Introduction
French verbs change their ending for each person: je parle, nous parlons. They are grouped by their infinitive ending.
| group | ending | examples | pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st group | -er | parler, aimer, manger | regular, except aller |
| 2nd group | -ir with -iss- | finir, choisir, grandir | regular |
| 3rd group | -re, -oir, other -ir | prendre, pouvoir, venir | often irregular |
- je parle, nous parlons
- je finis, nous finissons
- je prends, nous prenons
Compound Tenses
Compound tenses such as the passé composé use avoir or être plus a past participle. Most verbs take avoir. Some verbs of movement and all reflexive verbs take être.
avoir / être+past participle
- J'ai mangé.I ate.
- Elle est partie.She left.
- J'ai allé au cinéma.Je suis allé au cinéma.
- Elle a partie.Elle est partie.
Moods
Besides tense, verbs have mood. The indicative is for facts and is by far the most common.
| mood | use | example |
|---|---|---|
| indicative | facts | je parle, j'ai parlé |
| subjunctive | wishes, doubts, feelings | que je parle |
| conditional | hypotheses, politeness | je parlerais |
| imperative | commands | Parle ! |
Practice
Which group does finir belong to?
Which verb is irregular?
J'___ mangé.
Elle ___ partie.
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