Verbs - French Vocabulary
Verbs are words that describe an action, state of being, or occurrence. The usage of verbs in French is quite complex and will take some time to master. This lesson introduces some very common French verbs.
French has four classes of verbs, along with some irregular verbs. In this lesson you'll learn how to conjugate the four classes of verbs, as well as the irregular verbs être, avoir, aller, voir, dire, and vouloir.
Verb Tenses
Present Tense
The present tense of French verbs is used to indicate an ongoing action, habitual action or general state. For example I walk, I am walking, and I do walk are all equivalent to je marche in French.
Past Tense (Passé Composé)
The past tense in spoken French is formed with the verb to have + the past participle of the verb. For example both I walked and I have walked in spoken French is J'ai marché. In French this tense is called the passé composé.
Imperfect Tense
This tense is used to indicate a habitual action in the past or an action in the past that is still occuring. For example I was walking and I used to walk are equivalent to je marchais in French.
Future Tense
The future tense is used to indicate actions that will happen in the future.
Near Future
The near future is used for events that are about to happen, or are happening soon. In English the near future is indicated by using going to. In French it is indicated by using the verb aller. For example, 'I am going to eat' is 'Nous allons manger' in French. Look here to see how aller is conjugated.
Historical Past (Passé Simple)
The historical past is a French verb tense used to indicate that a specific action happened in the past. In French this tense is called the passé simple. This tense is primarily used in written French, especially novels. You should not use this tense when speaking, or in casual writing, but if you plan to read French novels or formal writing, it is helpful to be familiar with it. Go to the section on the passé simple.
Other Tenses
There are other tenses in French as well that are not covered in this lesson. For more information about these tenses see Wikipedia.
Être (To Be)
The verb être is very irregular in French. The following table lists its present, past, imperfect, and future forms.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | étais | ai été | serai |
| tu | es | étais | as été | seras |
| il, elle, on | est | était | a été | sera |
| nous | sommes | étions | avons été | serons |
| vous | êtes | étiez | avez été | serez |
| ils, elles | sont | étaient | ont été | seront |
Avoir (To Have)
The verb avoir is also very irregular in French. The following table lists its present, past, imperfect, and future forms.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| j' | ai | avais | ai eu | aurai |
| tu | as | avais | as eu | auras |
| il, elle, on | a | avait | a eu | aura |
| nous | avons | avions | avons eu | aurons |
| vous | avez | aviez | avez eu | aurez |
| ils, elles | ont | avaient | ont eu | auront |
Aller (To Go)
The verb aller is also very irregular in French. The following table lists its present, past, imperfect, and future forms. Note that the past tense of this verb is formed with être + allé. The past participle allé must also agree in gender and number with the subject.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | vais | allais | je suis allé | irai |
| tu | vas | allais | es allé | iras |
| il, on | va | allait | est allé | ira |
| elle | va | allait | est allée | ira |
| nous | allons | allions | sommes allés | irons |
| vous | allez | alliez | Vous êtes allés | irez |
| ils | vont | avaient | sont allés | iront |
| elles | vont | avaient | sont allées | iront |
Regular er Verbs
This is the most common group of French verbs. They follow the form of aimer (to love) as shown in the following table.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je, j' | aime | aimais | ai aimé | aimerai |
| tu | aimes | aimais | as aimé | aimeras |
| il, elle, on | aime | aimait | a aimé | aimera |
| nous | aimons | aimions | avons aimé | aimerons |
| vous | aimez | aimiez | avez aimé | aimerez |
| ils, elles | aiment | aimaient | ont aimé | aimeront |
The following table shows some common er verbs.
| arriver | arrive, happen |
| chanter | sing |
| chercher | look for |
| commencer | begin |
| demander | ask for |
| détester | hate |
| donner | give |
| fermer | close |
| jouer | play |
| laver | wash |
| manger | eat |
| nager | swim |
| parler | talk |
| passer | pass |
| penser | think |
| porter | wear, carry |
| regarder | watch, look at |
| sembler | seem |
| travailler | work |
| trouver | find |
| visiter | visit |
| voler | fly, steal |
Regular ir Verbs
The ir verbs follow the form of finir (to finish) as shown in the following table.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je, j' | finis | finissais | ai fini | finirai |
| tu | finis | finissais | as fini | finiras |
| il, elle, on | finit | finissais | a fini | finira |
| nous | finissons | finissions | avons fini | finirons |
| vous | finissez | finissiez | avez fini | finirez |
| ils, elles | finissent | finissaient | ont fini | finiront |
The following table shows some common ir verbs.
| accomplir | accomplish |
| avertir | warn |
| choisir | choose |
| convertir | convert |
| nourrir | feed |
| remplir | fill |
Regular re Verbs
The re verbs follow the form of vendre (to sell) as shown in the following table.
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je, j' | vends | vendais | ai vendu | vendrai |
| tu | vends | vendais | as vendu | vendras |
| il, elle, on | vend | vendait | a vendu | vendra |
| nous | vendons | vendions | avons vendu | vendrons |
| vous | vendez | vendiez | avez vendu | vendrez |
| ils, elles | vendent | vendaient | ont vendu | vendront |
The following table shows some common re verbs.
| attendre | wait for, expect |
| défendre | defend |
| descendre | descend |
| entendre | hear |
| perdre | lose |
| rendre | give back, return |
| répondre | answer |
| vendre | sell |
More Irregular Verbs
There are many irregular verbs in French, including some very common verbs. This section includes some of these verbs.
Dire (To Say)
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | dis | disais | ai dit | dirai |
| tu | dis | disais | as dit | diras |
| il, elle, on | dit | disait | a dit | dira |
| nous | disons | disions | avons dit | dirons |
| vous | dites | disiez | avez dit | direz |
| ils, elles | disent | disaient | ont dit | diront |
Dormir (To Sleep)
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | dors | dormais | ai dormi | dormirai |
| tu | dors | dormais | as dormi | dormiras |
| il, elle, on | dort | dormait | a dormi | dormira |
| nous | dormons | dormions | avons dormi | dormirons |
| vous | dormez | dormiez | avez dormi | dormirez |
| ils, elles | dorment | dormaient | ont dormi | dormiront |
Voir (To See)
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | vois | voyais | ai vu | verrai |
| tu | vois | voyais | as vu | verras |
| il, elle, on | voit | voyait | a vu | verra |
| nous | voyons | voyions | avons vu | verrons |
| vous | voyez | voyiez | avez vu | verrez |
| ils, elles | voient | voyaient | ont vu | verront |
Vouloir (To Want)
| Present | Imperfect | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | veux | voulais | ai voulu | voudrai |
| tu | veux | voulais | as voulu | voudras |
| il, elle, on | veut | voulait | a voulu | voudra |
| nous | voulons | voulions | avons voulu | voudrons |
| vous | voulez | vouliez | avez voulu | voudrez |
| ils, elles | veulent | voulaient | ont voulu | voudront |
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Flashcards
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the French verbs included in this lesson.
Passé Simple
The passé simple is used in novels and formal writing to indicate a specific event that happened in the past. In spoken French this is replaced by the passé composé.
Regular -er verbs
| parler | |
|---|---|
| je | parlai |
| tu | parlas |
| il, elle, on | parla |
| nous | parlâmes |
| vous | parlâtes |
| ils, elles | parlèrent |
Regular -ir and -re verbs
| partir | |
|---|---|
| je | partis |
| tu | partis |
| il, elle, on | partit |
| nous | partîmes |
| vous | partîtes |
| ils, elles | partirent |
Être (To Be)
| je | fus |
| tu | fus |
| il, elle, on | fut |
| nous | fûmes |
| vous | fûtes |
| ils, elles | fures |
Avoir (To Have)
| j' | eus |
| tu | eus |
| il, elle, on | eut |
| nous | eûmes |
| vous | eûtes |
| ils, elles | eures |
Examples
| "Qu'as-tu donc?", demanda-t-il. | "What have you got?", he asked. |
| La nuit se passa sans que le moindre bruit se fît entendre. | The night passed without any sound being heard. |
| Edmond sentit se dresser ses cheveux sur sa tête, et il recula sur ses genoux. | Edmond felt his hair stand on his head, and he drew back on his knees. |
| Ils se regardèrent les uns les autres d'un air effaré. | They looked at one another with a startled look. |