Introduction To French Verbs( Verb Formation)
What is a verb?
A verb is an action or state of being in a sentence. A verb can be expressed in different tenses depending on when the action of the verb takes place; in the present, in the past and in the future. they usually go with a noun(John, Mary etc) or with a pronoun( I, you, we etc).
Infinitive
French verbs have an infinitive; this is the basic form of a verb, the form of the verb before it is conjugated. ( eg aller, être etc). Infinitives in French can generally be classified into 3 groups.
- Verbs that end in -er
- Verbs that end in -ir
- Verbs that end in -re
These can further be divided in two groups namely:
- Regular verbs.
- Irregular verbs.
Regular verbs.
These are verbs that follow the regular or standard pattern of verb conjugation.
Irregular verbs.
These are verbs that do not follow the regular or standard pattern of verb conjugation.
Verb conjugation.
Present tense.
To form the present tense of regular -er verbs, we need to take the infinitive ( eg danser), chop off the -er to form the stem and to the stem add the correct ending.
Example.
| Infinitive. | Stem( without -er) |
|---|---|
| Danser | Dans- |
| Chanter. | Chant- |
Here are the present tense endings for regular -er verbs.
| Pronoun. | Ending. | add to stem eg dans- | Meaning. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je(j') | -e | danse | I dance, I am |
| Tu | -es | danses | you dance, you are dancing. |
| Il/elle/on | -e | danse | he/she/one dances, he is dancing. |
| Nous | -ons | dansons | we dance, we are dancing. |
| Vous | -ez | dansez | you dance, you are dancing. |
| Ils/elles | -ent | dansent | they dance, they are dancing. |
Forming the present tense of regular -ir verbs.
The stem of -ir verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -ir
Example
| Infinitive | Stem(without -ir) |
|---|---|
| Choisir. | Chois- |
| Finir. | Fin- |
Here are the present tense endings for regular -ir verbs.
| Pronoun. | Ending. | Add to stem eg chois- | Meaning. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je(j') | -is. | Choisis. | I choose. |
| Tu. | -is. | Choisis. | You choose, you are choosing |
| Il/elle | -it | Choisit | He /she chooses, he is choosing |
| Nous. | -issons. | Choisissons. | We choose, we are choosing |
| Vous. | -issez. | Choisissez. | You choose, you are choosing |
| Ils/elles. | -issent. | Choisissent. | They choose, They are choosing |
Forming the present tense of regular -re verbs.
The stem of -er verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -er.
Example.
| Infinitive. | Stem(without -re) |
|---|---|
| Vendre. | vend- |
| Attendre. | attend- |
Here are the present tense endings for regular -re verbs)
| Pronoun. | Endings. | Add stem eg vend- | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je(j') | -s. | Vends. | I sell, I am selling. |
| Tu. | -s. | Vends. | You sell, you are selling. |
| Il/elle/on. | - | vends. | He/she/one sells, he is selling |
| Nous. | -ons. | Vendons. | We sell, we are selling. |
| Vous. | -ez. | Vendez. | You sell, you are selling. |
| Ils/elles. | -ent. | Vendent. | They sell, they are selling. |
Reference
Collins easy learning French verbs
