COMMON ER VERBS.

Present tense conjugation.

Je – e

Tu – es

Il/Elle – e

Nous – ons

Vous – ez

Ils/Elles – ent

accepter – to accept

adorer – to adore

aimer – to like

annuler – to cancel

apporter – to bring

attraper – to catch

bavarder – to chat

casser – to break

chanter – to sing

chercher – to look for

commander – to order

commencer – to begin

couper – to cut

danser – to dance

demander – to ask

dessiner – to draw

détester – to hate, to detest

donner – to give

écouter – to listen to

emprunter – to borrow

enlever – to remove

étudier – to study
exprimer – to express

fermer – to close

gagner – to win, to earn

garder – to keep

goûter – to taste

habiter – to live

jouer – to play

laver – to wash

montrer – to show

oublier – to forget

parler – to speak, to talk

penser – to think

porter – to wear, to carry

présenter – to introduce

prêter – to lend

refuser – to refuse

regarder – to watch

rencontrer – to meet by chance

rester – to stay, to remain

rêver – to dream

saluer – to greet

sauter – to jump

sembler – to seem

skier – to ski

téléphoner – to telephone

tomber – to fall

travailler – to work

trouver – to find

utiliser – to use

visiter – to visit a place

voler – to fly
COMMON IR VERBS.

Present tense conjugation

Je – is

Tu – is

Il/Elle – it

Nous – issons

Vous – issez

Ils/Elles – issent

abolir – to abolish

acceuillir – to welcome

accomplir – to accomplish

affaiblir – to weaken

agir – to act

avertir – to warn

bâtir – to build

bénir – to bless

choisir – to choose

embellir – to make beautiful

envahir – to invade

établir – to establish

étourdir – to stun

finir – to finish

franchir – to clear an obstacle

grandir – to grow up

grossir – to gain weight

guérir – to cure

investir – to invest

maigrir – to lose weight

nourrir – to feed

obéir – to obey
punir – to punish

ralentir – to slow down

réfléchir – to reflect

remplir – to fill

réunir – to reunite

réussir – to succeed

rougir – to blush

saisir – to seize

vieillir – to grow old

COMMON RE VERBS

Present tense conjugation

Je – s

Tu – s

Il/Elle –

Nous – ons

Vous – ez

Ils/Elles – ent

attendre – to wait for

défendre – to defend

dépendre – to depend on

descendre – to descend

détendre – to relax

entendre – to hear

étendre – to stretch

fendre – to split

fondre – to melt

mordre – to bite

pendre – to hang, to suspend

perdre – to lose

prétendre – to claim
rendre – to give back

répandre – to spread, to scatter

répondre – to answer

tendre – to tighten

vendre – to sell

Common Irregular French Verbs

Je vais

Tu vas

Il/Elle va

Nous allons

Vous allez

Ils/Elles vont

Past Participle – allé

avoir – to have

J’ai

Tu as

Il/Elle a

Nous avons

Vous avez

Ils/Elles ont

Past Participle – eu

dire – to say, to tell

Je dis

Tu dis
Il/Elle dit

Nous disons

Vous dites

Ils/Elles disent

Past Participle – dit

être – to be

Je suis

Tu es

Il/Elle est

Nous sommes

Vous êtes

Ils/Elles sont

Past Participle – été

faire – to make, to do

Je fais

Tu fais

Il/Elle fait

Nous faisons

Vous faites

Ils/Elles – font

Past Participle – fait

falloir – to be necessary

Il faut

Past Participle – fallu

pouvoir – to be able to do

Je peux

Tu peux
Il/Elle peut

Nous pouvons

Vous pouvez

Ils/Elles peuvent

Past Participle – pu

savoir – to know, to know how to

Je sais

Tu sais

Il/Elle sait

Nous savons

Vous savez

Ils/Elles savent

Past Participle – su

voir – to see

Je vois

Tu vois

Il/Elle voit

Nous voyons

Vous voyez

Ils/Elles voient

Past Participle – vu

vouloir – to want to

Je veux

Tu veux

Il/Elle veut

Nous voulons

Vous voulez

Ils/Elles veulent
Past Participle – voulu

Common Irregular Verb Patterns

Some verbs follow irregular patterns. Once you know these patterns, it’s easier to identify and
conjugate irregular verbs. Here are several common irregular verb patterns you’ll come across as you
learn how to speak French.

Verbs Like Prendre

Verbs ending in –prendre are all conjugated like prendre:

Je prends

Tu prends

Il/Elle prend

Nous prenons

Vous prenez

Ils/Elles prennent

Past Participle – pris

apprendre – to learn

comprendre – to understand

entreprendre – to undertake

méprendre – to mistake

prendre – to take

reprendre – to retake, to take again

surprendre – to surprise

Verbs Like Mettre

Mettre and the verbs ending in –mettre all follow the same pattern of conjugation.

Je mets

Tu mets

Il/Elle met

Nous mettons
Vous mettez

Ils/Elles mettent

Past Participle – mis

admettre – to admit

commettre – to commit

compromettre – to compromise

mettre – to put, to place

permettre – to permit

promettre – to promise

remettre – to turn in work, to postpone

soumettre – to submit

transmettre – to transmit

Verbs Like Tenir and Venir

Tenir and venir are two similar verbs that have their own pattern of conjugation.

Je tiens

Tu tiens

Il/Elle tient

Nous tenons

Vous tenez

Ils/Elles tiennent

Past Participle – tenu

Je viens

Tu viens

Il/Elle vient

Nous venons

Vous venez

Ils/Elles viennent

Past Participle – venu

advenir – to happen

appartenir – to belong to

circonvenir – to circumvent

contenir – to contain

convenir – to suit, to be suitable

détenir – to detain

devenir – to become

entretenir – to look after, to support

intrevenir – to intervene

maintenir – to maintain

obtenir – to obtain

parvenir – to reach, to achieve

prévenir – to warn

retenir – to retain

soutenir – to support

souvenir – to remember

subvenir – to provide for

survenir – to occur, to take place

tenir – to hold, to keep

venir – to come

Verbs Like Manger

Verbs ending in -ger have a spelling change in the nous form of the verb. An extra -e is added to keep
the -g sound soft.

Je mange

Tu manges

Il/Elle mange

Nous mangeons

Vous mangez
Ils/Elles mangent

Past Participle – mangé

bouger – to move

changer – to change

corriger – to correct

décourager – to discourage

déménager – to move

déranger – to disturb

diriger – to direct

encourager – to encourage

engager – to bind

exiger – to demand

juger – to judge

loger – to lodge

manger – to eat

mélanger – to mix

nager – to swim

obliger – to oblige

partager – to share

rédiger – to write

voyager – to travel

Verbs Like Lancer

Verbs like lancer that end in -cer also have a spelling change in the nous form. The -c is changed to a
-ç to maintain a soft -c sound.

Je lance

Tu lances

Il/Elle lance

Nous lançons

Vous lancez
Ils/Elles lancent

Past Participle – lancé

annoncer – to announce

avancer – to advance

commencer – to commence

dénoncer – to denounce

divorcer – to divorce

effacer – to erase

lancer – to throw

menacer – to threaten

placer – to put

prononcer – to pronounce

remplacer – to replace

renoncer – to renounce

Verbs Like Payer

Verbs ending in -yer change the -y to an -i in the je, tu, il, and ils forms.

Je paie

Tu paies

Il/Elle paie

Nous payons

Vous payez

Ils/Elles paient

Past Participle – payé

aboyer – to bark

balayer – to sweep

effrayer – to frighten

s’ennuyer – to be bored

envoyer – to send
essayer – to try

essuyer – to wipe

nettoyer – to clean

payer – to pay

renvoyer – to send back, to fire

Verbs Like Acheter

Some verbs, like acheter, change the -e in the root to -è in the je, tu, il, and ils forms.

J’achète

Tu achètes

Il/Elle achète

Nous achetons

Vous achetez

Ils/Elles achètent

Past Participle – acheté

acheter – to buy

amener – to bring

enlever – to take off

espérer – to hope

geler – to freeze

se lever – to get up

posséder – to own

préférer – to prefer

se promener – to take a stroll

répéter – to repeat

suggérer – to suggest

Verbs Like Appeler

Finally, there are verbs like appeler that have a doubled final consonant in the je, tu, il, and ils forms.

J’appelle
Tu appelles

Il/Elle appelle

Nous appelons

Vous appelez

Ils/Elles appellent

Past Participle – appelé

appeler – to call

épeler – to spell out

étinceler – to sparkle

feuilleter – to leaf through a book

jeter – to jump

renouveler – to renew