How to Conjugate French Verbs
Know that conjugation is when you change a verb based on who it involves., Remember the French pronouns., Note the infinitive of verbs., Recognize the three types of "regular" verbs., Know what verbs are irregular.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know that conjugation is when you change a verb based on who it involves.
We do this in English as well.
For example, you would say "I run," but you would add and "s" for "he runs." Conjugation in French works similarly; for every pronoun (I, he, she, it, we, you) there is a different conjugation. -
Step 2: Remember the French pronouns.
There are more French pronouns then English, but they are still easy to remember:
Je:
I Tu:
You Il, elle, on:
He, she, it Nous:
We Vous:
You (plural or formal) Ils, elles:
They (male), they (female). , An unconjugated verb is called the "infinitive." In English you simply at the word "to," so the infinitive is "to be," "to see," or "to write." In French the infinitive is one word
-- like "aller" (to go), "ouvrir" (to open) or "répondre" (to respond).
The infinitive is the base verb, or what changes as you conjugate.For example, in English you would not say, "He to be," you would say "he is." This is how we conjugate the verb "to be" in English. , In French the large majority of verbs fall under three categories based on the ending of the infinitive.
For each of these three categories there is a set of rules for conjugation.
-er Verbs:
This includes verbs like "parler" (to talk) and "manger" (to eat).
-ir Verbs:
This includes verbs like "applaudir" (to clap) and "finir" (to finish).
-re Vebrs:
This includes verbs like "entendre" (to hear). , There are, unfortunately, some verbs in French that no longer use the same rules to conjugate.
Almost every tense of these verbs is different, so you often have to look irregular verbs up separately.
While by no means exhaustive, this list shows some of the most common irregular verbs: être:
To be Avoir:
To have Aller:
To go Vouloir:
To want Faire:
To make, to do Mettre:
To put, to place. -
Step 3: Note the infinitive of verbs.
-
Step 4: Recognize the three types of "regular" verbs.
-
Step 5: Know what verbs are irregular.
Detailed Guide
We do this in English as well.
For example, you would say "I run," but you would add and "s" for "he runs." Conjugation in French works similarly; for every pronoun (I, he, she, it, we, you) there is a different conjugation.
There are more French pronouns then English, but they are still easy to remember:
Je:
I Tu:
You Il, elle, on:
He, she, it Nous:
We Vous:
You (plural or formal) Ils, elles:
They (male), they (female). , An unconjugated verb is called the "infinitive." In English you simply at the word "to," so the infinitive is "to be," "to see," or "to write." In French the infinitive is one word
-- like "aller" (to go), "ouvrir" (to open) or "répondre" (to respond).
The infinitive is the base verb, or what changes as you conjugate.For example, in English you would not say, "He to be," you would say "he is." This is how we conjugate the verb "to be" in English. , In French the large majority of verbs fall under three categories based on the ending of the infinitive.
For each of these three categories there is a set of rules for conjugation.
-er Verbs:
This includes verbs like "parler" (to talk) and "manger" (to eat).
-ir Verbs:
This includes verbs like "applaudir" (to clap) and "finir" (to finish).
-re Vebrs:
This includes verbs like "entendre" (to hear). , There are, unfortunately, some verbs in French that no longer use the same rules to conjugate.
Almost every tense of these verbs is different, so you often have to look irregular verbs up separately.
While by no means exhaustive, this list shows some of the most common irregular verbs: être:
To be Avoir:
To have Aller:
To go Vouloir:
To want Faire:
To make, to do Mettre:
To put, to place.
About the Author
Jeffrey Ellis
Brings years of experience writing about pet care and related subjects.
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