All the singular forms and the third person plural (je parle, tu parses, il parle, ils parlent) are pronounced alike.
The first person plural (the nous form) of all verbs of all conjugations and in all tenses, with only one exception (nous sommes, we are), ends in -ons:
The vous form of all verbs in all tenses, with very few exceptions, ends in -ez.
The third person plural (ils and elles) form of all verbs in all tenses without exception ends in -nt.
2nd Conjugation Verbs (Infinitive ending -ir)
finir (to finish)
je finis
I finish, am finishing
tu finis
you finish, are finishing
il (elle) finit
he (she) finishes, is finishing
nous finissons
we finish, are finishing
vous finissez
you finish, are finishing
ils (elles) finissent
they finish, are finishing
Notes on the second conjugation:
All the singular forms (je finis, tu finis, il finit) are pronounced alike.
The plural endings are the same as for the 1st conjugation (-ons, -ez, -ent) except that -iss- is placed before them.
There are not many verbs that follow the pattern of finir. The following are the most important and probably the only ones a tourist is likely to need: bâtir (to build)
remplir (to fill)
choisir (to choose)
réussir (to succeed)
Two common verbs ending in -ir are conjugated like 1st conjugation verbs.
A number of important verbs ending in -ir are irregular and are discussed in the irregular verb section, p. 34.
3rd Conjugation Verbs (Infinitive ending -re)
vendre (to sell)
je vends
I sell, am selling
tu vends
you sell, are selling
il (elle) vend
he (she) sells, is selling
nous vendons
we sell, are selling
vous vendez
you sell, are selling
ils (elles) vendent
they sell, are selling
Notes on the third conjugation:
All the singular forms are pronounced alike (je vends, tu vends, il vend).
The plural endings are the same as for the ist conjugation (-ons, -ez, -ent).
There are not many verbs that follow exactly the pattern of vendre. The following are the most important:5
A number of important -re verbs are irregular and are discussed in the irregular verb section which follows.
The Present Tense of Common Irregular Verbs
The following irregular verbs are so frequently used that the student will do well to memorize their forms.
The Command or Imperative Form
How to Form Commands
The command form (“Speak!”) is the vous form of the present tense of the verb without the subject pronoun.
The command is usually softened by adding s’il vous plaît (please).
Parlez plus haut, s’il vous plaît.
Speak louder, please.
Descendez vite, s‘il vous plaît.
Come down quickly, please.
How to Avoid the Command Form
A substitute for the command form is the use of the vous form of the verb vouloir (to wish, want) plus the infinitive of the working verb in the normal question word order (see rule 2, page 17). The word bien is often inserted after the word vous to soften the statement. This construction is equivalent to the English phrase “Will you please ... ?”
Voulez-vous (bien) parlez plus haut?
Will you please speak louder?
Voulez-vous (bien) laisser la clé?
Will you please leave the key?
First Person Plural Commands
The first person plural command “Let’s speak!” is the present tense of the verb without the subject pronoun nous.
Allons! (Let’s go!)
Lisons! (Let’s read!)
Bâtissons! (Let’s build!)
Ouvrons! (Let’s open!)
Irregular Command Forms
The verb être (to be) has irregular command forms:
Soyez ici à quatre heures.
Be here at four o‘clock.
Soyons heureux.
Let’s be happy.
The Passé Composé or Past Indefinite Tense
Comparison of the Past Indefinite Tense in French and English
French, like English, has several ways of expressing a past event. The past tense which is most important and most useful in French is called le passé composé. It corresponds to the English simple past (I spoke, I finished, I bought) as well as to the English present perfect (I have spoken, I have finished, I have bought).
How to Form the Passé Composé and the Past Participle
The passé composé of most verbs is formed by using the present tense of the verb avoir (to have) and the past participle. This is very similar to the way in which the present perfect tense in English is formed. The past participle ends in -é for the first conjugation verbs (parler, parlé), in -i for the second conjugation verbs (finir, fini), and in -u for the third conjugation verbs (vendre, vendu).
Study the following models:
IST CONJ. VERBS
j‘ai visité
I visited, have visited
tu as visité
you visited, have visited
il (elle) a visité
he (she) visited, has visited
nous avons visité
we visited, have visited
vous avez visité
you visited, have visited
ils (elles) ont visité
they visited, have visited
2ND CONJ. VERBS
(choisir—to choose)
j’ai choisi
I chose, have chosen
tu as choisi
you chose, have chosen
il (elle) a choisi
he (she) chose, has chosen
nous avons choisi
we chose, have chosen
vous avez choisi
you chose, have chosen
ils (elles) ont choisi
they chose, have chosen
3RD CONJ. VERBS
(perdre—to lose)
j‘ai perdu
I lost, have lost
tu as perdu
you lost, have lost
il (elle) a perdu
he (she) lost, has lost
nous avons perdu
we lost, have lost
vous avez perdu
you lost, have lost
ils (elles) ont perdu
they lost, have lost
Verbs with Irregular Past Participles
INFINITIVE
PAST PARTICIPLE
s’asseoir (to be seated)
assis (seated)
avoir (to have)
eu (had)
boire (to drink)
bu (drunk)
conduire (to conduct)
conduit (conducted)
connaître (to know)
connu (known)
courir (to run)
couru (run)
croire (to believe)
cru (believed)
devoir (to owe; must)
dû (ought)
dire (to say, tell)
dit (said, told)
être (to be)
été (been)
écrire (to write)
écrit (written)
faire (to do, make)
fait (done, made)
lire (to read)
lu (read)
mettre (to put)
mis (put)
mourir (to die)
mort (died)
naître (to be born)
né (born)
offrir (to offer)
offert (offered)
ouvrir (to open)
ouvert (opened
)
partir (to leave)
parti (left)
pouvoir (to be able)
pu (been able)
prendre (to take)
pris (taken)
recevoir (to receive)
reçu (received)
rire (laugh)
ri (laughed)
savoir (to know)
su (known)
venir (to come)
venu (come)
voir (to see)
vu (seen)
vouloir (to wish, want)
voulu (wished, wanted)
How to Use the Passé Composé
Study the following sentences which contain examples of the past tense:
Nous avons dépensé beaucoup d’argent.
We spent (have spent) a lot of money.
J‘ai déjà reçu l’invitation.
I have already received the invitation.
Elle a été malade la semaine dernière.
She was ill last week.
Verbs Which Form Their Compound Tenses Using être as the Auxiliary Verb
The following sixteen verbs use être and not avoir as the auxiliary verb to form the passé composé and other compound tenses.6
aller (to go)
arriver (to arrive)
descendre (to descend)
devenir (to become)
entrer (to enter)
monter (to go up)
mourir (to die)
naître (to be born)
partir (to leave)
rentrer (to return)
rester (to remain)
retourner (to return)
revenir (to come back)
sortir (to go out)
tomber (to fall)
venir (to come)
The past participle of verbs conjugated with être as the auxiliary verb change endings so as to agree in gender and number with the subject of the verb. If the subject is feminine singular, an -e is added to the past participle. If the subject is masculine plural, a -s is added, and if it is feminine plural an -es is added. (These changes do not affect pronunciation, however, except in the case of the verb mourir, past participle: mort, morts, morte, mortes. The addition of the -e in the feminine singular and plural forms causes the t to be sounded.)
Study the conjugation of the verb sortir in the passé composé. Observe the changes which the past participle makes in order to agree in gender and number with the subject.
sortir (to leave, go out)
je suis sorti
I (MASC.) left, have left
je suis sortie
I (FEM.) left, have left
tu es sorti
you (MASC. FAM.) left, have left
tu es sortie
you (FEM. FAM.) left, have left
il est sorti
he left, has left
elle est sortie
she left, has left
nous sommes sortis
we (MASC. PL. or MASC. and FEM. PL.) left, have left
nous sommes sorties
we (FEM. PL.) left, have left
vous êtes sorti
you (MASC. SING.) left, have left
vous êtes sortie
you (FEM. SING.) left, have left
vous êtes sortis
you (MASC. PL. or MASC. and FEM. PL.) left, have left
vous êtes sorties
you (FEM. PL.) left, have left
ils sont sortis
they (MASC. PL. or MASC. and FEM. PL.) left, have left
elles sont sorties
they (FEM. PL.) left, have left
Ils sont arrivés hier et sont allés tout de suite au consulat américain.
They arrived yesterday and went at once to the American consulate.
Nous sommes restés longtemps.
We stayed a long time.
How to Use ne ... pas with Compound Tenses
To make a sentence negative in the passé composé or any other compound tense, surround the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) by ne ... pas. (Remember that ne contracts to n’ before a vowel.)
Je n’ai pas encore payé la note.
I haven’t paid the bill yet.
Elles ne sont pas arrivées à temps.
They (FEM.) did not arrive on time.
How to Form Questions in Compound Tenses
To make a sentence involving a compound tense negative, either use est-ce que as in the present tense (see p. 17), or place the auxiliary verb before the subject and connect it to the subject by a hyphen. Note that a -t- is inserted in the third person singular of verbs conjugated with avoir.
Est-ce que vous avez commencé le roman?
Have you begun the novel?
or
Avez-vous commencé le roman?
Have you begun the novel?
Est-ce qu‘il a bien travaillé?
Did he work well?
or
A-t-il bien travaillé?
Did he work well?
Est-ce qu‘elle est rentrée de bonne heure?
Did she come back early?
or
Est-elle rentrée de bonne heure?
Did she come back early?
The Imperfect Tense
How to Form the Imperfect Tense
Another past tense in French is the imperfect. It is used to express what was happening or what used to happen. It is formed by dropping the -ons of the first person plural of the present tense (nous parl-ons, nous finiss-ons, nous attend-ons), and adding the following endings:
(je) -ais
(nous) -ions
(tu) -ais
(vous) -iez
(il, elle) -ait
(ils, elles) -aient
Study the following models:
IST CONJ. VERBS
(parler—to speak)
je parlais
I spoke, used to speak, was speaking
tu parlais
you spoke, used to speak, were speaking
il (elle) parlait
he (she) spoke, used to speak, was speaking
nous parlions
we spoke, used to speak, were speaking
vous parliez
you spoke, used to speak, were speaking
ils (elles) parlaient
they spoke, used to speak, were speaking
2ND CONJ. VERBS
(finir—to finish)
je finissais
I finished, used to finish, was finishing
tu finissais
you finished, used to finish, were finishing
il (elle) finissait
he (she) finished, used to finish, was finishing
nous finissions
we finished, used to finish, were finishing
vous finissiez
you finished, used to finish, were finishing
ils (elles) finissaient
they finished, used to finish, were finishing
3RD CONJ. VERBS
(attendre—to wait)
j‘attendais
I waited, used to wait, was waiting
tu attendais
you waited, used to wait, were waiting
il (elle) attendait
he (she) waited, used to wait, was waiting
nous attendions
we waited, used to wait, were waiting
vous attendiez
you waited, used to wait, were waiting
ils (elles) attendaient
they waited, used to wait, were waiting
Observations about the imperfect:
All the singular forms and the third person plural (-ais, -ais, -ait, -aient) are pronounced alike.
The endings of the first and second persons plural (-ions, -iez) are the same as in the present tense except for the insertion of the i before the ending.
The only irregular verb in the imperfect tense is être (to be). Être uses the stem ét-, to which the regular imperfect endings are added (j’étais, tu étais, il (elle) était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils (elles) étaient).
How to Use the Imper
fect Tense
The following sentences will show you the difference between the imperfect and the passé composé. Note that the imperfect describes actions which used to happen, repeatedly or regularly, or actions which were taking place when something else happened. The passé composé, on the other hand, is used to describe single rather than repeated actions, and generally actions which are considered completed.