Regular and Irregular French Verbs
Regular verbs
-Er verbs
There are many –er verbs in the French language. To use French verbs, you simply drop the –er and add:
Je = e
Tu = es
Il/elle = e
Nous = ons
Vous = ez
Ils/elles = ent
For example, the verb bavardar (to chat) would be formed like this:
Je bavardeTe bavardesIl/elle bavardeNous bavardonsVous bavardezIls/elles bavardent
-Ir verbs
Again, with –ir verbs you drop the –ir and add:
Je = is
Tu = is
Il/elle = it
Nous = issons
Vous = issez
Ils/elles = issent
We will use the verb finir (to finish) to demonstrate the use of –ir verbs:
Je finisTu finisIl/elle finitNous finissonsVous finissezIls/elles finissent
-Re verbs
With –re verbs, you drop the –re and add:
Je = s
Tu = s
Il/elle = (no ending)
Nous = ons
Vous = ez
Ils/elles = ent
We will use the verb perdre (to lose) to demonstrate the use of –re verbs:
Je perds
Tu perds
Il/elle perd
Nous perdons
Vous perdez
Ils/elles perdent
Irregular verbs
Some verbs don’t follow the basic rules of regular verbs. These are called irregular verbs. Some are grouped even smaller such as –cer verbs, -ger verbs, and –yer verbs. Others are different and you will have to memorize them.
Some common irregular verbs are aller (to go), avoir (to have), faire (to make, do), and mettre (to put (on)). You can learn all about different irregular French verbs in 501 French Verbs