1

A Definitive Guide to
French Verbs




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Contents
Preface........................................................................4
The Basics of Verbs
What is a verb?...........................................................6
Infinitives....................................................................8
Conjugation..............................................................10
Tense and Aspect......................................................12
Tenses
The Present Tense....................................................14
The Present Participle...............................................15
The Perfect Tense.....................................................18
The Auxiliary Verb....................................................19
Reflexive Verbs.........................................................20
The Past Participle....................................................21
The Near Future Tense.............................................25
The Imperfect Tense.................................................27
The Future Tense......................................................30
The Pluperfect Tense................................................32
The Future Perfect Tense.........................................35
The Past Historic Tense............................................39
Moods
What is a Mood?......................................................42
The Conditional Mood..............................................43
The Imperative Mood...............................................48
The Subjunctive Mood..............................................52
Third Person Commands with the Subjunctive........56
The Perfect Subjunctive............................................57

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Negatives..............................................................................60
Glossary.................................................................................62
Irregular Verb Tables............................................................70






















4

Preface
Verbs play a vital role in grammar, in sentences, in language
and understanding them is key to understanding a language.
We learn from a young age that verbs are doing words,
action words or some other nave and ambiguous definition
that deprives verbs of the credit that they truly deserve -
they are in fact much more important than that and I hope
that, in learning them in great depth, you come to appreciate
their true responsibility.
You may not yet realise how complex verbs can become,
particularly if you have never studied a language in so much
linguistic depth. It may seem strange to have to study in such
detail something you do unconsciously in your mother
tongue but my aim is to simplify the world of verbs by
stripping them back to the very basics and taking you on a
journey that will allow you to eventually structure your own
sentences with ease.
Linguistic terminology can be confusing for some and it may
well be the reason why many people stop learning languages
altogether. But avoiding the technical terms can be even
more confusing than learning them and I believe that
labelling helps us to understand the construction of language
and eventually helps us to think independently when building
sentences. Do not fret. Any such terminology is written in
bold and is explained fully in the glossary at the back of this
book.
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Take your time when learning French and make sure that you
understand everything you have learnt before you move on.
Naturally, the topics in this book gradually become more
complex and, if you do not understand the previous section,
you will find it very difficult to understand the next. This book
is not designed to be read in a day and it is important to
spend time understanding and mastering each section before
tackling a new aspect of verbs.
Most of all, enjoy language learning and do not let it become
a source of stress. Re-read anything you do not understand
and practise as much as you can in order to become as
proficient in the language as possible.
Happy learning!

6

What is a verb?
Before you even consider studying verbs in a foreign
language, you must understand them in your own. We are
told at an early age that verbs are doing words, action words
or something of the sort. This is true at a very basic level, but
they are much more important than this. Verbs are the
chassis of a sentence
1
and embedded within them is a
plethora of meanings - when the action takes place (tense),
how it takes place (sprint and run both have similar meanings,
but have different connotations), who is completing the
action (subject), who is receiving the action (object) -
ultimately giving them the most powerful role in meaning.
But before we dive into the unknown, let's stick with what
we know and consider that primary school definition: doing
words. Play, jump, laugh, sit, fall, break, stop, look, grab,
kill...all of them expressing some kind of action; something
which can be done. In the world of linguistics, these are
known as dynamic verbs.
What your teachers didn't tell you is that some verbs express
more abstract concepts; ideas, thoughts, emotions and
other less physical actions: think, know, like, hate, love,
believe, wish, hope, dream, envy...what linguists call stative
verbs. It's not so important to be able to differentiate
between stative and dynamic verbs, but you must
understand that they are more than just physical actions and

1
The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker
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they therefore exceed the old definition of doing words.
Verbs in fact refer to an action or a state and provide the
bulk of meaning in a sentence - give them the credit they
deserve.
Finally, try not to make assumptions about French grammar
based on that of English. Since they both have different roots,
they are bound to differ in some areas and you must not
assume that English is the basis upon which all languages
work. French has its own way of saying things and you will
have to accept this if you wish to go far in language learning.

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Infinitives
Verbs in all inflected languages have many different forms
which give us more information about the action the word
expresses.
For example, the verb in
John is playing football and
John played football...
...is the same: to play. However, it appears in different forms
to give us information about the time of the action. The
former is playing indicates that the action is currently
happening whereas the latter played tells us that the action
was completed in the past and is now no longer happening.
Changing verbs in this way is known as conjugation and you
will be learning how to conjugate verbs in many different
ways.
However, for a verb to be conjugated, it must have a root
form onto which we can add suffixes, prefixes and other
elements to alter the meaning. This neutral form of a verb is
known as the infinitive and is the form usually found in
dictionaries. In English, we can recognise an infinitive by the
word to which comes before the verb: to play, to jump, to
laugh, to sit, to fall, to think, to know, to like, to hate, to love.
Here, we are given no indication of who is doing the action,
when it happens or who is the recipient of the action, hence
its use as a neutral form. As a result, looking up the word
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played in a dictionary is futile because it is a conjugated form
of the word to play and is not a word in its own right. This
can make looking words in any language tricky since some
conjugations do not resemble their infinitive: we know that
ate is the perfect tense form of to eat but it is unlikely that
you will find ate in a dictionary on its own. This is known as
an irregular verb and we will encounter similar situations in
French, but learning about conjugation will help you to
combat this.
French infinitives are very different as they are made up of
just one word. It is the way the verb ends that provides
meaning in French and, for infinitives, there are three
possible endings:
-er jouer to play, aller to go, arriver to arrive
-ir finir to finish, partir to leave, mourir to die
-re attendre to wait, prendre to take, boire to drink
Each group of infinitives has its own set of conjugations,
although there are some similarities that make memorising
them that little bit easier.
-er verbs (or first conjugation verbs) are by far the most
common, followed by -ir (second conjugation) and, finally
the least common of all -re (third conjugation).
This make take some time to get your head around, but it
isn't nearly as confusing as it may initially appear.
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Conjugation
French, like English, is known as a non pro-drop language,
meaning that it relies on pronouns to tell us who is doing the
action. Saying play football in English gives us no indication as
to who is playing (other than it is not he, she or it since that
would be plays) and sounds more like a command. Likewise,
saying joue au foot in French is ambiguous as the person
doing the action could be I, he, she or it. Subject pronouns
are therefore very important and you must be familiar with
them in order to conjugate verbs successfully.
Je
first person singular
I
Tu
second person singular
You
when talking about/to a friend,
relative or younger person
Il / elle / on
third person singular
He / she / it / one
on means one or we in an informal
manner
Nous
first person plural
We
this is more formal than on
Vous
second person plural
You
when talking about/to an older
person, someone you do not know
well, an authoritative figure or a
group of people.
Ils /elles
third person plural
They
ils is used for a group of men or a
mixed group whereas elles is used
for a group of women only.
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Il, elle and on are grouped together because the conjugation
of each one is always the same. The same goes for ils and
elles.
Like English, the French subject pronoun comes before the
verb in affirmative statements:
he plays
il joue

we finish
nous finissons

Conjugation of regular verbs is extremely simple since all we
have to do is remove the infinitive ending and add the
endings that correspond to the subject and the tense.








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Tense and Aspect
The tense of a verb tells us when an action takes, took or will
take place. There are three basic tenses:
Past Present Future
happened happens will happen

Aspect is a little more difficult to grasp as it indicates the
whether the action is completed or in progress. The two
basic forms of aspect are:
Perfective Progressive
completed in progress

It is not important that you understand the different aspects
of a verb and you are not expected to be able to analyse the
differences in meaning, but by combing both tense and
aspect, we form six basic tenses that you will learn from this
book:

Progressive Perfective
Present I play
Present Tense
I played
Perfect Tense
Past I was playing
Imperfect Tense
I had played
Pluperfect Tense
Future I will play
Future Tense
I will have played
Future Perfect Tense

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TENSES
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The Present Tense
The present tense expresses an action that happens on a
regular basis, does happen or is currently happening:
I play
I do play
I am playing

In French, all three of these sentences are expressed in
exactly the same way.

The French present tense is made up of just two parts: the
subject and the verb. So, when it comes to translating I am
playing is important that you do not try to translate each
word individually. You should recognise this as the present
tense and conjugate as follows:

1. Remove the -er, -ir or -re from the infinitive.
2. Add the appropriate, present tense ending:

* the -ent at the end of a third person, plural verb is not pronounced.
-er -ir -re
je -e -is -s
tu -es -is -s
il / elle / on -e -it -
nous -ons -issons -ons
vous -ez -issez -ez
ils / elles -ent* -issent* -ent*
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OK, so you've got to learn 18 different verb endings, but you
will notice patterns that will make learning them much
simpler.
Examples
She eats / She is eating / She does eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. remove the infinitive ending: manger
2. add the appropriate ending for elle - mange
3. she eats = elle mange

We finish / We are finishing / We do finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. remove the infinitive ending: finir
2. add the appropriate ending for nous: -finissons
3. we finish = nous finissons

They wait / They are waiting / They do wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. remove the infinitive ending: attendre
2. add the appropriate ending for il - attendent
3. They wait = ils attendent
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The Present Participle
As you should already know, French does not differentiate
between I am playing (the gerund) and I play; both are
expressed using the present tense that you learnt in the
previous section. However, French verbs do have an
equivalent -ing form and, although it is not used as
frequently as in English, it is certainly worth learning.

To form the present participle for any verb conjugation:

1. Take the nous form of the verb in the present tense
2. Remove the -ons
3. Add -ant

This works for most verbs, except the following.
tre to be tant
avoir to have ayant
savoir to know sachant

The French present participle cannot be used as often as it is
in English. The following usage, for example, is wrong:

Je suis jouant au foot
I am playing football
We simply cannot translate the gerund in this way and must
use the regular, present tense to say something like this.
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Another mistake one might make is assuming that we can say:

J'aime jouant au foot
I like playing football

To translate this, we would use the infinitive:

J'aime jouer au foot
I like to play football

So when can we use the present participle?

1. Expressing an action that is/was happening while another
action take/took place:

Entendant le bruit, j'ai ferm la fentre
Hearing the noise, I closed the window

Un homme, fumant une cigarette, est entr le bureau
A man smoking a cigarette entered the office

2. Used with en, the present participle can mean by or while:

En lisant ce livre tu deviendras trs intelligent
By reading this book you will become very intelligent

Luc s'est fait mal en mangeant son dner
Luc hurt himself while eating his dinner
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The Perfect Tense

The perfect tense is used to express an action that happened,
has happened or did happen:
I played
I have played
I did play

As with the present, all of these are expressed in the same
way in French.
The French perfect tense is made up of three parts: the
subject the auxiliary verb and the past participle. The
auxiliary verb the equivalent of the word have in I have
played and is there only to tell us that we are talking about
the past.

In French, the auxiliary verb can either be avoir to have or
tre to be. We will learn how to choose the auxiliary verb
later, but first it is important to know the conjugation for
avoir and tre which are both irregular:






avoir - to have
j'ai
tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
tre - to be
je suis
tu es
il/elle/on est
nous sommes
vous tes
ils/elles sont
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The Auxiliary Verb
Most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary verb. There are only 16
verbs which use tre, plus all reflexive verbs (page 19).
A common way of remembering the 16 tre verbs is DR. &
MRS VANDERTRAMP:
Descendre to go down/descend descendu
Revenir to come back revenu

Mourir to die mort
Rentrer to come in rentr
Sortir to go out sorti

Venir to come venu
Arriver to arrive arriv
Natre to be born n
Devenir to become devenu
Entrer to enter entr
Retourner to return retourn
Tomber to fall tomb
Rester to stay rest
Aller to go all
Monter to go up mont
Partir to leave parti
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Reflexive Verbs
A reflexive verb is a verb in which the doer of the action (the
subject) is also the receiver of the action (the object). In
English, reflexive verbs use reflexive pronouns such as myself,
himself, themselves etc.

In French, reflexive pronouns precede the verb and are as
follows:
Infinitive - se
je me nous nous
tu te vous vous
il/elle/on se ils/elles se

se, me and te all become s', m' and t' when they come before
a vowel or silent h.

Be careful, some verbs which are reflexive in French are not
necessarily reflexive in English, and vice versa:

se reposer to relax
se brosser to brush (hair, teeth)
se blesser to hurt/injure oneself
se laver to wash oneself
se baigner to bathe
s'attendre to expect

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The Past Participle
The past participle is the equivalent of played in I have
played and is the verb the provides the meaning. In English,
past participles usually end with -ed.

In French, regular past participles are formed by removing
the infinitive ending and adding:

- for -er verbs jou played, mang eaten
-i for -ir verbs fini finished, parti left
-u for -re verbs attendu waited, descendu descended

When the verb takes tre, the past participle must agree
with the subject.

If one man/masculine noun has done the action, the past
participle remains unchanged.
If more than one man/masculine noun has done the action,
add an -s to the end of the past participle.
If one woman/feminine noun has done the action, add an -e
to the end of the past participle.
If more than one women/feminine noun has done the action,
add -es to the end of the past participle.

Some past participles are irregular and can be found in the
verb tables at the back of this book.

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Now it is simply a case of putting the subject, the auxiliary
verb and the past participle together.

Examples
She ate / She has eaten / She did eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the present tense
with elle is elle a
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mang
3. she ate = elle a mang


We finished / We have finished / We did finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the present tense
with nous is nous avons
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we finished = nous avons fini




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They waited / They have waited / They did wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the present
tense with ils is ils ont
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they waited = ils ont attendu

You left / You have left / You did leave
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes tre, which conjugated in the present tense
with vous is vous tes
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes tre, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. You left = vous tes partis

She got dressed / She has got dressed / She did get dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes tre, which
conjugated in the present tense with elle is elle s'est
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habill
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3. Because s'habiller takes tre, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habille
4. She got dressed = elle s'est habille













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The Near Future
The near future tense is used to express an action that is
going to happen:
I am going to play

This is by far the easiest way of expressing the future as it
does not rely upon a list of endings like the other tenses.
Instead, it is constructed in much the same way as English:

I am going to play
subject present tense of to go infinitive
je vais jouer

In order to construct this tense, it is important to familiarise
yourself with the conjugation of the irregular verb aller to go:










Once you have the present tense of aller (the I am going part)
all you need is an infinitive.
aller - to go
je vais
tu vas
il/elle/on va
nous allons
vous allez
ils/elles vont
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Examples
She is going to eat

she = elle
to eat = manger
1. Present tense of aller in the elle form - elle va
2. Infinitive to eat - manger
3. She is going to eat = elle va manger

We are going to finish

We = nous
to finish = finir
1. Present tense of aller in the nous form - nous allons
2. Infinitive to finish - finir
3. We are going to finish = nous allons finir

They are going to wait

They = ils
to wait = attendre
1. Present tense of aller in the ils form - ils vont
2. Infinitive to wait - attendre
3. They are going to wait = ils vont attendre

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The Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense is used to express an action that was
happening while another action was taking place or that used
to happen:
I was playing
I used to play

Once again, both of the sentences above are expressed in the
same way in French and you should not try to translate them
word-for-word. The imperfect tense in French is made up of
just two parts: the subject and the verb.
To conjugate:
1. Start by taking the nous form of the verb which almost
always ends with -ons.
2. Remove the -ons - this is the imperfect stem
3. Add the imperfect ending which relates to the subject

Imperfect Ending
je -ais
tu -ais
il / elle / on -ait
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils / elles -aient
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This method works for all verbs, regular or irregular, except
for tre whose nous form (sommes) does not end with -ons.
This is no problem. The imperfect stem for tre is t- and all
endings are added as usual.
Examples
She used to eat / she was eating

she = elle
to eat = manger
1. nous form of the verb which slightly irregular for manger -
mangeons
2. remove the -ons - mangeons
3. Add the appropriate ending for elle - mangeait
4. She used to eat = elle mangeait

We used to finish / we were finishing

We = nous
to finish = finir
1. nous form of the verb finir - finissons
2. remove the -ons - finissons
3. Add the appropriate ending for nous - finissions
4. We used to finish = nous finissions




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They used to wait / they were waiting

they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. nous form of the verb attendre - attendons
2. remove the -ons - attendons
3. Add the appropriate ending for ils - attendaient
4. They used to wait = ils attendaient

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The Future Tense
We already know how to express the near future, but this
restricts us to actions that are going to happen soon. The
future tense is used to express an action that will happen:
I will play

The future in English is made of three parts. In French, there
are just two: the subject and the verb.

Regular verbs use the infinitive as their future stem and then
add endings to indicate the future. With -re verbs, remove
the -e before adding the ending.

Future Ending
je -ai
tu -as
il / elle / on -a
nous -ons
vous -ez
ils / elles -ont


Some future stems are irregular and you can see these in the
verb tables at the back of this book.


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Examples
She will eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. infinitive form of the verb - manger
2. add the appropriate future ending for elle - mangera
3. she will eat = elle mangera

We will finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. infinitive form of the verb - finir
2. add the appropriate future ending for nous - finirons
3. we will finish = nous finirons

They will wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. infinitive form of the verb - attendre
2. remove the -e - attendr
3. add the appropriate future ending for ils - attendront
4. they will wait = ils attendront

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The Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect tense is used to express an action that had
happened:
I had played
The pluperfect tense works in much the same way as the
perfect tense. It combines the subject, an auxiliary verb and a
past participle. The only difference between the pluperfect
and the perfect tense is the tense of the auxiliary verb. For
the pluperfect, the auxiliary verb must be in the imperfect
tense.
The choice of auxiliary verb is the same as it would be in the
past and the rules of agreement remain.
Examples
She had eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect
tense with elle is elle avait
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mang
3. she had eaten = elle avait mang



33

We had finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect tense
with nous is nous avions
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we had finished = nous avions fini

They waited / They have waited / They did wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the imperfect
tense with ils is ils avaient
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they had waited = ils avaient attendu

You had left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes tre, which conjugated in the impefect tense
with vous is vous tiez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes tre, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
34

4. You had left = vous tiez partis

She had got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes tre, which
conjugated in the imperfect tense with elle is elle s'tait
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habill
3. Because s'habiller takes tre, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habille
4. She had got dressed = elle s'tait habille

35

The Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is used to express an action that will
have happened:
I will have played
The future perfect tense is another tense that works in much
the same way as the past. It combines the subject, an
auxiliary verb and a past participle. The only difference
between the future perfect and the perfect tense is the tense
of the auxiliary verb. For the future perfect, the auxiliary verb
must be in the future tense.
The choice of auxiliary verb is the same as it would be in the
past and the rules of agreement remain. It is therefore
important to familiarise yourself with the future conjugations
for avoir and tre which are irregular:







avoir - to have
j'aurai
tu auras
il/elle/on aura
nous aurons
vous aurez
ils/elles auront
tre - to be
je serai
tu seras
il/elle/on sera
nous serons
vous serez
ils/elles seront
36

Examples
She will have eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense
with elle is elle aura
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mang
3. she will have eaten = elle aura mang

We will have finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense with
nous is nous aurons
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we will have finished = nous aurons fini






37

They will have waited
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the future tense
with ils is ils auront
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they will have waited = ils auront attendu

You will have left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes tre, which conjugated in the future tense with
vous is vous aurez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes tre, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. you will have left = vous aurez partis

She will have got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes tre, which
conjugated in the future tense with elle is elle se sera
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habill
38

3. Because s'habiller takes tre, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habille
4. she will have got dressed = elle se sera habille













39

The Past Historic Tense
The past historic is a literary tense used to express actions
that happened in the past, just like the perfect tense. As you
will only ever read it in novels, poetry and possibly
newspapers, it is not important to study it in depth and you
only need to be able to recognise it.
Conjugation in the past historic is as simple as removing the
infinitive ending and adding the appropriate past historic
ending. -er verbs have their own set of endings while -ir and -
re verbs share the same past historic prefixes:
Past Historic Ending for -er verbs
je -ai
tu -as
il / elle / on -a
nous -mes
vous -tes
ils / elles -rent
Past Historic Ending for -ir/re
verbs
je -is
tu -is
il / elle / on -it
nous -mes
vous -tes
ils / elles -irent
40

Of course, there are irregular forms of the past historic, many
of which can be found in the verb tables at the back of this
book.
The past historic is very much a dying tense in French and
being able to conjugate it is not necessary. Regular verbs are
easily recognisable without learning the lists of endings and,
as long as you can recognise the few irregular forms, you will
be able to read the past historic with ease.
41








MOODS

42

What is a mood?
So far, we have been learning to conjugate verbs in the
indicative mood, the mood of certainty, fact or question.
Other moods exist to give commands (imperative), express
emotions, doubt, wishes and uncertainty (subjunctive) and
express an action which would or could happen (conditional).
The conditional is often considered more of a tense than a
mood as it conjugates by combining two other tenses, but it
is technically a mood; the form of the verb that shows the
mode or manner in which a thought is expressed
2
.
Do not be intimidated by the concept of moods; for the most
part, you'll simply learn when to use each one and never
have to think about it. Listen, read and speak enough and
they will eventually all come naturally without the need to
think about the terminology.


2
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/english-grammar-101-verb-
mood/
43

The Conditional Mood
The conditional mood is used to express an action that would
or could take place, if the conditions were correct:
I would play
I would have played

The reason it is a mood and not a tense is that it can be
expressed in both the present (the first of the two sentences
above) and the perfect tense (the second sentence).
However, many people consider it a tense because it is
simply a combination of the future tense and the imperfect
tense.

To conjugate in the present tense:

1. Take the future stem (usually the infinitive)
2. Add the conditional endings

Examples
She would eat
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. infinitive form of the verb - manger
2. add the appropriate imperfect ending for elle - mangerait
3. she would eat = elle mangerait

44

We would finish
We = nous
to finish = finir
1. infinitive form of the verb - finir
2. add the appropriate imperfect ending for nous - finirions
3. we would finish = nous finirions

They would wait
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. infinitive form of the verb - attendre
2. remove the -e - attendr
3. add the appropriate imperfect ending for ils - attendraient
4. they would wait = ils attendraient

45

To conjugate the conditional in the perfect tense, as with the
past, pluperfect and future perfect, we use the auxiliary verb
and past participle. Rather predictably, the auxiliary verb for
the conditional perfect must be in the conditional mood.

Examples
She would have eaten
she = elle
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with elle is elle aurait
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mang
3. she would have eaten = elle aurait mang

We would have finished
we = nous
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional mood
with nous is nous aurions
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. we would have finished = nous aurions fini



46

They would have waited
they = ils
to wait = attendre
1. attendre takes avoir, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with ils is ils auraient
2. attendre is regular, so its past participle is attendu
3. they would have waited = ils auraient attendu

You would have left
you = vous
to leave = partir
1. partir takes tre, which conjugated in the conditional
mood with vous is vous auriez
2. partir is usually irregular, but its past participle is as we
would expect: parti
3. Because partir takes tre, the past participle must agree
with the subject. The subject here is plural, so we must add
an -s to the past participle - partis
4. You would have left = vous auriez partis

She will have got dressed
she = elle
to get dressed = s'habiller
1. s'habiller is reflexive and therefore takes tre, which
conjugated in the conditional mood with elle is elle se serait
2. s'habiller is regular so its past participle is habill
47

3. Because s'habiller takes tre, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The subject here is feminine, so we
must add an -e to the past participle - habille
4. She will have got dressed = elle se serait habille

48

The Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used to give commands:

Play!
Let's play!

Since we can only give commands to other people, the
imperative mood only exists for the second person singular
(tu), second person plural (vous) and first person plural
(nous).
Regular conjugation is really simple as it is usually the same
as the present indicative, minus the subject pronoun.
The only exception is that the -s is removed from the tu form
of -er verbs.

With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun is removed and
the equivalent emphatic pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous,
vous, eux, elles) must follow the verb with a hyphen.

Examples

Eat! (to a friend)

to eat = manger
1. present tense indicative, tu form of manger - tu manges
2. remove the subject pronoun - tu manges
3. manger is an -er verb, so we must remove the -s - manges
4. eat! = mange
49

Let's finish!

we = nous
to finish = finir
1. present indicative, nous form of finir - nous finissons
2. remove the subject pronoun - nous finissons
3. Let's finish! = finissons!

Wait! (to a group of people)
you = vous
to wait = attendre
1. present indicative, vous form of attendre - vous attendez
2. remove the subject pronoun - vous attendez
3. Wait! = attendez!

Hurry up! (to a friend)
you = tu, emphatic form = toi
to hurry = se dpcher
1. present indicative, tu form of se dpcher - tu te dpches
2. remove the subject + reflexive pronouns - tu te dpches
3. as it is an -er verb, remove the final -s - dpches
4. add the emphatic pronoun to the end - dpche-toi
5. Hurry up! = dpche-toi!


50

Word order with the imperative can become confusing when
we start to add pronouns.
For negative commands (telling somebody not to do
something), pronouns come before the verb and follow the
standard pronoun order, as shown by the table below:





Ne le fais pas! Don't do it!
Ne le lui donnez pas! Don't give it to him!
Ne me le donne pas! Don't give it to me!





me
te
se
nous
vous
le
la
les
lui
leur
y en
51

Affirmative commands (telling somebody to do something)
are not so simple. Firstly, all pronouns are hyphenated after
the verb in the following order:






Mange-le! Eat it!
Tuez-les! Kill them!

me and se become moi and toi respectively, unless they are
followed by y or en, in which case they become m' and s'.

Ecoutez-moi! Listen to me!
Va-t'en! Go away!

The final -s is not dropped from the tu form when followed
by y or en.

Penses-y Think about it
Vas-y Go (away)!

Irregular imperatives can be found in the verb tables at the
back of this book but are often the same as their subjunctive
form...
le
la
les
moi / m'
toi / t'
lui
nous
vous
leur
y en
52

The Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is rather a complex mood as it can be used in
so many situations. Generally, it is used to express a will,
wish, necessity or doubt although there are many other
situations in which it can be used.
The subjunctive is dying out in English, although its use with
the verb to be remains common:
I wish (that) I were younger
(as opposed to I wish I am younger)

It is important that you be there
(as opposed to It is important that you are there)

In French, the subjunctive only follows the word que. That is
not to say that it always follows que, but cannot be used
unless que appears before it.
Take the phrase: It is important that you be here
We are clearly expressing a necessity, which indicates that
we need to use the subjunctive. The word que is the
equivalent of the English that in this case. Therefore:
Il est important que tu sois ici
...is how to say it is important that you be here.
53

To conjugate regular verbs:
1. Take the ils/elles form of the verb
2. Remove the -ent
3. Add the subjunctive ending





Most of the time, the subjunctive will look no different to the
indicative because the endings for je, tu, il, elle, on, ils and
elles are the same.
Some subjunctive forms are irregular and can be found in the
irregular verb tables at the back of this book.
NB. There is no future subjunctive. When phrases are used in
the future tense, the present subjunctive is used.
Here are some phrases that the subjunctive must follow:

Subjunctive Ending
je -e
tu -es
il / elle / on -e
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils / elles -ent
54

afin que... so that...
pourvu que... provided that...
la/le seul(e)...que... the only...that...
condition que... provided that...
il faut que... it is important that...
il est important que... it is important that..
vouloir que... to want
avant que...* before...
douter que... to doubt that...
avoir besoin que... to need
il est possible que... it is possible that..
ne pas penser que... to not think that...
tre content que... to be happy that
moins que...* unless...
bien que... although
craindre que...* to fear that
There are indeed many other phrases that require the
subjunctive and you will certainly come across them if you
read and listen to enough French.
*These phrases also require a ne expltif which comes
before the verb:
Partons avant qu'il n'arrive! Let's leave before he arrives!

Je ne veux pas le faire moins
que tu ne le fasses avec moi.

I don't want to do it unless
you do it with me.


55

Examples
It is important that she eats
she = elle
to eat = manger
1.take the ils/elles form of manger - mangent
2. remove the -ent -mangent
3. add the subjunctive ending for elle - mange
4. it is important that she eats - il est important qu'elle
mange

We must / it is important that we finish
we = nous
to finish = finir
1.take the ils/elles form of finir- finissent
2. remove the -ent -finissent
3. add the subjunctive ending for nous - finissions
4. we must finish - il faut qu'on finissions

The only person who waits
The only person = La seule personne
to wait = attendre
1.take the ils/elles form of attendre - attendent
2. remove the -ent -attendent
3. add the subjunctive ending for il/elle/on - attende
4. the only person who waits - la seule personne qui attende
56

Third Person Commands with the Subjunctive
The subjunctive is also used to express a sort of 'command' in
the third person, such as:
Let him do it!
God save the Queen
In French, this is simply the word que, followed by the
subject and the verb in the subjunctive:
Qu'il le fasse! Let him do it!
Que Dieu sauve la Reine God Save the Queen

57

The Perfect Subjunctive
The perfect subjunctive is used in the same way as the
present subjunctive, only in the perfect tense. It works in
exactly the same way as the perfect tense, only the auxiliary
verb must be in the subjunctive. It is therefore important
that you are familiar with the subjunctive conjugations for
avoir and tre:







The rules for auxiliary verbs and agreement remain the same
as those for the perfect tense and it is only the auxiliary verb
that will change.



avoir - to have
j'aie
tu aies
il/elle/on ait
nous ayons
vous ayez
ils/elles aient
tre - to be
je sois
tu sois
il/elle/on soit
nous soyons
vous soyez
ils/elles soient
58

Examples
I am happy that you ate
you = vous
to eat = manger
1. manger takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with vous is vous ayez
2. manger is regular, so its past participle is mang
3. I am happy that you ate = je suis content(e) que vous ayez
mang

I doubt that he has finished
I = je
he = il
to finish = finir
1. finir takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive mood
with il is il ait
2. finir is regular, so its past participle is fini
3. I doubt that he has finished = Je doute qu'il ait fini






59

Although I cried, I was happy
I = je
to cry = pleurer
1. pleurer takes avoir, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with je is j'aie
2. pleurer is regular, so its past participle is pleur
3. Although I cried, I was happy = bien que j'aie pleur, j'tais
content

I am afraid that he hasn't arrived
I = je
he = il
to arrive = arriver
1. arriver takes tre, which conjugated in the subjunctive
mood with il is il soit
2. arriver is regular, so its past participle is arriv
3. I am afraid that he hasn't arrived = j'ai peur qu'il ne soit
pas arriv


60

Negatives
By now, you should be an expert in French verbs...in the
affirmative at least! To make a sentence negative, the verb
must be sandwiched by two negative parts

ne verb negative word

Ne always appears in negative phrases (except in spoken
French in which it can be omitted) but the negative word
depends on the meaning of the negation.

ne...aucun(e)* not one, not any, no
ne...gure rarely
ne...jamais never
ne...ni...ni neither...nor
ne...nulle part nowhere
ne...pas not
ne...personne nobody
ne...plus no longer, anymore
ne...que only
ne...rien nothing

*must agree with the noun to which it refers


61

Examples
Je ne l'ai pas fait
I haven't done it / I didn't do it

Il ne mange jamais les lgumes
He never eats vegetables

Nous n'avons pas vu personne
We didn't see anyone

Elle n'a ni frre ni soeur
She has neither brother nor sister

Vous n'avez aucune ide
You have no idea

Je ne les ai vus nulle part
I haven't seen them anywhere

On ne se rveille qu'avant midi
We only wake up after midday

Elles ne se sont jamais arrives
They never arrived

Je ne la vois gure
I rarely see her
62

Glossary
affirmative statement a declarative sentence; a
sentence which states
something to be true .

auxiliary verb a verb that does not provide
meaning to a sentence but
helps to establish the tense in
which the action takes place.

compound tense a tense that is made up of
three parts: subject, auxiliary
verb and past participle.

conditional a form of writing verbs when
the action could or would
happen if the conditions were
sufficient to allow it to
happen.

conjugation changing a verb's form so
that it tells us more about
the tense and subject of the
action.



63

connotation the implications of a word
outside of its denotation
(dictionary definition).

dynamic verb a verb which expresses a
physical action.
emphatic pronoun a pronoun used to emphasise
a particular person. In
French, these are: moi (me),
toi (you, to a friend, family
member or younger person),
lui (him), elle (her), nous (us),
vous (you, plural or formal),
eux (them, men or mixed
group), elles (them, women).

feminine noun a French noun which falls
under the feminine gender.
Grammatical gender does
not necessarily relate to
biological gender and is
simply a way of categorising
nouns.

first conjugation verb the most common form of
verb in French; all those
whose infinitive ends with
-er.
64

future stem The form of a verb in the
future tense before the
addition of future endings.


gerund the -ing form of a verb in
English which either acts as a
noun or to express an action
that is currently taking place.

imperative a form of writing verbs when
giving commands, making
suggestions or giving
instructions.

imperfect stem The form of a verb in the
imperfect tense before the
addition of imperfect
endings.

indicative mood a form of writing verbs when
stating facts, certainties and
questions.

infinitive the root form or un-
conjugated form of a verb.


65

infinitive ending the final two letters of a
French infinitive. Either ---er,-
ir or re.


inflected language a language which changes
the way words are spelt to
create different meanings.

irregular verb a verb which does not follow
the normal pattern of
conjugation.

masculine noun a French noun which falls
under the masculine gender.
Grammatical gender does
not necessarily relate to
biological gender and is
simply a way of categorising
nouns.

ne expltif the word ne that appears in
affirmative statements and
carries no meaning
whatsoever. It is used to
indicate a sense of doubt or
fear in some situations but is
very rare.
66

non pro-drop language a language that relies upon
pronouns to indicate the
subject of a sentence. English
is a non pro-drop language.
noun a person, place or thing.

object the person/thing receiving
the action in a sentence.

past participle The form of a verb that
indicates that the action
happened in the past.
Typically, English past
participles end with -ed. In
French, they usually end with
-, -i or -u.

perfect tense the past tense, used to
express an action that
happened in the past, usually
on just one occasion.

prefix a group of letters that can be
put at the start of a word to
alter its meaning.



67

present participle The -ing form of a verb that
indicates that the action is
currently happening.

pronoun a word that replaces a noun.

reflexive pronoun A pronoun used to indicate
that the subject of the action
is performing said action on
them/itself. In French, they
are me (myself), te (yourself,
to a friend, family member or
younger person), se (himself,
herself, itself), nous
(ourselves), vous (yourself,
plural and formal) and se
(themselves).

reflexive verb a verb in which the subject is
also the object. Reflexive
verbs are accompanied by
reflexive pronouns.

regular verb a verb which follows a
pattern in its conjugation.



68

second conjugation verb French verbs whose
infinitives end with -ir.

stative verb a verb which expresses a
state of being rather than a
physical action.

subject the person/thing doing the
action in a sentence.

subject pronoun a pronoun that replaces the
name of the subject of a
sentence. In French, these
are: je (I), tu (you, to a friend,
family member or younger
person, il (he/it), elle (she/it),
on (we, one), nous (we), vous
(you, plural or formal), ils
(they, men or mixed group),
elles (they, women).

subjunctive a form of writing verbs when
there is an element of
uncertainty, emotion, wish or
doubt.



69

suffix a group of letters that can be
put at the end of a word to
alter the meaning.

tense forms that a verb can take to
indicate the time of the
action.


third conjugation verb the least common form of
verb in French; all those
whose infinitives end with
-re.

verb a word which expresses an
action or state of being.



70

Irregular Verb Tables
The following pages contain simple tense conjugations for
some of the most commonly used verbs in French. Some
include similar conjugation sections which list further verbs
that conjugate in a similar way based on their ending. For
example:
to come - venir I come - je viens
to remember - se souvenir I remember - je me souviens
Perfect tenses are not included in the tables as they are
made by combining elements from other tenses (pluperfect =
imperfect auxiliary + past participle, for example) and can
therefore be constructed from the information given.
Participles are provided under all tables and the auxiliary
verb is given for each.





71

aller - to go
Present Imperfect Future
je vais
tu vas
il/elle/on va
nous allons
vous allez
ils/elles vont
j'allais
tu allais
il/elle/on allait
nous allions
vous alliez
ils/elles allaient
j'irai
tu iras
il/elle/on ira
nous irons
vous irez
ils/elles iront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'irais
tu irais
il/elle/on irait
nous irions
vous iriez
ils/elles iraient
j'allai
tu allas
il/elle/on alla
nous allmes
vous alltes
ils/elles allrent
j'aille
tu ailles
il/elle/on aille
nous allions
vous alliez
ils/elles aillent

(tu) vas-y!

(nous) allons-y!
(vous) allez-y!


Present Participle: allant Auxiliary verb: tre
Past Participle: all

72

avoir - to have
Present Imperfect Future
j'ai
tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
j'avais
tu avais
il/elle/on avait
nous avions
vous aviez
ils/elles avaient
j'aurai
tu auras
il/elle/on aura
nous aurons
vous aurez
ils/elles auront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'aurais
tu aurais
il/elle/on aurait
nous aurions
vous auriez
ils/elles auraient
j'eus
tu eus
il/elle/on eut
nous emes
vous etes
ils/elles eurent
j'aie
tu aies
il/elle/on ait
nous ayons
vous ayez
ils/elles aient

(tu) aie!

(nous) ayons!
(vous) ayez!


Present Participle: ayant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: eu

73

battre - to beat
Present Imperfect Future
je bats
tu bats
il/elle/on bat
nous battons
vous battez
ils/elles battent
je battais
tu battais
il/elle/on battait
nous battions
vous battiez
ils/elles battaient
je battrai
tu battras
il/elle/on battra
nous battrons
vous battrez
ils/elles battront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je battrais
tu battrais
il/elle/on battrait
nous battrions
vous battriez
ils/elles battraient
je battis
tu battis
il/elle/on battit
nous battmes
vous batttes
ils/elles battirent
j'batte
tu battes
il/elle/on batte
nous battions
vous battiez
ils/elles battent

(tu) bats!

(nous) battons!
(vous) battez!


Present Participle: battant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: battu







74

boire - to drink
Present Imperfect Future
je bois
tu bois
il/elle/on boit
nous buvons
vous buvez
ils/elles boivent
je buvais
tu buvais
il/elle/on buvait
nous buvions
vous buviez
ils/elles buvaient
je boirai
tu boiras
il/elle/on boira
nous boirons
vous boirez
ils/elles boiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je boirais
tu boirais
il/elle/on boirait
nous boirions
vous boiriez
ils/elles boiraient
je bus
tu bus
il/elle/on but
nous bmes
vous btes
ils/elles burent
je boive
tu boives
il/elle/on boive
nous buvions
vous buviez
ils/elles boivent

(tu) bois!

(nous)
buvons!
(vous)
buvez!


Present Participle: buvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: bu

75

commencer - to start
Present Imperfect Future
je commence
tu commences
il/elle/on commence
nous commenons
vous commencez
ils/elles commencent
je commenais
tu commenais
il/elle/on commenait
nous commencions
vous commenciez
ils/elles commenaient
je commencerai
tu commenceras
il/elle/on commencera
nous commencerons
vous commencerez
ils/elles commenceront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je commencerais
tu commencerais
il/elle/on commencerait
nous commencerions
vous commenceriez
ils/elles commenceraient
je commenai
tu commenas
il/elle/on commena
nous commenmes
vous commentes
ils/elles commencrent
je commence
tu commences
il/elle/on commence
nous commencions
vous commenciez
ils/elles commencent
Imperative

(tu) commence!

(nous)commenons!
(vous) commencez!


Isn't commencer regular?
Commencer is regular, but if the ending does not start with
an e- or -i, you must put a cedilla () on the c in order to
soften the [c] sound.
Present Participle: commenant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: commenc

76


Similar conjugations:
produire to produce introduire to introduce
construire to build rduire to reduce
cuire to cook traduire to translate
dduire to deduce
conduire - to drive
Present Imperfect Future
je conduis
tu conduis
il/elle/on conduit
nous conduisons
vous conduise
ils/elles conduisent
je conduisais
tu conduisais
il/elle/on conduisait
nous conduisions
vous conduisiez
ils/elles conduisaient
je conduirai
tu conduiras
il/elle/on conduira
nous conduirons
vous conduirez
ils/elles conduiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je conduirais
tu conduirais
il/elle/on conduirait
nous conduirions
vous conduiriez
ils/elles conduiraient
je conduisis
tu conduisis
il/elle/on conduisit
nous conduismes
vous conduistes
ils/elles conduisirent
je conduise
tu conduises
il/elle/on conduise
nous conduisions
vous conduisiez
ils/elles conduisent
Imperative

(tu) conduis!

(nous) conduisons!
(vous) conduisez!

Present Participle: conduisant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: conduit

77

connatre - to know (a person)
Present Imperfect Future
je connais
tu connais
il/elle/on connait
nous connaissons
vous connaissez
ils/elles connaissent
je connaissais
tu connaissais
il/elle/on connaissait
nous connaissions
vous connaissiez
ils/elles connaissaient
je connatrai
tu connatras
il/elle/on connatra
nous connatrons
vous connatrez
ils/elles connatront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je connatrais
tu connatrais
il/elle/on connatrait
nous connatrions
vous connatriez
ils/elles connatraient
je bus
tu bus
il/elle/on but
nous bmes
vous btes
ils/elles burent
je connaisse
tu connaisses
il/elle/on connaisse
nous connaissions
vous connaissiez
ils/elles connaissent
Imperative

(tu) connais!

(nous) connaissons!
(vous) connaissez!

Present Participle: connaissant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: connu


Similar Conjugations
apparatre to appear
disparatre to disappear
paratre to seem
reconnatre to recognise
excl. natre to be born
78


Present Participle: courant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: couru
courir - to run
Present Imperfect Future
je cours
tu cours
il/elle/on court
nous courons
vous courez
ils/elles courent
je courais
tu courais
il/elle/on courait
nous courions
vous couriez
ils/elles couraient
je courrai
tu courras
il/elle/on courra
nous courrons
vous courrez
ils/elles courront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je courrais
tu courrais
il/elle/on courrait
nous courrions
vous courriez
ils/elles courraient
je courus
tu courus
il/elle/on courut
nous courmes
vous courtes
ils/elles coururent
je coure
tu coures
il/elle/on coure
nous courions
vous couriez
ils/elles courent

(tu) cours!

(nous) courons!
(vous) courez!

79


Similar Conjugations
se plaindre to complain
atteindre to reach
peindre to paint
teindre to dye
joindre to join

craindre - to fear
Present Imperfect Future
je crains
tu crains
il/elle/on craint
nous craignons
vous craignez
ils/elles craignent
je craignais
tu craignais
il/elle/on craignait
nous craignions
vous craigniez
ils/elles craignaient
je craindrai
tu craindras
il/elle/on craindra
nous craindrons
vous craindrez
ils/elles craindront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je craindrais
tu craindrais
il/elle/on craindrait
nous craindrions
vous craindriez
ils/elles craindraient
je craignis
tu craignis
il/elle/on craignit
nous craignmes
vous craigntes
ils/elles craignirent
je craigne
tu craignes
il/elle/on craigne
nous craignions
vous craigniez
ils/elles craignent
Imperative

(tu) crains!

(nous) craignons!
(vous) craignez!

Present Participle: craignant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: craint

80



Present Participle: croyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: cru








croire - to believe
Present Imperfect Future
je crois
tu crois
il/elle/on croit
nous croyons
vous croyez
ils/elles croient
je croyais
tu croyais
il/elle/on croyait
nous croyions
vous croyiez
ils/elles croyaient
je croirai
tu croiras
il/elle/on croira
nous croirons
vous croirez
ils/elles croiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je croirais
tu croirais
il/elle/on croirait
nous croirions
vous croiriez
ils/elles croiraient
je crus
tu crus
il/elle/on crut
nous crmes
vous crtes
ils/elles crurent
je croie
tu croies
il/elle/on croie
nous croyions
vous croyiez
ils/elles croient

(tu) crois!

(nous) croyons!
(vous) croyez!

81


Present Participle: devant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: d







devoir - to have to
Present Imperfect Future
je dois
tu dois
il/elle/on doit
nous devons
vous devez
ils/elles doivent
je devais
tu devais
il/elle/on devait
nous devions
vous deviez
ils/elles devaient
je devrai
tu devras
il/elle/on devra
nous devrons
vous devrez
ils/elles devront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je devrais
tu devrais
il/elle/on devrait
nous devrions
vous devriez
ils/elles devraient
je dus
tu dus
il/elle/on dut
nous dmes
vous dtes
ils/elles durent
je doive
tu doive
il/elle/on doive
nous devions
vous deviez
ils/elles doivent

(tu) dois!

(nous) devons!
(vous) devez!

82



Present Participle: disant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: dit






dire - to say/tell
Present Imperfect Future
je dis
tu dis
il/elle/on dit
nous disons
vous dites
ils/elles disent
je disais
tu disais
il/elle/on disait
nous disions
vous disiez
ils/elles disaient
je dirai
tu diras
il/elle/on dira
nous dirons
vous direz
ils/elles diront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je dirais
tu dirais
il/elle/on dirait
nous dirions
vous diriez
ils/elles diraient
je dis
tu dis
il/elle/on dit
nous dmes
vous dtes
ils/elles dirent
je dise
tu dises
il/elle/on dise
nous disions
vous disiez
ils/elles disent

(tu) dis!

(nous)
disons!
(vous) dites!

83

dormir - to sleep
Present Imperfect Future
je dors
tu dors
il/elle/on dort
nous dormons
vous dormez
ils/elles dorment
je dormais
tu dormais
il/elle/on dormait
nous dormions
vous dormiez
ils/elles dormaient
je dormirai
tu dormiras
il/elle/on dormira
nous dormirons
vous dormirez
ils/elles dormiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je dormirais
tu dormirais
il/elle/on dormirait
nous dormirions
vous dormiriez
ils/elles dormiraient
je dormis
tu dormis
il/elle/on dormit
nous dormmes
vous dormtes
ils/elles dormirent
je dorme
tu dormes
il/elle/on dorme
nous dormions
vous dormiez
ils/elles dorment
Imperative

(tu) dors!

(nous) dormons!
(vous) dormez!

Present Participle: dormant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: dormi


Similar Conjugations
sortir to go out
partir to leave
mentir to lie (tell a lie)
servir to serve
se sentir to feel

84

crire - to write
Present Imperfect Future
j'cris
tu cris
il/elle/on crit
nous crivons
vous crivez
ils/elles crivent
je crivais
tu crivais
il/elle/on crivait
nous crivions
vous criviez
ils/elles crivaient
je crirai
tu criras
il/elle/on crira
nous crirons
vous crirez
ils/elles criront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je crirais
tu crirais
il/elle/on crirait
nous cririons
vous cririez
ils/elles criraient
j'crivis
tu crivis
il/elle/on crivit
nous crivmes
vous crivtes
ils/elles crivirent
j'crive
tu crives
il/elle/on crive
nous crivions
vous criviez
ils/elles crivent
Imperative

(tu) cris!

(nous) crivons!
(vous) crivez!

Present Participle: crivant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: crit


Similar Conjugations
dcrire to describe
transcrire to transcribe
s'inscrire to register
servir to serve


85


Present Participle: envoyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: envoy
envoyer - to send
Present Imperfect Future
j'envoie
tu envoies
il/elle/on envoie
nous envoyons
vous envoyez
ils/elles envoient
j'envoyais
tu envoyais
il/elle/on envoyait
nous envoyions
vous envoyiez
ils/elles envoyaient
j'enverrai
tu enverras
il/elle/on enverra
nous enverrons
vous enverrez
ils/elles enverront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
j'enverrais
tu enverrais
il/elle/on enverrait
nous enverrions
vous enverriez
ils/elles enverraient
j'envoyai
tu envoyas
il/elle/on envoya
nous envoymes
vous envoytes
ils/elles envoyrent
j'envoie
tu envoie
il/elle/on envoie
nous envoyions
vous envoyiez
ils/elles envoient

(tu) envoie!

(nous)
envoyons!
(vous) envoyez!

86


Present Participle: tant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: t
tre - to be
Present Imperfect Future
je suis
tu es
il/elle/on est
nous sommes
vous tes
ils/elles sont
j'tais
tu tais
il/elle/on tait
nous tions
vous tiez
ils/elles taient
je serai
tu seras
il/elle/on sera
nous serons
vous serez
ils/elles seront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je serais
tu serais
il/elle/on serait
nous serions
vous seriez
ils/elles seraient
je fus
tu fus
il/elle/on fut
nous fmes
vous ftes
ils/elles furent
je sois
tu sois
il/elle/on soit
nous soyons
vous soyez
ils/elles soient

(tu) sois!

(nous)
soyons!
(vous) soyez!

87


Present Participle: faisant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: fait



faire - to do/make
Present Imperfect Future
je fais
tu fais
il/elle/on fait
nous faisons
vous faites
ils/elles font
je faisais
tu faisais
il/elle/on faisait
nous faisions
vous faisiez
ils/elles faisaient
je ferai
tu feras
il/elle/on fera
nous ferons
vous ferez
ils/elles feront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je ferais
tu ferais
il/elle/on ferait
nous ferions
vous feriez
ils/elles feraient
je fis
tu fis
il/elle/on fit
nous fmes
vous ftes
ils/elles firent
je fasse
tu fasses
il/elle/on fasse
nous fassions
vous fassiez
ils/elles fassent

(tu) fais!

(nous) faisons!
(vous) faites!

88


Present Participle: n/a Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: fallu
Falloir is an impersonal verb with only one form. It used
frequently to mean to have to or to be necessary. When used
in a general sense, il faut is followed by an infinitive:
Il faut faire la vaisselle
It is important to do the washing up

When used with a specific person, we use il faut que which
must be followed by the subjunctive
Il faut que je fasse la vaiselle
It is important that I do the washing up


falloir - to have to / to be necessary
Present Imperfect Future
il faut il fallait il faudra
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
il faudrait il fallut il faille n/a
89


Present Participle: lisant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: lu






lire - to read
Present Imperfect Future
je lis
tu lis
il/elle/on lit
nous lisons
vous lisez
ils/elles lisent
je lisais
tu lisais
il/elle/on lisait
nous lisions
vous lisiez
ils/elles lisaient
je lirai
tu liras
il/elle/on lira
nous lirons
vous lirez
ils/elles liront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je lirais
tu lirais
il/elle/on lirait
nous lirions
vous liriez
ils/elles liraient
je lus
tu lus
il/elle/on lut
nous lmes
vous ltes
ils/elles lurent
je lise
tu lises
il/elle/on lise
nous lisions
vous lisiez
ils/elles lisent

(tu) lis!

(nous)
lisons!
(vous) lisez!

90

manger - to eat
Present Imperfect Future
je mange
tu manges
il/elle/on mange
nous mangeons
vous mangez
ils/elles mangent
je mangeais
tu mangeais
il/elle/on mangeait
nous mangions
vous mangiez
ils/elles mangeaient
je mangerai
tu mangeras
il/elle/on mangera
nous mangerons
vous mangerez
ils/elles mangeront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je mangerais
tu mangerais
il/elle/on mangerait
nous mangerions
vous mangeriez
ils/elles mangeraient
je mangeai
tu mangeas
il/elle/on mangea
nous mangemes
vous mangetes
ils/elles mangrent
je mange
tu manges
il/elle/on mange
nous mangions
vous mangiez
ils/elles mangent
Imperative

(tu) mange!

(nous) mangeons!
(vous) mangez!

Present Participle: mangeant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: mang


Isn't manger regular?
Manger is regular, but if the ending does not start with an e-
or -i, you must one after the -g- in order to soften the [g]
sound.


91


Similar Conjugations
permettre to allow/permit
compromettre to compromise
promettre to promise
admettre to admit


mettre - to put
Present Imperfect Future
je mets
tu mets
il/elle/on met
nous mettons
vous mettez
ils/elles mettent
je mettais
tu mettais
il/elle/on mettait
nous mettions
vous mettiez
ils/elles mettaient
je mettrai
tu mettras
il/elle/on mettra
nous mettrons
vous mettrez
ils/elles mettront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je mettrais
tu mettrais
il/elle/on mettrait
nous mettrions
vous mettriez
ils/elles mettraient
je mis
tu mis
il/elle/on mit
nous mmes
vous mtes
ils/elles mirent
je mette
tu mettes
il/elle/on mette
nous mettions
vous mettiez
ils/elles mettent
Imperative

(tu) mets!

(nous) mettons!
(vous) mettez!

Present Participle: mettant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: mis

92


Present Participle: mourant Auxiliary verb: tre
Past Participle: mort

mourir - to die
Present Imperfect Future
je meurs
tu meurs
il/elle/on meurt
nous mourons
vous mourez
ils/elles meurent
je mourais
tu mourais
il/elle/on mourait
nous mourions
vous mouriez
ils/elles mouraient
je mourrai
tu mourras
il/elle/on mourra
nous mourrons
vous mourez
ils/elles mourront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je mourrais
tu mourrais
il/elle/on mourrait
nous mourrions
vous mouriez
ils/elles mourraient
je mourus
tu mourus
il/elle/on mourut
nous mourmes
vous mourtes
ils/elles moururent
je meure
tu meures
il/elle/on meure
nous mourions
vous mouriez
ils/elles meurent

(tu) meurs!

(nous)
mourons!
(vous) mourez!

93


Present Participle: naissant Auxiliary verb: tre
Past Participle: n






natre - to be born
Present Imperfect Future
je nais
tu nais
il/elle/on nat
nous naissons
vous naissez
ils/elles naissent
je naissais
tu naissais
il/elle/on naissait
nous naissions
vous naissiez
ils/elles naissaient
je natrai
tu natras
il/elle/on natra
nous natrons
vous natrez
ils/elles natront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je natrais
tu natrais
il/elle/on natrait
nous natrions
vous natriez
ils/elles natraient
je naquis
tu naquis
il/elle/on naquit
nous naqumes
vous naqutes
ils/elles naquirent
je naisse
tu naisses
il/elle/on naisse
nous naissions
vous naissiez
ils/elles naissent

(tu) nais!

(nous)
naissons!
(vous) naissez!

94

ouvrir - to open
Present Imperfect Future
j'ouvre
tu ouvres
il/elle/on ouvre
nous ouvrons
vous ouvrez
ils/elles ouvrent
je ouvrais
tu ouvrais
il/elle/on ouvrait
nous ouvrions
vous ouvriez
ils/elles ouvraient
j'ouvrirai
tu ouvriras
il/elle/on ouvrira
nous ouvrirons
vous ouvrirez
ils/elles ouvriront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
j'ouvrirais
tu ouvrirais
il/elle/on ouvrirait
nous ouvririons
vous ouvririez
ils/elles ouvriraient
j'ouvris
tu ouvris
il/elle/on ouvrit
nous ouvrmes
vous ouvrtes
ils/elles ouvrirent
j'ouvre
tu ouvres
il/elle/on ouvre
nous ouvrions
vous ouvriez
ils/elles ouvrent
Imperative

(tu) ouvre!

(nous) ouvrons!
(vous) ouvrez!

Present Participle: ouvrant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: ouvert



Similar Conjugations

couvrir to cover
dcouvrir to discover
souffrir to suffer
offrir to offer/give (gift)

95


Present Participle: pleuvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: plu

pleuvoir - to rain
Present Imperfect Future
il pleut il pleuvait il pleuvra
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
il pleuvrait il plut il pleuve n/a
96


Present Participle: pouvant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: pu
pouvoir - to be able
Present Imperfect Future
je peux
tu peux
il/elle/on peut
nous pouvons
vous pouvez
ils/elles peuvent
je pouvais
tu pouvais
il/elle/on pouvait
nous pouvions
vous pouviez
ils/elles pouvaient
je pourrai
tu pourras
il/elle/on pourra
nous pourrons
vous pourrez
ils/elles pourront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je pourrais
tu pourrais
il/elle/on pourrait
nous pourrions
vous pourriez
ils/elles pourraient
je pus
tu pus
il/elle/on put
nous pmes
vous ptes
ils/elles purent
je puisse
tu puisses
il/elle/on puisse
nous puissions
vous puissiez
ils/elles puissent
n/a

97


Similar Conjugations
apprendre to learn
mprendre to mistake
surprendre to surprise
comprendre to understand


prendre - to take
Present Imperfect Future
je prends
tu prends
il/elle/on prend
nous prenons
vous prenez
ils/elles prennent
je prenais
tu prenais
il/elle/on prenait
nous prenions
vous preniez
ils/elles prenaient
je prendrai
tu prendras
il/elle/on prendra
nous prendrons
vous prendrez
ils/elles
prendront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je prendrais
tu prendrais
il/elle/on prendrait
nous prendrions
vous prendriez
ils/elles
prendraient
je pris
tu pris
il/elle/on prit
nous prmes
vous prtes
ils/elles prirent
je prenne
tu prennes
il/elle/on prenne
nous prenions
vous preniez
ils/elles prennent
Imperative

(tu) prends!

(nous) prenons!
(vous) prenez!

Present Participle: prenant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: pris

98


Similar Conjugations
percevoir to perceive
apercevoir to foresee
dcevoir to disappoint


recevoir - to receive
Present Imperfect Future
je reois
tu reois
il/elle/on reoit
nous recevons
vous recevez
ils/elles reoivent
je recevais
tu recevais
il/elle/on recevait
nous recevions
vous receviez
ils/elles recevaient
je recevrai
tu recevras
il/elle/on recevra
nous recevrons
vous recevrez
ils/elles recevront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je recevrais
tu recevrais
il/elle/on recevrait
nous recevrions
vous recevriez
ils/elles recevraient
je reus
tu reus
il/elle/on reut
nous remes
vous retes
ils/elles reurent
je reoive
tu reoives
il/elle/on reoive
nous recevions
vous receviez
ils/elles reoivent
Imperative

(tu) reois!

(nous) recevons!
(vous) recevez!

Present Participle: recevant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: reu

99

rire - to laugh
Present Imperfect Future
je ris
tu ris
il/elle/on rit
nous rions
vous riez
ils/elles rient
je riais
tu riais
il/elle/on riait
nous riions
vous riiez
ils/elles riaient
je rirai
tu riras
il/elle/on rira
nous rirons
vous rirez
ils/elles riront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je rirais
tu rirais
il/elle/on rirait
nous ririons
vous ririez
ils/elles riraient
je ris
tu ris
il/elle/on rit
nous rmes
vous rtes
ils/elles rirent
je reoive
tu reoives
il/elle/on reoive
nous recevions
vous receviez
ils/elles reoivent
Imperative

(tu) ris!

(nous) rions!
(vous) riez!

Present Participle: riant

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Past Participle: ri


Similar Conjugations
sourire to smile
100




s'asseoir - to sit down
Present Imperfect Future
je m'assieds
tu t'assieds
il/elle/on s'assieds
nous nous asseyons
vous vous asseyez
ils/elles s'asseyent
je m'asseyais
tu t'asseyais
il/elle/on s'asseyait
nous nous asseyions
vous vous asseyiez
ils/elles s'asseyaient
je m'assirai
tu t'assiras
il/elle/on s'assira
nous nous assirons
vous vous assirez
ils/elles s' assiront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je m'assirais
tu t'assirais
il/elle/on s'assirait
nous nous assirions
vous vous assiriez
ils/elles s' assiraient
je m'assis
tu t'assis
il/elle/on s'assit
nous nous assmes
vous vous asstes
ils/elles s'assirent
je m'asseye
tu t'asseyes
il/elle/on s'asseye
nous nous asseyions
vous vous asseyiez
ils/elles s'asseyent
Imperative

(tu) assieds-toi!

(nous) asseyons-
nous!
(vous) asseyez-vous!

Present Participle: s'asseyant

Auxiliary verb: tre

Past Participle: assis

101


Present Participle: sachant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: su

savoir - to know (a fact)
Present Imperfect Future
je sais
tu sais
il/elle/on sait
nous nous savons
vous vous savez
ils/elles savent
je savais
tu savais
il/elle/on savait
nous savions
vous saviez
ils/elles savaient
je saurai
tu sauras
il/elle/on saura
nous saurons
vous saurez
ils/elles sauront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je saurais
tu saurais
il/elle/on saurait
nous saurions
vous sauriez
ils/elles sauraient
je sus
tu sus
il/elle/on sut
nous smes
vous stes
ils/elles surent
je sache
tu saches
il/elle/on sache
nous sachions
vous sachiez
ils/elles sachent

(tu) sache!

(nous) sachions!
(vous) sachiez!

102


Present Participle: suivant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: suivi

suivre - to follow
Present Imperfect Future
je suis
tu suis
il/elle/on suit
nous nous suivons
vous vous suivez
ils/elles suivent
je suivais
tu suivais
il/elle/on suivait
nous suivions
vous suiviez
ils/elles suivaient
je suivrai
tu suivras
il/elle/on suivra
nous suivrons
vous suivrez
ils/elles suivront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je suivrais
tu suivrais
il/elle/on suivrait
nous suivrions
vous suivriez
ils/elles suivraient
je suivis
tu suivis
il/elle/on suivit
nous suivmes
vous suivtes
ils/elles suivirent
je suive
tu suives
il/elle/on suive
nous suivions
vous suiviez
ils/elles suivent

(tu) suis!

(nous) suivons!
(vous) suivez!

103


Similar Conjugations
se souvenir* to remember prvenir to warn
soutenir to support appartenir to belong
tenir to hold contenir to contain
devenir* to become entretenir to maintain
revenir* to come back

* the auxiliary verb is tre for these verbs

venir - to come
Present Imperfect Future
je viens
tu viens
il/elle/on vient
nous venons
vous venez
ils/elles viennent
je venais
tu venais
il/elle/on venait
nous venions
vous veniez
ils/elles venaient
je viendrai
tu viendras
il/elle/on viendra
nous viendrons
vous viendrez
ils/elles viendront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive
je viendrais
tu viendrais
il/elle/on viendrait
nous viendrions
vous viendriez
ils/elles viendraient
je vins
tu vins
il/elle/on vint
nous vnmes
vous vntes
ils/elles vinrent
je vienne
tu viennes
il/elle/on vienne
nous venions
vous veniez
ils/elles viennent
Imperative

(tu) viens!

(nous) venons!
(vous) venez!

Present Participle: venant

Auxiliary verb: tre

Past Participle: venu

104


Present Participle: vivant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: vcu

vivre - to live
Present Imperfect Future
je vis
tu vis
il/elle/on vit
nous vivons
vous vivez
ils/elles vivent
je vivais
tu vivais
il/elle/on vivait
nous vivions
vous viviez
ils/elles vivaient
je vivrai
tu vivras
il/elle/on vivra
nous vivrons
vous vivrez
ils/elles vivront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je vivrais
tu vivrais
il/elle/on vivrait
nous vivrions
vous vivriez
ils/elles vivraient
je vcus
tu vcus
il/elle/on vcut
nous vcmes
vous vctes
ils/elles vcurent
je vive
tu vives
il/elle/on vive
nous vivions
vous viviez
ils/elles vivent

(tu) vis!

(nous) vivons!
(vous) vivez!

105


Present Participle: voyant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: vu

voir - to see
Present Imperfect Future
je vois
tu vois
il/elle/on voit
nous voyons
vous voyez
ils/elles voient
je voyais
tu voyais
il/elle/on voyait
nous voyions
vous voyiez
ils/elles voyaient
je verrai
tu verras
il/elle/on verra
nous verrons
vous verrez
ils/elles verront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je verrais
tu verrais
il/elle/on verrait
nous verrions
vous verriez
ils/elles verraient
je vis
tu vis
il/elle/on vit
nous vmes
vous vtes
ils/elles virent
je voie
tu voies
il/elle/on voie
nous voyions
vous voyiez
ils/elles voient

(tu) vois!

(nous) voyons!
(vous) voyez!

106


Present Participle: voulant Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past Participle: voulu



vouloir - to want
Present Imperfect Future
je veux
tu veux
il/elle/on veut
nous voulons
vous voulez
ils/elles veulent
je voulais
tu voulais
il/elle/on voulait
nous voulions
vous vouliez
ils/elles voulaient
je voudrai
tu voudras
il/elle/on voudra
nous voudrons
vous voudrez
ils/elles voudront
Conditional Past Historic Subjunctive Imperative
je voudrais
tu voudrais
il/elle/on voudrait
nous voudrions
vous voudriez
ils/elles voudraient
je voulus
tu voulus
il/elle/on voulut
nous voulmes
vous voultes
ils/elles voulurent
je veuille
tu veuilles
il/elle/on veuille
nous voulions
vous vouliez
ils/elles veuillent

(tu) veuille!

(nous)
veuillons!
(vous) veuillez!