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20/09/2022, 23:44 Most Widely Used French Verbs and Their Conjugation

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Master French conjugation: 20 Most


widely used French verbs and their
conjugation
June 7, 2021  •  Updated September 12, 2022

Article by: Ilma Ibrisevic

The three words that make most French learners shudder: “French verbs conjugation.” We get it.

French isn’t exactly known for its easy grammar and French verb conjugation rules can give even
the most seasoned language learners a headache. To help you out, we’ve created a French verb
conjugation list, complete with examples and bonus grammar tips. We focus on the most common
French verbs and their conjugations in four tenses: présent (present), passé composé (present
perfect), imparfait (imperfect), and futur simple (future).

When you get the hang of these and equip yourself with some basic French vocabulary, there’ll be
no stopping you!

Common French verbs conjugation table


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20/09/2022, 23:44 Most Widely Used French Verbs and Their Conjugation

Conjugating verbs correctly is integral to successful communication. Even if you’re a pro at French
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question words, nouns, and pronouns, it’s difficult to express oneself confidently if you’re not
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confident in your French verb conjugations.

To set you up, here are the 20 most common French verbs conjugations, examples of their use in
everyday life, and grammar tips. 

1. Être (to be)

Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple


(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je suis J’ai été  J’étais  Je serai 

Tu es  Tu as été  Tu étais  Tu seras 

Il/elle est  Il/elle a été  Il/elle était  Il/elle sera 

Nous Nous avons été  Nous étions  Nous serons 


sommes 

Vous êtes  Vous avez été  Vous étiez  Vous serez 

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont été  Ils/elles Ils/elles seront 


sont  étaient 

Example:

Ils sont devant le musée. (They are in front of the museum.)

Grammar tip:

“Être” is one of the two most important French verbs to learn when you’re learning French. French
verbs conjugation rules (alongside “avoir” — to have). “Être” has irregular conjugations in just about
every tense. It also serves as an auxiliary verb in several compound tenses and moods in French
(e.g. passé composé).

E.g. Il est parti tard. (He left late.)

2. Avoir (to have)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

J’ai J’ai eu J’avais J’aurai

Tu as Tu as eu Tu avais Tu auras

Il/elle a Il/elle a eu Il/elle avait Il/elle aura

Nous avons Nous avons eu Nous avions Nous aurons

Vous avez Vous avez eu Vous aviez Vous aurez

Ils/elles ont Ils/elles ont eu Ils/elles avaient Ils/elles auront

Example:

Nous avons eu deux réunions hier. (We had two meetings yesterday.)

Grammar tip:

Like “être”, “avoir” is an essential French verb and has irregular conjugations. For the vast majority
of French verbs conjugation, “avoir” serves as the auxiliary verb in the compound tenses and
moods.

E.g. Ils ont déjà vu le film. (They have already seen the film.)

3. Aller (to go)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je vais Je suis allé(e) J’allais J’irai

Tu vas Tu es allé(e) Tu allais Tu iras

Il/elle va Il/elle est allé(e) Il/elle allait Il/elle ira

Nous allons Nous sommes allé(e)s Nous allions Nous irons

Vous allez Vous êtes allé(e)s Vous alliez Vous irez

Ils/elles vont Ils/elles sont allé(e)s Ils/elles allaient Ils/elles iront

Example:

Ils allaient au parc tous les jours. (They went to the park every day.)

Grammar tip: 

Verbs whose auxiliary verb is “être” must show agreement of their past participles in gender
(masculine or feminine — add e) and number (singular or plural — add s).

E.g.

Masculine subject →  Je suis allé.

Feminine subject →  Je suis allée.

Masculine plural →  Ils sont allés.

Feminine plural →  Elles sont allées.

For a mixed group, always use the masculine form.

E.g.

Thomas et Catherine sont revenus. (Thomas and Catherine came back.)

4. Parler (to speak/talk)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je parle J’ai parlé Je parlais Je parlerai

Tu parles Tu as parlé Tu parlais Tu parleras

Il/elle parle Il/elle a parlé Il/elle parlait Il/elle parlera

Nous Nous avons parlé Nous parlions Nous parlerons


parlons

Vous parlez Vous avez parlé Vous parliez Vous parlerez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont parlé Ils/elles Ils/elles


parlent parlaient parleront

Example:

Tu parles si bien l’espagnol ! (You speak Spanish so well!)

Grammar tip: 

“Parler” fits the normal pattern for French verbs ending in -er, so it is a ‘regular’ -er verb.

5. Faire (to do) 

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je fais J’ai fait Je faisais Je ferai

Tu fais Tu as fait Tu faisais Tu feras

Il/elle fait Il/elle a fait Il/elle faisait Il/elle fera

Nous Nous avons fait Nous faisions Nous ferons


faisons

Vous faites Vous avez fait Vous faisiez Vous ferez

Ils/elles font Ils/elles ont fait Ils/elles Ils/elles feront


faisaient

Example: 

Je fais le gâteau pour son anniversaire. (I’m making the cake for her birthday.)

Note: Unlike in English where the present tense has three different forms (the present simple, the
present progressive, and the present emphatic), there is only one present tense in French. Le temps
présent in French is used to express both momentary action and progressive action. So, “je fais le
gâteau” could be translated as “I make the cake”, “I’m making the cake”, and “I do make the cake”.

Grammar tip: 

“Faire” is found in many French idiomatic expressions and is the key to the causative construction
(“faire” + infinitive).

E.g. 

Il fait froid. (It’s cold.) *Notice that in expressions about the weather, “faire” becomes
equivalent to “to be”.

Nous faisons du ballet. (We do ballet.)

Elle fait des économies pour un voyage au Japon. (She is saving for a trip to Japan.)

La pluie fait pousser l’herbe plus vite. (The rain makes the grass grow faster.) *causative
construction

6. Prendre (to take)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je prends J’ai pris Je prenais Je prendrai

Tu prends Tu as pris Tu prenais Tu prendras

Il/elle  prend Il/elle a pris Il/elle prenait Il/elle prendra

Nous Nous avons pris Nous prenions Nous


prenons prendrons

Vous prenez Vous avez pris Vous preniez Vous prendrez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont pris Ils/elles Ils/elles


prennent prenaient prendront

Example:

Ils ont pris ses bagages par accident ! (They took her luggage by accident!)

Grammar tip:

Like “avoir” and “faire”, the verb “prendre” is one of the most commonly used and comes up in a
wide variety of idiomatic expressions in French.

E.g.

Prendre du poids (to gain weight)

Prendre son temps (to take one’s time)

Prendre garde (to watch out/be careful)

7. Vouloir (to want) 

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je veux J’ai voulu Je voulais Je voudrai

Tu veux Tu as voulu Tu voulais Tu voudras

Il/elle veut Il/elle a voulu Il/elle voulait Il/elle voudra

Nous Nous avons voulu Nous voulions Nous voudrons


voulons

Vous voulez Vous avez voulu Vous vouliez Vous voudrez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont voulu Ils/elles Ils/elles


veulent voulaient voudront

Example: 

Voulez-vous une salade avec votre repas ? (Do you want a salad with your meal?)

Grammar tip:

“Vouloir” can be used to express a want or a desire, or to politely request something. It can also be
used to give strong commands or to willingly agree to something, amongst other uses. 

Desire: Je veux devenir astronaute ! (I want to become an astronaut!) 

Polite request: Voulez-vous tenir ça pour moi ? (Would you please hold this for me?) 

Strong command: Je veux qu’il finisse ses tâches avant de sortir. (I want him to finish his
chores before he goes out.) 

8. Savoir (to know)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je sais J’ai su Je savais Je saurai

Tu sais Tu as su Tu savais Tu sauras

Il/elle sait Il/elle a su Il/elle savait Il/elle saura

Nous Nous avons su Nous savions Nous saurons


savons

Vous savez Vous avez su Vous saviez Vous saurez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont su Ils/elles Ils/elles


savent savaient sauront

Example:

Nous savions que cela arriverait. (We knew this would happen.)

Grammar tip: 

“Savoir” is an irregular French -ir verb, like ouvrir, devoir, falloir, pleuvoir, pouvoir, recevoir, tenir, venir,
voir or vouloir.

9. Pouvoir (to be able to)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je peux J’ai pu Je pouvais Je pourrai

Tu peux Tu as pu Tu pouvais Tu pourras

Il/elle peut Il/elle a pu Il/elle pouvait Il/elle pourra

Nous Nous avons pu Nous pouvions Nous pourrons


pouvons

Vous pouvez Vous avez pu Vous pouviez Vous pourrez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont pu Ils/elles Ils/elles


peuvent pouvaient pourront

Example:

Peux-tu s’il te plaît préparer le dîner de ce soir ? (Can you please cook the dinner tonight?) 

Grammar tip:

“Pouvoir” is very often used to express politeness in French.

E.g.

Je suis vraiment désolé, mais je ne peux pas vous aider avec ça. (I’m really sorry, but I can’t help
you with this.)

10. Venir (to come)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je viens Je suis venu(e) Je venais Je viendrai

Tu viens Tu es venu(e) Tu venais Tu viendras

Il/elle vient Il/elle est venu(e) Il/elle venait Il/elle viendra

Nous Nous sommes venu(e)s Nous venions Nous viendrons


venons

Vous venez Vous êtes venu(e)s Vous veniez Vous viendrez

Ils/elles Ils/elles sont venu(e)s Ils/elles Ils/elles


viennent venaient viendront

Example:

Tu viens demain ? (You’re coming tomorrow?) 

Grammar tip:

Like “aller”, “venir” is conjugated with être.

“Venir de” means to “come from”.

Je viens de Moscou. (I come from Moscow.)

If “venir de” is followed by a verb, then it means “have just”.

E.g.

Elle vient de terminer son devoir. (She has just finished her paper.)

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11. Dire
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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple


(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je dis J’ai dit Je disais Je dirai

Tu dis Tu as dit Tu disais Tu diras

Il/elle dit Il/elle a dit Il/elle disait Il/elle dira

Nous disons Nous avons dit Nous disions Nous dirons

Vous dites Vous avez dit Vous disiez Vous direz

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont dit Ils/elles Ils/elles diront


disent disaient

Example: 

Il a dit à tout le monde que nous allions nous marier. (He told everyone we were getting married.)

Grammar tip:

Most French irregular verbs can be organized into five patterns, but “dire” does not fit into any of
them. This means you have to learn its conjugation by heart.

12. Donner (to give)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je donne J’ai donné Je donnais Je donnerai

Tu donnes Tu as donné Tu donnais Tu donneras

Il/elle donne Il/elle a donné Il/elle donnait Il/elle donnera

Common Nous Nous avons donné Nous donnions Nous


French donnons donnerons
verbs
conjugation Vous Vous avez donné Vous donniez Vous donnerez
table
donnez
1. Être (to be)

2. Avoir (to Ils/elles Ils/elles ont donné Ils/elles Ils/elles


have)
donnent donnaient donneront
3. Aller (to go)

4. Parler (to
speak/talk)
Example:
5. Faire (to
do) 
Non, elle ne lui a pas donné ses livres. (No, she didn’t give him her books.)
6. Prendre (to
take)
Grammar tip:
7. Vouloir (to
want)  “Donner” is also used in many idiomatic expressions.
8. Savoir (to
know) E.g.

9. Pouvoir (to
Donner l’exemple (to set an example)
be able to)

10. Venir (to Donner l’heure à quelqu’un (to tell someone the time)
come)

11. Dire (to Donner une fête (to throw a party)


say/tell)

12. Donner (to


give)
13. Penser (to think)
13. Penser (to
think)

14. Aider (to


help)

15. Aimer (to


like/love)

16. Devoir (to


have to, to
need to) 

17. Habiter
(to live)

18. Regarder
(to look,
watch)
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watch) 

19. Utiliser (to Let’s get you talking. Choose from 32,000+ tutors in Find your
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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
20. Essayer
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)
(to try)

Let’s start
Je pense J’ai pensé Je pensais Je penserai
conjugating!

Tu penses Tu as pensé Tu pensais Tu penseras

Il/elle pense Il/elle a pensé Il/elle pensait Il/elle pensera

Nous Nous avons pensé Nous pensions Nous


pensons penserons

Vous pensez Vous avez pensé Vous pensiez Vous penserez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont pensé Ils/elles Ils/elles


pensent pensaient penseront

Example: 

Ils y penseront plus tard. (They will think about it later.)

Grammar tip:

“Penser à” means “to think about” as “to have someone on your mind”:

Tu penses à elle, n’est-ce pas ? (You are thinking of her, aren’t you?)

Penser de means “to think about” in the sense of “having an opinion on”:

Que pensez-vous de cet hôtel ? (What do you think about this hotel?)

14. Aider (to help)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

J’aide J’ai aidé J’aidais J’aiderai

Tu aides Tu as aidé Tu aidais Tu aideras

Il/elle aide Il/elle a aidé Il/elle aidait Il/elle aidera

Nous aidons Nous avons aidé Nous aidions Nous aiderons

Vous aidez Vous avez aidé Vous aidiez Vous aiderez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont aidé Ils/elles Ils/elles


aident aidaient aideront

Example: 

Elle les aidera à déménager. (She will help them move apartments.)

Grammar tip:

“Aider” is a first group verb, so it follows the regular conjugation pattern of the first group verbs
that end in -er:

You first remove the -er from the end of the infinitive form of the verb (aider becomes aid). Then,
you add the appropriate endings (e.g. in present tense it’s: e, es, e, ons, ez, ent).

15. Aimer (to like/love)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

J’aime J’ai aimé J’aimais J’aimerai

Tu aimes Tu as aimé Tu aimais Tu aimeras

Il/elle aime Il/elle a aimé Il/elle aimait Il/elle aimera

Nous Nous avons aimé Nous aimions Nous aimerons


aimons

Vous aimez Vous avez aimé Vous aimiez Vous aimerez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont aimé Ils/elles Ils/elles


aiment aimaient aimeront

Example:

Ils aimaient jouer ensemble quand ils étaient enfants. (They used to love playing together when
they were children.)

Grammar tip:

You can use aimer to express that you love, or are fond of someone or something.

16. Devoir (to have to, to need to) 

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je dois J’ai dû Je devais Je devrai

Tu dois Tu as dû Tu devais Tu devras

Il/elle doit Il/elle a dû Il/elle devait Il/elle devra

Nous Nous avons dû Nous devions Nous devrons


devons

Vous devez Vous avez dû Vous deviez Vous devrez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont dû Ils/elles Ils/elles


doivent devaient devront

Example:

Vous devez boire plus d’eau. (You need to drink more water.)

Grammar tip:

It’s easy to confuse “devoir” with “falloir”, which also implies an obligation or necessity. Devoir
indicates something that a person is obliged to do, while falloir expresses something that needs to
be done. Don’t worry if you’re confused, this is a difficult difference to understand!

E.g.

Je dois lui dire ça. Je ne peux pas mentir ! (I have to tell him this. I can’t lie!)

Il faut que je parte.  Je vais être en retard ! (I must leave. I’ll be late!)

17. Habiter (to live)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

J’habite J’ai habité J’habitais J’habiterai

Tu habites Tu as habité Tu habitais Tu habiteras

Il/elle habite Il/elle a habité Il/elle habitait Il/elle habitera

Nous Nous avons habité Nous habitions Nous


habitons habiterons

Vous habitez Vous avez habité Vous habitiez Vous habiterez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont habité Ils/elles Ils/elles


habitent habitaient habiteront

Example: 

Elle habitera en Allemagne l’année prochaine. (She will live in Germany next year.)

Grammar tip:

“Habiter” is often followed by a preposition (such as à, en, aux etc.) , but it technically doesn’t
require one.

For example, we can say both:

J’habite Londres.

J’habite à Londres. 

However, nowadays it’s much more common to place a preposition after the verb “habiter” than
not.

18. Regarder (to look, watch) 

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

Je regarde J’ai regardé Je regardais Je regarderai

Tu regardes Tu as regardé Tu regardais Tu regarderas

Il/elle Il/elle a regardé Il/elle regardait Il/elle regardera


regarde

Nous Nous avons regardé Nous Nous


regardons regardions regarderons

Vous Vous avez regardé Vous regardiez Vous


regardez regarderez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont regardé Ils/elles Ils/elles


regardent regardaient regarderont

 Example:

Ses parents regardaient la télé tous les soirs quand on n’était pas là. (His parents watched TV
every night when we were away.)

Grammar tip:

The French verb “regarder” is active (to watch, to look), while “voir” is more passive (to see, to view,
to witness). We use “regarder” when there’s an intention behind the action, and “voir” when we’re
just perceiving or witnessing our surroundings.

Here’s an example to illustrate the difference between the two:

La semaine dernière, j’ai regardé les oiseaux dans la forêt. (Last week, I watched the birds in the
forest.)

Meaning: Last week, I intentionally observed the birds in the forest.

La semaine dernière, j‘ai vu beaucoup d’oiseaux dans la forêt. (Last week, I saw many birds in the
forest.)

Meaning: Last week, when I was in the forest, I saw a lot of birds. I didn’t focus on them, it wasn’t
my intention to see them, I just became aware that they were there.

19. Utiliser (to use)

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Présent Passé composé (Present Imparfait Futur simple
(Present) perfect) (Imperfect) (Future)

J’utilise J’ai utilisé J’utilisais J’utliserai

Tu utilises Tu as utilisé Tu utilisais Tu utiliseras

Il/elle utilise Il/elle a utilisé Il/elle utilisait Il/elle utilisera

Nous Nous avons utilisé Nous utilisions Nous


utilisons utiliserons

Vous utilisez Vous avez utilisé Vous utilisiez Vous utiliserez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont utilisé Ils/elles Ils/elles


utilisent utilisaient utiliseront

Example:

Avez-vous déjà utilisé cet ordinateur ? (Have you used this computer before?) 

Grammar tip:

“Utiliser” is a regular -er verb. It uses the same infinitive endings as the majority of French verbs
(e.g. “aimer”, “aider”, “parler”).

20. Essayer (to try)

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Présent (Present) Passé composé Imparfait Futur simple (Future)
(Present perfect) (Imperfect)

J’essaye/essaie J’ai essayé J’essayais J’essayerai/essaierai

Tu Tu as essayé Tu essayais Tu essayeras/


essayes/essaies
essaieras

Il/elle Il/elle a essayé Il/elle Il/elle essayera/


essaye/essaie essayait
essaiera

Nous essayons Nous avons Nous Nous essayerons/


essayé essayions
essaierons

Vous essayez Vous avez Vous Vous essayerez/


essayé essayiez
essaierez

Ils/elles Ils/elles ont Ils/elles Ils/elles essayeront/


essayent/essaient essayé essayaient
essaieront

Example: 

Ils ont essayé de se rendre au Panama, mais leur vol était surbooké. (They tried to fly to Panama,
but their flight was overbooked.) 

Grammar tip:

Usually, with French verbs that end in -yer such as “nettoyer” (to clean), the -y changes to -i before -
e, -es and -ent. However, with the verb “essayer”, the -y can, but doesn’t have to change into an -i. So
j’essaye and j’essaie, for example, are both correct. This is also the case with some other -ayer
verbs such as “payer” (to pay).

Let’s start conjugating!


French verb conjugation rules can easily discourage even the most committed learners.  

But you just made an important step! With this French verb conjugation list, you’re ready to start
parler le français.

To look up any other French verbs conjugations, check out Reverso Conjugation. 

To memorise French verb conjugations, the popular French learning Youtuber behind
MyFrenchStory recommends speaking the conjugations out loud and spelling the endings, which is

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20/09/2022, 23:44 Most Widely Used French Verbs and Their Conjugation

how French children learn conjugations at school. You can learn more about that technique and
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MyFrenchStory here.
tutor
50 languages
Finally, to practice what you learned and use French verbs in real-life contexts, book a 1-on-1
lesson with a French teacher and take your French-speaking to the next level. 

Next article

French grammar 22.06.2021

Common French adverbs list:


Your practical guide to French
adverbs

Article by:

Ilma Ibrisevic
3 articles

Ilma Ibrisevic is a freelance content creator and a passionate traveler. Endlessly curious
about the world, she’s been captivated by other cultures and languages ever since she can
remember. She loves writing stories that help others learn and grow. She’s also
passionate about yoga, meditation, and well-being. Ilma speaks fluent English,
Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, knows French and a bit of German and Spanish.

Find online tutor

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Common French
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French adverbs

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