1. 1. The Infinitive A form of the verb which ends in -er -ir -re
and corresponds to the English ‘to’
eg. aimer – to like finir – to finish vendre – to sell
The infinitive does not tell us who is doing the action, nor when the action is being done.
If we know who is doing the action, or when the action is being done, the verb is conjugated.

2. 2. The Present Tense
Meaning: Je porte = I carry / I do carry / I am carrying
Regular verbs
The conjugation process is different for –re, -ir and –re verbs.
We’ll take them one at a time…

3. Remove the –er, add the endings:
- er verbs (ex: porter)
The middle part is called the stem of the verb. It’s the part that stays the same – when the endings change
Remove the –er, add the endings:
Je port e
Tu port es
Il/ elle port e
Nous port ons
Vous port ez
Ils/ Elles port ent
The parts in bold are the endings and they must always agree with the pronouns, just like in English (we wouldn’t say ‘I does’ and we wouldn’t say ‘He do’
These are known as pronouns. They tell us who is doing the activity

4. Remove the –ir, add the endings:
- ir verbs (ex: finir)
Remove the –ir, add the endings:
Je fin is
Tu fin is
Il/ elle fin it
Nous fin issons
Vous fin issez
Ils/ Elles fin issent
We call these the ‘singular forms of the verb’… because they refer to only 1 person
We call these the ‘plural forms of the verb’ because they refer to more than 1 person. BUT…
Vous can be singular, if you’re talking politely to 1 person
Don’t forget to look for patterns… here, you can see the familiar –ons, -ez – ent hidden in the endings.

5. Remove the –re, add the endings:
- re verbs (ex: vendre)
Remove the –re, add the endings:
Je vend s
Tu vend s
Il/ elle vend
Nous vend ons
Vous vend ez
Ils/ Elles vend ent

6. -is -is -it -issons -issez -issent
You must be able to form the present tense yourself, from memory, with ease.
Chant these – er endings:
-e es e ons ez -ent
Now chant these – ir endings:
-is is it issons issez -issent
Now back to these – er endings:
-e es e ons ez -ent

7. Now chant these – re endings: -s -s -‘nothing’ -ons -ez -ent
Now these – ir endings again:
-is is it issons issez -issent
Now these – re endings again:
-s s -‘nothing’ ons ez -ent
Finally, learn these endings by heart, at home!

8. 2 b) Irregular verbs avoir J’ai nous avons Tu as vous avez
French has many many irregular verbs – these don’t follow the pattern we’ve just looked at. As luck would have it, some of the verbs we use most frequently are irregular and must be learnt by heart.
avoir
J’ai nous avons
Tu as vous avez
Il/elle a ils/ elles ont
être
Je suis nous sommes
Tu es vous êtes
Il/elle est ils/ elles sont
aller
Je vais nous allons
Tu vas vous allez
Il/elle va ils/ elles vont
faire
Je fais nous faisons
Tu fais vous faites
Il/elle fait ils/ elles font
For the others, a you will need to know how to use a verb table. These are found in dictionaries and some grammar books.

9. 3. -er verbs with peculiarities in the present tense
a) – CER verbs: before the o the c takes a cédille (ç)
ex nous commençons = we begin
nous avançons = we advance
nous lançons = we launch
b) – GER verbs: before the o the g is cushioned with an e
ex nous mangeons = we eat
nous nageons = we swim
nous partageons = we share

10. c) appeler & jeter: consonant is doubled before a silent ending
J’appelle (I call) Je jette (I throw)
Tu appelles Tu jettes
Il appelle Il jette
Ils appellent Ils jettent
Nous appelons Nous jetons
Vous appelez Vous jetez
!!! No silent ending!!!
d) Verbs taking a accent grave before silent endings:
J’achète (I buy) J’espère (I hope)
Tu achètes Tu espères
Il achète Il espère
Ils achètent Ils espèrent
Nous achetons Nous esperons
Vous achetez Vous esperez
!!! No silent ending!!!

11. Until you have them memorized, refer to the verb chart in your binder!
Recommendations for learning your verbs:
1. Apps – type in French verbs… MANY free options!
2. Conjuguemos.com – online site to give you quick 3-5 minute practice rounds
3. Tried and true: hand write them out! 5-6 times each. Can request forms from teacher or make your own.