French/Grammar/Verbs/Conjugations

French conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a French verb from its principal parts by inflection. French verbs are conventionally divided into three conjugations (conjugaisons) with the following grouping:
 * 1st group: verbs ending in -er.
 * 2nd group: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -issant.
 * 3rd group:
 * 1st section: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -ant.
 * 2nd section: verbs ending in -oir.
 * 3rd section: verbs ending in -re.

The first two groups follow a regular conjugation, whereas the third group follows an irregular one. The third group is considered a closed-class conjugation form, meaning that most new verbs introduced to the French language are of the first group (téléviser, atomiser, radiographier), with the remaining ones being of the second group.

It is noteworthy that the verb aller is the only verb ending in -er belonging to the third group.

Auxiliary verbs
There are two auxiliary verbs in French: avoir (to have) and être (to be), used to conjugate compound tenses according to these rules:


 * Transitive verbs (direct or indirect) in the active voice are conjugated with the verb avoir.
 * Intransitive verbs are conjugated with either avoir or être.
 * Reflexive verbs (or "pronominal verbs") are conjugated with être.
 * Verbs in the passive voice are conjugated with être.

Compound tenses are conjugated with an auxiliary followed by the past participle, ex: j'ai fait (I did), je suis tombé (I fell). When être is used, the participle is inflected according to the gender and number of the subject. The participle is inflected with the use of the verb avoir according to the direct object, but only if the direct object precedes the participle, ex:
 * il a marché, elle a marché, nous avons marché (he walked, she walked, we walked)
 * il est tombé, elle est tombée, nous sommes tombés, elles sont tombées (he fell, she fell, we fell, they (fem.) fell)
 * Il a acheté une voiture. Voilà la voiture qu'il a achetée. (He bought a car. Here is the car he bought)

As stand-alone verbs, the conjugation of the two auxiliaries is listed in the table below:

Avoir
This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are imperfect av- ; present subjunctive ai- ; future and conditional aur- ; simple past and past subjunctive e- (not pronounced: eus, eusse are pronounced as bare inflections ). Although the stem changes, the inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb.

However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

* Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: avoir
 * Present participle: ayant
 * Gerundive: en ayant
 * Verbal adjective: ayant(s), ayante(s)
 * Past participle: eu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Expressing age
Avoir is also used to express age.

Interrogatives
Besides using avoir affirmatively, you can also use it interrogatively. A small complication arises, in that without some help, the result does not sound very good. The use of an euphonic (pleasing to the ear) is used with vowels before the pronoun. Thus, the letter -t- is placed between the verb and the pronoun:

Ai-je? (Have I?)

As-tu? (Have you?) informal

A-t-il? (Has he?)

A-t-elle? (Has she?)

Avons nous? (Have we?)

Avez vous? (Have you?) formal

Ont ils? (Have they?) masculine

Ont elles? (Have they?) feminine

The use of liaison fullfils the euphonic for ""ont".

Être
This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: imperfect ét- ; present subjunctive soi- ; future and conditional ser- ; simple past and past subjunctive in f-. The inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb (that is, as an -re verb but with the vowel u in the f- forms). For example, subjunctive soyons, soyez is pronounced with the y sound of other -re and -oir verbs.

However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

* Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

The non-finite forms use the stem êt- (before a consonant)/ét-  (before a vowel):
 * Infinitive: être
 * Present participle: étant
 * Gerundive: en étant
 * Verbal adjective: étant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: été(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

First group verbs (-er verbs)
French verbs ending in -er, which comprise the largest class, inflect somewhat differently than other verbs. Between the stem and the inflectional endings that are common across most verbs, there may be a vowel, which in the case of the -er verbs is a silent -e- (in the simple present singular), -é or -ai (in the past participle and the je form of the simple past), and -a-  (in the rest of simple past singular and in the past subjunctive). In addition, the orthographic -t found in the -ir and -re verbs in the singular verb of the simple present and past is not found in this conjugation, so that the final consonants are -, -s,e - rather than -s, -s, -t.

Parler
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: parl er
 * Present participle: parl ant
 * Gerundive: en parl ant
 * Verbal adjective: parl ant(s) , parl ante(s)
 * Past participle: parl é(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir (arriver, entrer, monter, passer, rester, rentrer, retourner, and tomber use être)

Exceptional contexts:
 * When the first-person singular present tense form of the indicative or subjunctive is found in inversion, the writer must change the final e to either é or è, in order to link the two words : « Parlé-je ? »,, "Am I speaking?" (This is a very rare construction, however.)
 * When the second-person singular form of the imperative is followed by its object y or en, a final s is added: « Parles-en ! »,, "Talk about it!"

Exceptional verbs:
 * The verb aller, though it ends in -er is completely irregular and belongs to the third group.
 * In -cer verbs, the c becomes a ç before endings that start with a or o, to indicate that it is still pronounced /s/; similarly, in -ger verbs, the g becomes ge before such endings, to indicate that it is pronounced /ʒ/.
 * In -oyer and -uyer verbs, the y becomes an i before endings that start with a silent e; in -ayer verbs, the writer may or may not change the y to an i before such endings. Additionally, the future and conditional forms of envoyer start with enverr- rather than envoyer-; and similarly with renvoyer.
 * In -é.er verbs, the é becomes an è before silent endings, and optionally in the future and conditional tenses.
 * In -e.er verbs other than most -eler and -eter verbs, the e becomes an è before endings that start with a silent e (including the future and conditional endings).
 * In most -eler and -eter verbs, the writer must either change the e to an è before endings that start with a silent e, or change the l or t to ll or tt. In the rest of these verbs, only one or the other form is allowed.
 * The verbal adjective of following verbs is irregular: adhérer - adhérent(e)(s); coïncider - coïncident(e)(s); confluer - confluent(e)(s); affluer - affluent(e)(s); converger - convergent(e)(s); déterger - détergent(e)(s); différer - différent(e)(s); exceller - excellent(e)(s); diverger - divergent(e)(s); négliger, négligent(e)(s); précéder - précédent(e)(s); violer - violent(e)(s); influer - influent(e)(s); communiquer - communicant(e)(s); suffoquer - suffocant(e)(s); provoquer - provocant(e)(s); naviguer - navigant(e)(s); déléguer - délégant(e)(s); fatiguer - fatigant(e)(s); intriguer - intrigant(e)(s).

Second group verbs (-ir verbs / gerund ending in -issant)
The -ir verbs differ from the -er verbs in the following points:
 * The vowel of the inflections is always -i-, for example -isse in the past subjunctive rather than the -asse of the -er verbs.
 * A few of the singular inflections themselves change, though this is purely orthographic and does not affect the pronunciation: in the simple present and past, these are -s, -s, -t rather than -, -s, -. (The change in pronunciation is due to the change of vowel from e, ai, a to -i-.)
 * In the simple present, imperfect, the present subjunctive, and the gerund, a suffix -iss- appears between the root and the inflectional endings. In the simple present singular, this suffix has disappeared and the endings are -is, -is, -it.

Choisir
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: choisir
 * Present participle: choisissant
 * Gerundive: en choisissant
 * Verbal adjective: choisissant(s), choisissante(s)
 * Past participle: choisi(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir (partir uses être)

The verb haïr loses its dieresis in the singular of the simple present tense (the i loses its trema, reflecting the pronunciation of the initial syllable as a single vowel rather than the hiatus ): je hais, tu hais, il hait but nous haïssons, vous haïssez, ils haïssent. Hais is as usual used for the imperative. In all other forms, the root is (imperfect and present & past subjunctive -, future and conditional -).
 * haïr

First Section (-ir verbs / gerund ending in -ant)
The verbs dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir and their derivatives do not take the -iss- infix. The effect of this is that they conjugate as -re verbs rather than -ir verbs, apart from the past participle which is still -i. Sortir and its derivatives are similar in their usual meanings of "to go out" etc., though in their legal senses they conjugate regularly as -ir verbs: les lois sortissent leurs effets (laws produce their effects); ce qui ressortit à… (what is under the jurisdiction of…). Partir serves as an example:
 * dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir

Partir
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: partir
 * Present participle: partant
 * Gerundive: en partant
 * Verbal adjective: partant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: parti(e)(s)

Similarly, dormir, mentir, sortir, sentir, servir are je dors, mens, sors, sens, sers etc.

The verbs couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir and their derivatives are similar, but orthographically they differ slightly: they take the simple present endings of the -er verbs. In addition, their past participles end in -ert. Ouvrir will serve as an example:
 * couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir

Ouvrir
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: ouvrir
 * Present participle: ouvrant
 * Gerundive: en ouvrant
 * Verbal adjective: ouvrant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: ouvert(s), ouverte(s)

Venir
The common verbs venir "to come" and tenir "to hold", as well as their derivatives, change their stem vowel to a diphthong or nasal in much of their conjugations. Venir will serve as an example; for tenir, simply change the v to a t.
 * venir, tenir

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: venir
 * Present participle: venant
 * Gerundive: en venant
 * Verbal adjective: venant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: venu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être


 * acquérir, cueillir, saillir

Second section (-oir verbs)
Verbs ending in -oir tend to have stem changes, which makes them more irregular than the other conjugations. Many have stems ending in -v, which drops before a consonant or the vowel u. Others have stems ending in -l, which undergoes changes similar to the plural of French nouns ending in -l. In addition, the vowel of the stem tends to become oi or eu  when there is no vowel in the inflectional ending (much of the simple present and present subjunctive). They also differ from other verbs in that the vowel of both the simple past and the past participle is -u.

The verbs voir "to see" and seoir "to suit" and their derivatives (prévoir, asseoir) inflect as -ir verbs, not as -oir verbs, as they have the vowel -i- in the past simple and subjunctive: je vis, j'assis, etc.

Pouvoir

 * In case of questions puis is used exclusively: puis-je venir? Can I come? The usage of puis in other cases is mannered.

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: pouvoir
 * Present participle: pouvant
 * Gerundive: en pouvant
 * Verbal adjective: pouvant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: pu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Recevoir
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: recevoir
 * Present participle: recevant
 * Gerundive: en recevant
 * Verbal adjective: recevant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: reçu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir


 * Other verbs conjugated along the same model: concevoir, décevoir, percevoir, apercevoir.

Savoir
* Notice that the imperative form uses the present subjunctive stem.

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: savoir
 * Present participle: sachant
 * Gerundive: en sachant
 * Verbal adjective: sachant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: su(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Vouloir
Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: vouloir
 * Present participle: voulant
 * Gerundive: en voulant
 * Verbal adjective: voulant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: voulu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Third Section (-re verbs)
Orthographically, the -re verbs have the inflectional endings of the -ir verbs (singular -s, -s, -t in the simple present and past). However, unlike the -ir verbs, there is no suffix -iss- between the root and the inflection, except in the past subjunctive, which is identical to the -ir verbs. In addition, the vowel of the past participle is -u rather than -i.

Attendre
Means "to wait".

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: attendre
 * Present participle: attendant
 * Gerundive: en attendant
 * Verbal adjective: attendant(s), attendante(s)
 * Past participle: attendu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir (descendre uses être)


 * If the verb stem ends with a t or d (as in attend or bat), the -t inflection of the third person simple present drops, as here. However, elsewhere it is retained: rompre → il rompt.
 * Battre, mettre and all verbs on -aindre or -eindre are irregular

Dire
to say, talk

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: dire
 * Present participle: disant
 * Gerundive: en disant
 * Verbal adjective: disant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: dit(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Prendre
to take

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: prendre
 * Present participle: prenant
 * Gerundive: en prenant
 * Verbal adjective: prenant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: pris(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir
 * apprendre, comprendre, entreprendre, reprendre, and surprendre follow the same pattern

Faire
to do, make

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: faire
 * Present participle: faisant
 * Gerundive: en faisant
 * Verbal adjective: faisant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: fait(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir
 * défaire, refaire, and satisfaire follow the same pattern.

Naître
to be born

Non-finite forms:
 * Infinitive: naître
 * Present participle: naissant
 * Gerundive: en naissant
 * Verbal adjective: naisant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: né(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être

Aller
The verb aller "to go" has the unique quality of having a first group ending with an irregular conjugation. It belongs to none of the three sections of the third group, and is often categorized on its own. The verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: past all- (simple past, imperfect, past subjunctive);  present subjunctive aill- ; conditional and future ir-. The inflections of these tenses are completely regular, and pronounced as in any other -er verb. However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

The non-finite forms are all based on all- :
 * Infinitive: aller
 * Present participle: allant
 * Gerundive: en allant
 * Verbal adjective: allant(e)(s)
 * Past participle: allé(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être

Inflectional endings of the three verb groups

 * 1) In an interrogative sentence, the final e is written é, and is pronounced as an open è . Additionally, the e in je becomes silent. For example: je marche  (I walk), marché-je?  (do I walk?)
 * 2) The following verbs have the ending -ont: ils sont (they are), ils ont (they have), ils font (they do),  ils vont (they go).
 * 3) only in je/tu peux (I/you can), je/tu veux (I/you want), and je/tu vaux (I am/you are 'worth').
 * 4) Verbs in -dre have a final d for the 3rd singular person, except for those ending in -indre and -soudre which take a final t.
 * 5) The only verbs having this ending are: assaillir (assail), couvrir (cover), cueillir (pluck), défaillir (default), offrir (offer), ouvrir (open), souffrir (suffer), tressaillir (shiver), and in the imperative only, avoir (have), savoir (know), and vouloir (want).
 * 6) Except for je vins (I came), je tins (I held), etc..., que je vinsse (that I come), que je tinsse (that I hold), etc...