Lesson - Section 2: The Verb Classes and their Present Tense Conjugations
 

PART 1: PRESENT TENSE VERBS

Section 2: The Verb Classes and their Present Tense Conjugations

There are three main groups of verbs in French, and they are classified as follows:

Première Groupe (1st group) - les verbes ER
Deuxième Groupe (2nd group) - les verbes IR
Troisième Groupe (3rd group) - les verbes RE

Each group of verbs has a different present tense conjugation, depending on which pronoun is used:

Première (1e) Groupe (1st group) - les verbes ER

Je __________e
Tu __________es
Il __________e
Elle ________e
Nous ________ons
Vous ________ez
Ils ________ent
Elles _______ent

For all regular ER verbs, they are conjugated by replacing the -ER ending with the listed conjugation.

Take, for example, the verb parler, or to speak.

Je parle
Tu parles
Il parle
Elle parle
Nous parlons
Vous parlez
Ils parlent
Elles parlent

hear it conjugated here

Deuxième (2e) Groupe (2nd group) - les verbes IR Type I

Je __________is
Tu __________is
Il __________it
Elle ________it
Nous ________issons
Vous ________issez
Ils ________issent
Elles _______issent

For all regular IR verbs, they are conjugated by replacing the -IR ending with the listed conjugation.

Take, for example, the verb finir, or to finish.

Je finis
Tu finis
Il finit
Elle finit
Nous finissons
Vous finissez
Ils finissent
Elles finissent

hear it conjugated here

There is another type of IR verb that is conjugated in a similar but not exactly the same way; Let's call them "les verbes IR Type II". They are conjugated as follows:

Je __________s
Tu __________s
Il __________t
Elle ________t
Nous ________ons
Vous ________ez
Ils ________ent
Elles _______ent

Take, for example, the verb sortir, or to leave.

Je sors
Tu sors
Il sort
Elle sort
Nous sortons
Vous sortez
Ils sortent
Elles sortent

hear it conjugated here

How do you tell which IR conjugation to use? This is a note I wrote somebody who asked:

If you can translate the verb by a word that ends in -ish, it belongs to IR type I. If the verb comes from an adjective (to get red, to get white, etc..) it belongs to IR type I. If it is choisir, obéir, or réfléchir, or remplir, it also belongs to IR type I. Many other verbs belong to IR type II - yet others have their own case.

Troisième (3e) Groupe (3rd group) - les verbes RE

Je __________s
Tu __________s
Il __________(none)
Elle ________(none)
Nous ________ons
Vous ________ez
Ils ________ent
Elles _______ent

For all regular RE verbs, they are conjugated by replacing the -RE ending with the listed conjugation. However, RE verbs have a variety of irregular conjugations. Here is your first introduction to irregular verbs in French :D

Take, for example, the verb mettre, or to put. Note the double t in the plural; this is done also in many other verbs ending in -TRE.

Je mets
Tu mets
Il met
Elle met
Nous mettons
Vous mettez
Ils mettent
Elles mettent

hear it conjugated here

In English, there are several present tenses. For example, you can say I do go, I go, or I am going. French does not make this distinction. There is only one present tense in French.

Now for your homework :D Please PM me the answers to the following questions.

1. Conjugate the verb dormir (to sleep), being careful to use the conjugations for IR verb Type II. Je/tu use dors, while il/elle use dort.
2. Conjugate the verb écrire (to write), being careful of the following:
The conjugations in plural require an extra v on the left end. i.e. -vons instead of -ons (yes, another irregularity). Il/Elle use écrit.
There is élision between Je and the conjugated form of the verb, i.e. j'e_____ not je e_________.
The
3. Conjugate the verb battre (to beat), being careful to use a double t in the plural.
4. Conjugate the verb chanter (to sing).
5. Conjugate the verb polir (to polish), using IR verbs type I.
6. Conjugate the verb grossir (to gain weight), using IR verbs type I.
7. Conjugate the verb entendre (to hear).
8. Conjugate the verb donner (to give).
9. Conjugate the verb continuer (to continue).
10. Conjugate the verb dire (to say), being careful of:
After removing -RE, put an s in its place for all plural conjugations.
The vous conjugation is vous dites (sorry, must memorize this).
Il/Elle use dit.

If there are no comments, use the regular conjugation.

I learnt so much from doing that! Merci beaucoup

ugh. deja vous.

Dammit I Jus Gonna Correct Myself!!!

"to be doing something" can be translated "être en train de" in French. It really specifies that you're doing something right now. For example "je suis en train de manger" = "I am eating". Although, it's used way more often in English...

ah but isn't a train something you ride?

Yes but the word has nothing to do with trains here ;). It's just an expression and another meaning... Maybe etymologically, it had to do with trains but I don't know.

It could also be the act of being taught something (in english).

Multiple meanings are everywhere!

There's an expression in English that might preserve this concept a bit: "train of thought." For example, "All that racket is interrupting my train of thought." Where "train of thought" means "what I am thinking about right now." I wouldn't be surprised is the two expressions were related somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if the vehicle train was derived from an earier meaning of "train" which simply meant any number of things that were both connected and moving.

In the French it came to be used to describe temporally related actions.
In the English it came to be used to describe temporally related thoughts.
And in the case of the vehicle, if refers to physically connected moving objects.

Could be. Etymology is always odd and funny when very old expressions are concerned :)