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Verbs are the core of French grammar. With out a verb, you may’t kind a whole sentence, and it’s fairly troublesome to speak with out them! These mastering French and different Romance languages are sometimes stunned at what number of varieties French verbs have. In contrast to English, which possesses just a few varieties, subject-verb settlement and the inherent “conjugation” of verbs typically go unnoticed. In French although, you’ll have to study six distinct varieties for each tense (of which there are quite a bit). 

Mastering French conjugation takes follow and persistence. Fortunately, most French verbs comply with conjugation patterns based mostly on the final two letters of their infinitive (unconjugated) kind. There are three distinct verb endings in French: -ER, -IR, and -RE. 

On this publish, we’ll discover the “best” verbs with -ER endings! We name them simple as a result of they comply with predictable patterns with only a few exceptions. When you’re snug with these, the -IR and -RE verbs gained’t appear practically as intimidating. 

Wish to skip the memorization altogether? Rosetta Stone can assist you grasp French verb tenses via enjoyable, participating classes that faucet into the way you realized language as a toddler—no memorization required. As a substitute, you’ll learn to establish conjugation patterns from real-life French in participating contexts. Be taught extra about Dynamic Immersion right here, or join your first lesson immediately! 

Record of the commonest French -ER verbs 

Round 90 % of the verbs within the French language finish in -ER and belong to this class. Listed here are a number of the commonest. Taking note of the patterns introduced on this publish can unlock hundreds of -ER verbs that can assist you talk extra successfully!   

>>Want a vocab refresh? Strive these 100+ must-know French phrases and phrases on for dimension. 

Learn how to conjugate common French -ER verbs 

When you learn to conjugate -ER verbs in French, you’ll have conquered numerous methods to specific states of motion, existence, possession, and incidence. It’s a fantastic milestone to succeed in! 

 There are a number of issues to remember as you strategy conjugation:

• What’s the tense that greatest expresses your concept? 
• Who or what’s the topic? 
• Is a separate temper required, just like the subjunctive? 

Learners typically profit from conjugation charts as a reference. As soon as accustomed to the charts and endings, enable the patterns to leap out at you as you learn in French. Studying is useful, as lots of the endings are pronounced equally.  

>>Need the entire information to French verb conjugation? Click on right here. 

Current tense (indicative, l’indicatif) 

The current tense is used to inform what occurs recurrently, does occur, and is going on for the time being.  

To kind common -ER verbs on this tense: 

1. Take away the -ER ending

What stays is the stem.  

2. Add the ending that matches the topic. 

Common -ER verbs (current tense, indicative) 

• Elle joue du violon. = She performs the violin. 
• Vous parlez bien. = You communicate nicely.  

Imperfect tense (l’imparfait)

The imperfect tense is likely one of the essential previous tenses in French. It’s used as a descriptive previous: to inform what one thing was like, what often occurred, and describe different ongoing states previously.  

There aren’t any irregular -ER verbs within the imperfect tense. Even aller (to go), which is usually irregular, will comply with this sample. Solely être (to be) is irregular within the imparfait.  

To kind the imperfect: 

1. Take away the -ons from the nous type of the current tense. That is the stem. 
2. Add the endings within the chart beneath, in accordance with the topic.

Common -ER verbs (imparfait) 

• Je voulais nager. = I wished to swim. 
• Elle ne pouvait pas danser. = She couldn’t dance. 

Easy previous tense (passé easy)

The passé easy is simply utilized in formal, literary, or historic writing. You in all probability gained’t hear anybody communicate within the passé easy except they’re studying from a textual content. In casual speech, you’ll use the passé composé as an alternative.

You’ll acknowledge that the passé easy makes use of the stem of the verb with out the -ER, and the next endings: 

Common -ER verbs (passé easy) 

Under is an instance of the passé easy utilized to the verb coucher (to lie down) from The Little Prince. We extremely suggest the e book for newbie learners seeking to broaden their French information! 

“Et couché dans l’herbe, il pleura.” = And mendacity within the grass, he cried.  

– Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Previous tense (le passé composé)

The passé composé is used to relate accomplished actions previously. It’s product of two elements, a serving to verb (or auxiliary verb), and a previous participle. Will probably be necessary to differentiate between this tense and the imparfait.  

Most common -ER verbs in French will use avoir (to have) because the auxiliary verb. A selected checklist of -ER verbs belong to the group that makes use of être (to be). All previous tense reflexive (or pronominal) verbs are conjugated with être as nicely.  

To kind the passé composé: 

1. Conjugate both avoir or être, guaranteeing they agree with their topics. 
2. Take away the -ER and add é 
3. Add the female or plural settlement to the previous participle when crucial. 

• All verbs that use être have this function
• In some circumstances, avoir verbs can even want settlement of the previous participle. 

-ER Verbs that use avoir because the auxiliary (passé composé)  

These verbs comply with the same sample to danser (to bounce). 

-ER verbs that use être because the auxiliary (passé composé) 

These verbs comply with the same sample to arriver (to reach) and should additionally present settlement of the previous participle in each gender and quantity.

Future tense (le futur)

There’s a approach to make use of aller in a building that tells the close to future: 

Je vais étudier demain. = I am going to review tomorrow.

Nonetheless, the futur easy is a tense that’s used to specific future intentions and plans, or foretell what’s going to occur sooner or later. It corresponds to the English “will + verb.” 

There are common and irregular stems. Fortunately, each -ER verb conjugation is common within the futur apart from aller (to go), which is mentioned individually. 

To kind the futur easy of normal -ER verbs, 

1. Use your entire infinitive
2. Add the ending that matches the topic

Common -ER verbs (futur easy) 

Un jour, je parlerai toutes les langues ! = Someday, I will communicate all of the languages!

Conditional tense (conditionnel)

The conditional tense (or temper) is used to say what “would” occur if the situations have been proper.  

The conditional is a pleasant tense to study, since you make use of elements you already know! To kind the conditional, use the identical stem because the futur and add the endings for the imparfait. 

Forming the conditionnel of -ER verbs is simple.  

1. Use the infinitive of the verb (which is the futur stem)
2. Add the imparfait ending that matches the topic.  

As regular, aller (to go) is irregular.   

Common -ER verbs (conditionnel) 

• Si j’étais plus jeune, je mangerais des croissants tous les matins. = If I have been youthful, I would eat croissants each morning. 

Subjunctive temper (subjonctif)

The subjunctive is a temper, distinguished from the indicatif (indicative) temper, due to the conditions in which you’d use it. It’s an enormous idea, however put in easy phrases, the subjunctive is used to specific uncertainty, doubt, or a way of fuzzy actuality, in addition to in sentences that impose a will or want on one other topic.  

Fortunately there is just one -ER verb conjugation that’s extraordinarily irregular. You might have already guessed that aller (to go) gained’t comply with the foundations. Verbs with spelling modifications may have a slight distinction to the stem.

There are usually not very many variations between the subjunctive and the indicative on the subject of common -ER verbs. You solely want to recollect the additional “i” within the nous and vous varieties. 

Common -ER verbs (subjonctif au présent) 

• Il faut que vous regardiez le manuel de formation. = It’s crucial that you simply look on the coaching handbook. 

Crucial temper (l’imperatif) 

The crucial is a temper, separate from the indicatif and the subjonctif moods. It’s used to provide a direct command. There are three varieties of crucial instructions that are completely used with tu, nous, and vous.  

It’s actually easy! 

1. For the tu instructions, use the current tense kind, however take away the ultimate s.  
2. For nous and vous instructions, there aren’t any modifications to the spelling. 
3. Use an exclamation level to point out the crucial.  

• Regarde ! Une chauve-souris ! = Look! A bat! 

Learn how to conjugate irregular French -ER verbs

Some verbs merely don’t comply with the foundations! Irregular verbs are frequent, however on the subject of -ER verbs in French, there is just one completely irregular verb, aller (to go).  

Aller

Since aller (to go) is totally irregular, it’s one that you simply’ll have to study individually, and sadly, in lots of the tenses, there is no such thing as a sample to comply with. Like many utterly irregular verbs, it’s a quite common one, so it’s value giving it some further consideration. 

aller – to go 

You should use the common -ER verb patterns to conjugate aller within the imparfait and passé easy.

-ER verbs with spelling modifications 

Often we are able to take away the -ER from the infinitive and depart the remainder alone, giving us the “stem” wanted for forming verb conjugations. In some circumstances, there’s a spelling change. That is often finished to protect the pronunciation that we affiliate with the phrase.   

Spelling modifications occur for verbs that finish in -GER, equivalent to manger (to eat), voyager (to journey), and nager (to swim). In entrance of an ending that begins with a or o, the g requires a buffer of an extra e as a way to protect the pronunciation of the gentle “g” sound that we affiliate with these verbs.  

Different -GER verbs will comply with this sample. 

nager – to swim

There is no such thing as a want to alter the spelling in tenses the place the endings don’t start with a or o. 

The same sample is seen with verbs that finish in -CER, equivalent to avancer (to advance), balancer (to steadiness), and prononcer (to pronounce). When the ending begins with a or o, the c within the stem might want to change to a ç as a way to protect the gentle “s” sound. 

Different verbs that finish in -CER will comply with this sample. 

avancer – to advance 

Because of the spelling of the endings, there aren’t any modifications within the different tenses. 

-ER verbs with stem modifications

One other sort of spelling irregularity is known as a stem-change verb. A lot of these verbs have a change within the stem in each conjugation besides the nous and vous kind.  

This occurs due to spelling conventions in French. When you see the patterns, it’s not too tough to use them to comparable verbs. 

Some verbs require è with an accent grave instead of é or e. Some examples of this might be acheter (to purchase), promener (to stroll), répéter (to repeat), and préférer (to desire). 

acheter – to purchase

Grasp French -ER verbs with Rosetta Stone

These verb charts are tried and true for a purpose. They’re a superb reference and a shortcut for understanding the idea of verb conjugations and tenses. Studying the endings can assist you to construction sentences appropriately, create extra subtle sentences, and impress native audio system together with your accuracy! 

Nonetheless, if each time you need to talk, it’s essential to suppose via a chart and steps and guidelines to comply with, it would impede your communication. To be actually fluent, it’s important to make use of your information of those French verb conjugations and spot them in motion, in real-life context.  

Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion methodology is a confirmed approach to get the publicity to the patterns of conjugating verbs in a approach that may enhance your fluency. Since you’ll be interacting with important contexts and constructions in an attractive approach, you’ll be nicely in your approach to clean and fluent communication! 

Written by Jamie Edwards

Jamie is a learner and trainer of Spanish and French. When she’s not studying new phrases, you’ll discover her on the soccer sidelines, ski slopes, and monitor and area bleachers having fun with the 4 seasons of Western New York.