je chantai
tu chantas
il chanta
nous chantâmes
vous chantâtes
ils chantèrent
Passé antérieur (Past anterior)
j'eus chanté
tu eus chanté
il eut chanté
nous eûmes chanté
vous eûtes chanté
ils eurent chanté
Future
je chanterai
tu chanteras
il chantera
nous chanterons
vous chanterez
ils chanteront
Future perfect
j'aurai chanté
tu auras chanté
il aura chanté
nous aurons chanté
vous aurez chanté
ils auront chanté
Conditional
Present
je chanterais
tu chanterais
il chanterait
nous chanterions
vous chanteriez
ils chanteraient
Past
j'aurais chanté
tu aurais chanté
il aurait chanté
nous aurions chanté
vous auriez chanté
ils auraient chanté
Subjonctive
Present
que je chante
que tu chantes
qu'il chante
que nous chantions
que vous chantiez
qu'ils chantent
Past
que j'aie chanté
que tu aies chanté
qu'il ait chanté
que nous ayons chanté
que vous ayez chanté
qu'ils aient chanté
Imperfect
que je chantasse
que tu chantasses
qu'il chantât
que nous chantassions
que vous chantassiez
qu'ils chantassent
Past perfect
que j'eusse chanté
que tu eusses chanté
qu'il eût chanté
que nous eussions chanté
que vous eussiez chanté
qu'ils eussent chanté
Imperative
Present
chante
chantons
chantez
Past
aie chanté
ayons chanté
ayez chanté
Infinitive
Present
chanter
Past
avoir chanté
Participle
Present
chantant
Past
chanté
ayant chanté
Gérund
Present
en chantant
Past
en ayant chanté
Change in the radical
1. Verbs ending by -cer
For example, the verb « Dancer » (to dance) is changed as followed :
Present, 1st person plurial : Nous dançons (we dance). The « c » becomes « ç » in front of « a » and « o » The purpose is to keep the pronunciation "s" for the "c".
2. Verbs ending by -ger
For the same reason of preserving the same pronunciation, we put an « e » before any « a » or « o ». For example : the verb « Manger » (to eat)
Present, 1st person plurial : Nous mangeons (we eat).
3. Verbs ending by -e-<consonant>-er
For example, the verb « semer » (to sow). Present, first personn singular: "je sème" (I sow). Nous semons (we sow), ils sèment (they sow). All the verbs ending by -ecer or -emer, -ener and –ever, work the same.
For the verbs ending by -eler and –eter follow two patterns.
Examples : 1st pattern : "peler" (to peel) -> "je pèle" and "acheter" (to buy)-> "j’achète".
2nd pattern : "appeler" (to call) -> "j’appelle" ; "jeter" (to throw) -> "je jette".
4. Verbs ending by -é-<consonant(s)>-er
The « é » becomes « è » when the last letter is mute.
Example : « sécher » (to dry) : « il sèche » (it dries), « nous séchons » (we dry). But the verbs ending by -éer are different. For example: « il crée » (he creates)
5. Verbs ending by -yer
The « y » becomes « i », at least in the books. Let's see what usually happens:
Verbs endeing by -ayer
The choice is: keep the « y » or we substitute it by a « i ». For example, payer (to pay) can either be : "je paie", "tu paies", "il paie" or "je paye", "tu payes", "il paye"…as you like. In fact, you will know with experience which one to use. For « payer » the pattern with the « i » is alot more common. For others verbs like « rayer » (to scratch), the pattern with the « i » is never used.
Verbs ending by -oyer and -uyer
For theses verbs, you have to change the « y » by « i ». Example "appuyer" (to press) or "aboyer" (to bark), the only pattern is : "j’appuie" and "j’aboie".
Verbs ending by -eyer
Those verbs are few and you won’t see them often. But if you happen to, the only pattern is the one with the « y ».
6. The verb « Envoyer » (to send)
This verb, and all the verbs branched off ( renvoyer, réenvoyer, rerenvoyer, autoenvoyer/auto-envoyer, etc.) are only affected for the tenses : Future and Conditional. For example :
- Present : j’envoie, tu envoies, il envoie, nous envoyons, vous envoyez, ils envoient.
- Future : j’enverrai, tu enverras, il enverra, nous enverrons, vous enverrez, ils enverront.
The other verbs endind by –voyer are not subject to any of these changes: convoyer (il convoiera), dévoyer (il dévoiera), fourvoyer (il fourvoiera), louvoyer (il louvoiera), vouvoyer (il vouvoiera)...
Verb of the second group
The verb ending by –IR at the infinitive form are from this group. But not all. Some are part of the Third group. So refer to the list below to see which verbs are from the Second group.
Here an exemple with the verb Investir (to invest)
Indicative
Present
j'investis
tu investis
il investit
nous investissons
vous investissez
ils investissent
Present perfect
j'ai investi
tu as investi
il a investi
nous avons investi
vous avez investi
ils ont investi
Imperfect
j'investissais
tu investissais
il investissait
nous investissions
vous investissiez
ils investissaient
Past perfect
j'avais investi
tu avais investi
il avait investi
nous avions investi
vous aviez investi
ils avaient investi
Past
j'investis
tu investis
il investit
nous investîmes
vous investîtes
ils investirent
Passé antérieur (past anterior)
j'eus investi
tu eus investi
il eut investi
nous eûmes investi
vous eûtes investi
ils eurent investi
Future
j'investirai
tu investiras
il investira
nous investirons
vous investirez
ils investiront
Future perfect
j'aurai investi
tu auras investi
il aura investi
nous aurons investi
vous aurez investi
ils auront investi
Conditional
Present
j'investirais
tu investirais
il investirait
nous investirions
vous investiriez
ils investiraient
Past
j'aurais investi
tu aurais investi
il aurait investi
nous aurions investi
vous auriez investi
ils auraient investi
Subjonctive
Present
que j'investisse
que tu investisses
qu'il investisse
que nous investissions
que vous investissiez
qu'ils investissent
Past
que j'aie investi
que tu aies investi
qu'il ait investi
que nous ayons investi
que vous ayez investi
qu'ils aient investi
Imperfect
que j'investisse
que tu investisses
qu'il investît
que nous investissions
que vous investissiez
qu'ils investissent
Past perfect
que j'eusse investi
que tu eusses investi
qu'il eût investi
que nous eussions investi
que vous eussiez investi
qu'ils eussent investi
Impérative
Present
investis
investissons
investissez
Past
aie investi
ayons investi
ayez investi
Infinitive
Present
investir
Past
avoir investi
Participle
Present
investissant
Past
investi
ayant investi
Gérund
Present
en investissant
Past
en ayant investi
Special Case : « haïr » (to hate)
The « ï » is preserved except for the singular form of the present tense : Je hais, tu hais, il hait.
List of the verbs of the second group
Here is a list of all the verbs of the second group. Refer to it if you find a verb ending by -ir and you are unsure of the way to conjugate it. This list is not exhaustive, but contain all the more comon verbs and more.
A -abasourdir, abâtardir, abêtir, abolir, s'abolir, abonnir, aboutir, abrutir, s'abrutit, accomplir, s'accomplir, accourcir, accroupir, s'accroupir, adoucir, s'adoucir, affadir, affaiblir, s'affaiblir, affermir, affranchir, agir, agonir, agrandir, s'agrandir, aguerrir, ahurir, aigrir, alanguir, alentir, allégir, alourdir, alunir, amaigrir, amatir, amerrir, ameublir, amincir, amoindrir, amollir, amortir, amuïr, anéantir, anoblir, anordir, aplanir, aplatir, appauvrir, appesantir, applaudir, appointir, approfondir, arrondir, assagir, assainir, asservir, assombrir, assortir, assoupir, assouplir, assourdir, assouvir, attendrir, s'attendrir, atterrir, attiédir, avachir, avertir, aveulir, avilir.
B -bannir, barrir, bâtir, se bâtir, bénir, blanchir, blêmir, blettir, bleuir, blondir, blottir, bondir, bouffir, brandir, bruir, brunir.
C -calmir, candir, chancir, chauvir, chérir, choisir, se choisir, clapir, compatir, cônir, convertir, se convertir, cotir, crépir, croupir.
D -débâtir, débleuir, décatir, décrépir, définir, se définir, défleurir, défraîchir, dégarnir, dégauchir, déglutir, dégourdir, dégrossir, déguerpir, déjaunir, démolir, démunir, dépérir, dépolir, déraidir, désassortir, désemplir, se désemplir, désenlaidir, désépaissir, désétablir, désinvestir, désobéir, dessaisir, se dessaisir, dessertir, désunir, se désunir, déverdir, dévernir, divertir, doucir, durcir.
E -ébahir, ébaubir, ébaudir, éblouir, écatir, échampir, éclaircir, écrouir, effleurir, élargir, embellir, emboutir, embrunir, emplir, s'emplir, empuantir, enchérir, endolorir, endurcir, enforcir, enfouir, engloutir, engourdir, enhardir, enlaidir, ennoblir, enorgueillir, enrichir, ensevelir, envahir, envieillir, épaissir, épanouir, époutir, équarrir, esbaudir, estourbir, établir, s'établir, étourdir, étrécir, évanouir.
F -faiblir, farcir, finir, fléchir, se fléchir, fleurir, forcir, fouir, fourbir, fournir, se fournir, fraîchir, franchir, frémir, froidir.
G -garantir, garnir, gauchir, gémir, glapir, glatir, grandir, se grandir, gravir, grossir, guérir, se guérir.
H -(haïr : voir haut de cette page), havir, hennir, honnir, hourdir.
I -impartir, infléchir, intervenir, invertir, investir, s'investir.
J - jaillir, jaunir, jouir.
L -languir, lotir, louchir.
M -maigrir, matir, mégir, meurtrir, mincir, moisir, moitir, mollir, mugir, munir, se munir, mûrir.
N -nantir, noircir, nordir, nourrir, se nourrir.
O -obéir, obscurcir, ourdir.
P -pâlir, pâtir, pervertir, pétrir, polir, pourrir, se pourrir, préétablir, prémunir, se prémunir, punir.
R -rabonnir, rabougrir, raccourcir, racornir, radoucir, raffermir, rafraîchir, ragaillardir, raidir, rajeunir, ralentir, se ralentir, ramollir, rancir, raplatir, rapointir, ravilir, ravir, réagir, réassortir, rebâtir, reblanchir, rebondir, rechampir, réchampir, reconvertir, redémolir, réfléchir, se refléchir, refleurir, refroidir, se refroidir, regarnir, régir, regrossir, réinvestir, rejaillir, réjouir, se réjouir, rélargir, rembrunir, remplir, se remplir, renchérir, répartir, repolir, resalir, resplendir, ressaisir, ressortir (à), resurgir, ressurgir, rétablir, retentir, rétrécir, rétroagir, réunir, se réunir, réussir, reverdir, roidir, rondir, rosir, rôtir, se rôtir, rougir, rouir, roussir, roustir, rugir.
S - saisir, se saisir, salir, se salir, saurir, serfouir, sertir, sévir, sortir, subir, subvertir, superfinir, surenchérir, surgir, surir.
T- tapir, tarir, tartir, ternir, se ternir, terrir, tiédir, trahir, se trahir, transir, travestir.
U -unir.
V -vagir, verdir, vernir, vieillir, vioquir, vomir, vrombrir.
Conjugation of French Verbs of the third group
The two most used verbs : « Être » (to be) and « Avoir » (to have)
These verbs are used to form some other tenses (present perfect, future perfect, conditional past, etc…).
The rule is that with the verb "être" (to be) there is an agreement between the participle and the subject. With the verb "avoir" (to have), there is no agreement, except in a particular case.
For example : Woman speaking : Je suis fatiguée. (I’m tired).J’ai mangé. (I’ve eaten). Ils sont partis. (They are gone). Ils ont regardé un film. (They have watched a movie).
The particular case is as follow. When the object complement is placed before the verbs, there is an agreement between the participle and the object complement.
For example : Je les ai mangés. (I’ve eat them). Ils l’ont vue (they have seen her).
Verb of the third group
All the verb not included in the first or second group. These are special and the rules vary. There are more than 50 differents patterns for conjugation. So refer to the list below to see which verbs follow which pattern.
abattre >>> same pattern as battre
absoudre>>> absoudre
abstenir (s') >>> same pattern astenirabstraire >>> same pattern as traire
accourir >>> same pattern as courir
accroître >>> same pattern as croître
accueillir >>> same pattern as cueillir
acquérir >>> acquérir
adjoindre >>> same pattern as joindre
admettre >>> same pattern as mettre
advenir >>> same pattern as venir
aller >>> aller
apercevoir >>> same pattern as recevoir
apparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
appartenir >>> same pattern as tenir
appendre >>> same pattern as rendre
apprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
assaillir >>> assaillir
asseoir >>> asseoir
astreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
atteindre >>> same pattern as peindre
attendre >>> same pattern as tendre
B -
battre >>> battre
boire >>> boire
bouillir >>> bouillir
braire >>> same pattern as traire
C -
ceindre >>> same pattern as peindre
choir >>> choir(verbe défectif)
circoncire >>> same pattern as confire
circonscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
circonvenir >>> same pattern as venir
clore >>> clore(verbe défectif)
combattre >>> same pattern as battre
commettre >>> same pattern as mettre
comparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
complaire >>> same pattern as plaire
comprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
compromettre >>> same pattern as mettre
concevoir >>> same pattern as recevoir
conclure >>> conclure
concourir >>> same pattern as courir
condescendre >>> same pattern as rendre
conduire >>> conduire
confire >>> confire
confondre >>> same pattern as rendre
conjoindre >>> same pattern as joindre
connaître >>> connaître
conquérir >>> same pattern as acquérir
consentir >>> same pattern as sentir
construire >>> construire
contenir >>> same pattern as tenir
contraindre >>> same pattern as craindre
contrebattre >>> same pattern as battre
contredire >>> same pattern as dire
contrefaire >>> same pattern as faire
contrevenir >>> same pattern as venir
convaincre >>> same pattern as vaincre
convenir >>> same pattern as venir
correspondre >>> same pattern as rendre
corrompre >>> same pattern as rendre
coudre >>> coudre
courir >>> courir
couvrir >>> couvrir
craindre >>> craindre
croire >>> croire
croître >>> croître
cueillir >>> cueillir
cuire >>> cuire
D -
débattre >>> same pattern as battre
débouillir >>> same pattern as bouillir
décevoir >>> same pattern as recevoir
déchoir >>> same pattern as choir
déclore >>> same pattern as clore
déconfire >>> same pattern as confire
découdre >>> same pattern as coudre
découvrir >>> same pattern as couvrir
décrire >>> same pattern as écrire
décroître same pattern as croître
dédire >>> same pattern as dire
déduire >>>same pattern as conduire
défaire >>> same pattern as faire
défaillir >>> same pattern as assaillir
défendre >>> >>> same pattern as rendre
démentir >>> same pattern as sentir
démettre >>> same pattern as mettre
démordre >>> same pattern as rendre
départir >>> same pattern as partir
dépeindre >>> same pattern as peindre
dépendre >>> same pattern as rendre
déplaire >>> same pattern as plaire
dépourvoir >>> same pattern as pourvoir
déprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
désapprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
descendre >>> same pattern as rendre
desservir >>> same pattern as servir
déteindre >>> same pattern as peindre
détendre >>> same pattern as tendre
détenir >>> same pattern as tenir
détordre >>> same pattern as rendre
détruire >>> same pattern as construire
devenir >>> same pattern as venir
dévêtir >>> same pattern as vêtir
devoir >>> devoir
dire >>> dire
disconvenir >>> same pattern as venir
discourir >>> same pattern as courir
disjoindre >>> same pattern as joindre
disparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
dissoudre >>> same pattern as absoudre
distendre >>> same pattern as tendre
distordre >>> same pattern as rendre
distraire >>> same pattern as traire
dormir >>> dormir
E -
ébattre (s') >>> same pattern as battre
échoir >>> same pattern as choir
éclore >>> same pattern as clore
éconduire >>> same pattern as conduire
écrire >>> écrire
élire >>> same pattern as lire
embattre >>> same pattern as battre
embattre >>> same pattern as battre
emboire >>> same pattern as boire
émettre >>> same pattern as mettre
émoudre >>> same pattern as moudre
émouvoir >>> same pattern as mouvoir
empreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
enceindre >>> same pattern as peindre
enclore >>> same pattern as clore
encourir >>> same pattern as courir
endormir >>> same pattern as dormir
enduire >>> same pattern as conduire
enfreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
enfuir (s') >>> same pattern as fuir
enjoindre >>> same pattern as joindre
enquérir (s') >>> same pattern as acquérir
ensuivre (s') >>> s'ensuivre
entendre >>> same pattern as tendre
entr'apercevoir >>> same pattern as recevoir
entrebattre (s') >>> same pattern as battre
entre-détruire (s') >>> same pattern as construire
entre-luire >>> same pattern as luire
entremettre (s') >>> same pattern as mettre
entre-nuire (s') >>> same pattern as nuire
entreprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
entretenir >>> same pattern as tenir
entrevoir >>> same pattern as voir
entrouvrir >>> same pattern as ouvrir
épandre >>> same pattern as rendre
éperdre (s') >>> same pattern as rendre
épreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
éprendre (s') >>> same pattern as prendre
équivaloir >>> same pattern as valoir
éteindre >>> same pattern as peindre
étendre >>> same pattern as tendre
étreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
exclure >>> same pattern as conclure
extraire >>> same pattern as traire
F -
faire >>> faire
faillir >>> faillir(verbe défectif)
falloir >>> falloir
feindre >>> same pattern as peindre
fendre >>> same pattern as rendre
fondre >>> same pattern as rendre
forclore >>> same pattern as clore
forfaire >>> same pattern as faire
foutre >>> same pattern as rendre
frire >>> frire
fuir >>> fuir
G -
geindre >>> same pattern as peindre
gésir >>> voir verbes défectifs
I -
inclure >>> same pattern as conclure
induire >>>same pattern as conduire
inscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
instruire >>> same pattern as construire
interdire >>> same pattern as dire
interrompre >>> same pattern as rendre
intervenir >>> same pattern as venir
introduire >>> same pattern as conduire
J -
joindre >>> joindre
L -
lire >>> lire
luire>>> luire
M -
maintenir >>> same pattern as tenir
malfaire >>> same pattern as faire
méconnaître >>> same pattern as connaître
médire >>> same pattern as dire
méfaire >>> same pattern as faire
mentir>>> same pattern as sentir
méprendre (se) >>> same pattern as prendre
messeoir >>> same pattern as seoir
mettre >>> mettre
mévendre >>> same pattern as rendre
mordre >>> same pattern as rendre
morfondre (se) >>> same pattern as rendre
moudre >>> moudre
mourir >>> mourir
mouvoir >>> mouvoir
N -
naître >>> naître
nuire >>> nuire
O -
obtenir >>> same pattern as venir
obvenir >>> same pattern as tenir
occlure >>> same pattern as conclure
offrir >>> same pattern as couvrir
oindre >>> same pattern as joindre
omettre >>> same pattern as mettre
ouïr >>> voir verbes défectifs
ouvrir>>> ouvrir
P -
paître >>> paître(verbe défectif)
paraître >>> paraître
parcourir >>> same pattern as courir
parfaire >>> same pattern as faire
parfondre >>> same pattern as rendre
partir >>> partir
parvenir >>> same pattern as venir
peindre >>> peindre
pendre >>> same pattern as rendre
percevoir >>> same pattern as recevoir
perdre >>> same pattern as rendre
permettre >>> same pattern as mettre
plaindre >>> same pattern as craindre
plaire >>> plaire
pleuvoir >>> pleuvoir
poindre >>> same pattern as joindre
pondre >>> same pattern as rendre
pourfendre >>> same pattern as rendre
poursuivre >>> same pattern as suivre
pourvoir >>> pourvoir
pouvoir >>> pouvoir
prédire >>> same pattern as dire
prendre >>> prendre
prescrire >>> same pattern as écrire
pressentir >>> same pattern as sentir
prétendre >>> same pattern as tendre
prévaloir >>> same pattern as valoir
prévenir >>> same pattern as venir
prévoir >>> same pattern as voir
produire >>> same pattern as conduire
promettre >>> same pattern as mettre
promouvoir >>> same pattern as mouvoir
proscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
provenir >>> same pattern as venir
R -
rabattre >>> same pattern as battre
rasseoir >>> same pattern as asseoir
réadmettre >>> same pattern as mettre
réapparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
réapprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
rebattre >>> same pattern as battre
recevoir >>> recevoir
reclure >>> same pattern as conclure
recomparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
reconduire >>> same pattern as conduire
reconnaître >>> same pattern as connaître
reconquérir >>> same pattern as acquérir
reconstruire >>> same pattern as construire
recoudre >>> same pattern as coudre
recourir >>> same pattern as courir
recouvrir >>> same pattern as couvrir
récrire >>> same pattern as écrire
recroître >>> same pattern as croître
recueillir >>> same pattern as cueillir
recuire >>> same pattern as cuire
redécouvrir >>> same pattern as couvrir
redéfaire >>> same pattern as faire
redescendre >>> same pattern as rendre
redevenir >>> same pattern as venir
redevoir >>> same pattern as devoir
redire >>> same pattern as dire
redormir >>> same pattern as dormir
réduire >>> same pattern as conduire
réécrire >>> same pattern as écrire
réélire >>> same pattern as lire
réentendre >>> same pattern as tendre
refaire >>> same pattern as faire
refendre >>> same pattern as rendre
refondre >>> same pattern as rendre
réinscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
réintroduire >>> same pattern as conduire
rejoindre >>> same pattern as joindre
relire >>> same pattern as lire
reluire >>> same pattern as luire
remettre >>> same pattern as mettre
remordre >>> same pattern as rendre
remoudre >>> same pattern as moudre
renaître >>> same pattern as naître
rendormir >>> same pattern as dormir
rendre >>> rendre
renduire >>> same pattern as conduire
rentrouvrir >>> same pattern as ouvrir
repaître >>> repaître
répandre >>> same pattern as rendre
reparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
repartir >>> same pattern as partir
repeindre >>> same pattern as peindre
rependre >>> same pattern as rendre
repentir (se) >>> same pattern as se repentir
reperdre >>> same pattern as rendre
repleuvoir >>> same pattern as pleuvoir
répondre >>> same pattern as rendre
reprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
reproduire >>> same pattern as conduire
requérir >>> same pattern as acquérir
résoudre >>> same pattern as absoudre
ressentir >>> same pattern as sentir
resservir >>> same pattern as servir
ressortir >>> same pattern as partir
ressouvenir (se) >>> same pattern as venir
restreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
reteindre >>> same pattern as peindre
retendre >>> same pattern as tendre
retenir >>> same pattern as tenir
retondre >>> same pattern as rendre
retordre >>> same pattern as rendre
retraduire >>> same pattern as conduire
retraire >>> same pattern as traire
retranscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
retransmettre >>> same pattern as mettre
rétreindre >>> same pattern as peindre
revaloir >>> same pattern as valoir
revendre >>> same pattern as rendre
revenir >>> same pattern as venir
revêtir >>> same pattern as vêtir
revêtir (se) >>> same pattern as se vêtir
revivre >>> same pattern as vivre
revoir >>> same pattern as voir
revouloir >>> same pattern as vouloir
rire >>> rire
rompre >>> same pattern as rendre
rouvrir >>> same pattern as ouvrir
S -
saillir >>> same pattern as assaillir
s'asseoir >>> s'asseoir
satisfaire >>> same pattern as faire
savoir >>> savoir
souvenir (se) >>> same pattern as tenir
secourir >>> same pattern as courir
séduire >>> same pattern as conduire
sentir >>> sentir
servir >>> servir
seoir >>> voir verbes défectifs
sortir >>> same pattern as partir
souffrir >>> same pattern as couvrir
soumettre >>> same pattern as mettre
sourire >>> same pattern as rire
souscrire >>> same pattern as écrire
sous-entendre >>> same pattern as tendre
sous-tendre >>> same pattern as tendre
soustraire >>> same pattern as traire
soutenir >>> same pattern as tenir
souvenir (se) >>> same pattern as venir
subvenir >>> same pattern as venir
suffire >>> same pattern as confire
suivre >>> suivre
surfaire >>> same pattern as faire
surprendre >>> same pattern as prendre
surproduire >>> same pattern as conduire
surseoir >>> surseoir
survenir >>> same pattern as venir
survivre >>> same pattern as vivre
suspendre >>> same pattern as rendre
T -
taire >>> same pattern as plaire
teindre >>> same pattern as peindre
tendre >>> tendre
tenir >>> tenir
tondre >>> same pattern as rendre
tordre >>> same pattern as rendre
traduire >>> same pattern as conduire
traire >>> traire(verbe défectif)
transcrire >>> same pattern as écrire
transmettre >>> same pattern as mettre
transparaître >>> same pattern as paraître
tressaillir >>> same pattern as assaillir
V -
vaincre >>> vaincre
valoir >>> valoir
vendre >>> same pattern as rendre
venir >>> venir
vêtir >>> vêtir
vivre>>> vivre
voir >>> voir
vouloir>>> vouloir
I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you learned some French Verbs such as present tense, past tense, perfect tense and future tense..., try to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation. Make sure to check our Learn French page, which contains several lessons that might help you in your learning process.