The rules of French verb formation
The rules of French verb formation INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 2 What is a regular –er verb ? ...................................................................................................................... 2 What is a regular –ir verb? ........................................................................................................................ 3 What is a regular –re verb? ....................................................................................................................... 3 Lesson ONE – the Present (le présent) ............................................................................................... 4 Lesson TWO – the Imperfect (l’imparfait) ........................................................................................ 6 Lesson THREE – the Future (le futur) ................................................................................................. 7 Lesson FOUR – the Conditional (le conditionnel) ............................................................................... 8 Lesson FIVE – the Subjunctive (le subjonctif) ................................................................................. 9 Lesson SIX – the Past Historic (le passé simple) ........................................................................... 10 Lesson SEVEN – the Imperfect Subjunctive (l’imparfait du subjonctif) ................................. 12 Lesson EIGHT – the Past Participle (le participe passé) ............................................................... 13 Lesson NINE – the auxiliary ................................................................................................................ 15 Lesson TEN – Passé composé ............................................................................................................... 16 Lesson ELEVEN – plus-que-parfait ..................................................................................................... 17 Lesson TWELVE – futur antérieur...................................................................................................... 18 Lesson THIRTEEN – Conditionnel antérieur .................................................................................... 19 Lesson FOURTEEN – subjonctif passé .............................................................................................. 20 Lesson FIFTEEN - Passé antérieur .................................................................................................... 21 Lesson SIXTEEN - Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif ........................................................................ 22 APPENDIX ONE (SPELLING CHANGE VERBS): ............................................................................. 23 Appendix two (stem-changing verbs) ................................................................................................. 23 Dr E. Tyler Page 1
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 2<br />
What is a regular –er <strong>verb</strong> ? ...................................................................................................................... 2<br />
What is a regular –ir <strong>verb</strong>? ........................................................................................................................ 3<br />
What is a regular –re <strong>verb</strong>? ....................................................................................................................... 3<br />
Lesson ONE – the Present (le présent) ............................................................................................... 4<br />
Lesson TWO – the Imperfect (l’imparfait) ........................................................................................ 6<br />
Lesson THREE – the Future (le futur) ................................................................................................. 7<br />
Lesson FOUR – the Conditional (le conditionnel) ............................................................................... 8<br />
Lesson FIVE – the Subjunctive (le subjonctif) ................................................................................. 9<br />
Lesson SIX – the Past Historic (le passé simple) ........................................................................... 10<br />
Lesson SEVEN – the Imperfect Subjunctive (l’imparfait du subjonctif) ................................. 12<br />
Lesson EIGHT – the Past Participle (le participe passé) ............................................................... 13<br />
Lesson NINE – the auxiliary ................................................................................................................ 15<br />
Lesson TEN – Passé composé ............................................................................................................... 16<br />
Lesson ELEVEN – plus-que-parfait ..................................................................................................... 17<br />
Lesson TWELVE – futur antérieur...................................................................................................... 18<br />
Lesson THIRTEEN – Conditionnel antérieur .................................................................................... 19<br />
Lesson FOURTEEN – subjonctif passé .............................................................................................. 20<br />
Lesson FIFTEEN - Passé antérieur .................................................................................................... 21<br />
Lesson SIXTEEN - Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif ........................................................................ 22<br />
APPENDIX ONE (SPELLING CHANGE VERBS): ............................................................................. 23<br />
Appendix two (stem-changing <strong>verb</strong>s) ................................................................................................. 23<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 1
INTRODUCTION<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
SIMPLE COMPOUND<br />
Past participles (lesson 8)<br />
<strong>The</strong> auxiliary (lesson 9)<br />
Common Présent (lesson 1)<br />
Imparfait (lesson 2)<br />
Futur (lesson 3)<br />
Conditionnel (lesson 4)<br />
Subjonctif (lesson 5)<br />
Literary Passé simple (lesson 6)<br />
Imparfait du subjonctif (lesson 7)<br />
Passé composé (lesson 10)<br />
Plus-que-parfait (lesson 11)<br />
Futur antérieur (lesson 12)<br />
Conditionnel passé (lesson 13)<br />
Subjonctif passé (lesson 14)<br />
Passé antérieur (lesson 15)<br />
Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (lesson 16S)<br />
A SIMPLE tense is formed with a single word : il travaille, il travaillera, il travaillait, etc.<br />
A COMPOUND tense is a two-part tense, with an AUXILIARY and a PAST PARTICIPLE : il a<br />
travaillé, il aurait travaillé, il avait travaillé, etc.<br />
General <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> conjugation:<br />
1. <strong>The</strong> tu form always ends in an ‘s’ (all <strong>verb</strong>s, all tenses) except for tu veux, tu peux, tu vaux.<br />
2. <strong>The</strong> nous form always ends in ‘ons’ (all <strong>verb</strong>s, all tenses except for the past historic).<br />
3. <strong>The</strong> ils/ elles form always ends in ‘nt’.<br />
4. <strong>The</strong>re are never any accents on <strong>verb</strong> ENDINGS, except for the nous and the vous forms <strong>of</strong><br />
the past historic, and the il form <strong>of</strong> the imperfect subjunctive, which all have a circumflex.<br />
What is a regular –er <strong>verb</strong> ?<br />
This is the largest group <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong>s – there are thousands that follow the pattern for regular<br />
–er <strong>verb</strong>s (like aimer) in all their tenses.<br />
Peculiar effects are created in some tenses with –er <strong>verb</strong>s whose stem ends in é or i:<br />
J’ai créé; la valeur de la monnaie crééé par les banques<br />
Nous niions (imperfect) ; que vous niiez (present subjunctive)<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 2
What is a regular –ir <strong>verb</strong>?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Any <strong>verb</strong> which follows the pattern <strong>of</strong> finir (present: nous finissons, present participle: finissant)<br />
counts as a regular –ir <strong>verb</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> rest are irregular, for example:<br />
Cueillir (nous cueillons; cueillant)<br />
Partir (nous partons; partant)<br />
What is a regular –re <strong>verb</strong>?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are about 50 regular –re <strong>verb</strong>s, which all follow the pattern <strong>of</strong> rendre, <strong>of</strong> which the most<br />
common are listed below:<br />
Verbs ending in –endre: attendre, condescendre, défendre, dépendre, descendre,<br />
détendre, entendre, étendre, fendre, pendre, prétendre, redescendre, rendre,<br />
suspendre, tendre, vendre<br />
Verbs ending in –andre: répandre<br />
Verbs ending in –ondre: confondre, correspondre, fondre, pondre, répondre, tondre<br />
Verbs ending in –erdre: perdre<br />
Verbs ending in –ordre: détordre, mordre, tordre<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 3
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson ONE – the Present (le présent)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –er and add the endings: e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.<br />
Je travaille, tu travailles, il travaille, nous travaillons, vous travaillez, ils travaillent<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –ir and add the endings: is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent<br />
Je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent<br />
RULE 3: -RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are regular in the present (rating: easy)<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –re and add the endings: -s, -s, -nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent<br />
Je rends, tu rends, il rend, nous rendons, vous rendez, ils rendent<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present (rating: tricky)<br />
1. ALLER: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.<br />
2. Verbs ending in –ger (for explanation see appendix one)<br />
3. Verbs ending in –cer (for explanation see appendix one)<br />
4. Stem-changing <strong>verb</strong>s (for explanation see appendix one)<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present (rating: tricky)<br />
DORMIR: Je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dormant<br />
OUVRIR (COUVRIR, etc): j’ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre, nous ouvrons, vous ouvrez, ils<br />
ouvrent<br />
PARTIR, SORTIR, SENTIR (and composites) : je pars, il part, nous partons<br />
Asseoir<br />
AVOIR: j’ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont<br />
COURIR: je cours, il court, nous courons<br />
DEVOIR: je dois, nous devons, ils doivent<br />
FALLOIR, VALOIR: il faut, il vaut<br />
MOURIR: je meurs, il meurt, nous mourons<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 4
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
PLEUVOIR: il pleut<br />
POUVOIR, VOULOIR: je peux, il peut, nous pouvons<br />
RECEVOIR: je reçois, il reçoit, nous recevons, ils reçoivent<br />
SAVOIR: je sais, il sait, nous savons, ils savent<br />
TENIR, VENIR: je viens, il vient, nous venons, ils viennent<br />
VOIR: je vois, il voit, nous voyons, ils voient<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present (rating: tricky)<br />
1. ÊTRE: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont<br />
2. PRENDRE (etc): je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils prennent<br />
3. METTRE/ BATTRE (etc): je mets, tu mets, il met, nous mettons, vous mettez, ils mettent<br />
4. ROMPRE (etc): je romps, tu romps, il rompt, nous rompons, vous rompez, ils rompent<br />
5. Verbs ending in -INDRE: je joins, tu joins, il joint, nous joignons, vous joignez, ils joignent<br />
6. BOIRE: je bois, il boit, nous buvons, ils boivent<br />
7. CONCLURE: je conclus, il conclut, nous concluons, ils concluent<br />
8. CONNAÎTRE: je connais, il connaît, nous connaissons, ils connaissent<br />
9. CONDUIRE: je conduis, il conduit, nous conduisons, ils conduisent<br />
10. CROIRE: je crois, il croit, nous croyons, ils croient<br />
11. DIRE: je dis, il dit, nous disons, vous dîtes, ils disent<br />
12. ÉCRIRE: j’écris, il écrit, nous écrivons, ils écrivent<br />
13. FAIRE: je fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faîtes, ils font<br />
14. INSCRIRE: j’inscris, il inscrit, nous inscrivons, ils inscrivent<br />
15. LIRE: je lis, il lit, nous lisons, ils lisent<br />
16. NAÎTRE: je nais, il naît, nous naissons, ils naissent<br />
17. PLAIRE: je plais, il plaît, nous plaisons, ils plaisent<br />
18. RIRE: je ris, il rit, nous rions, ils rient<br />
19. SUIVRE: je suis, il suit, nous suivons, ils suivent<br />
20. VIVRE: je vis, il vit, nous vivons, ils vivent<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 5
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson TWO – the Imperfect (l’imparfait)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the NOUS form <strong>of</strong> the present tense, knock <strong>of</strong>f the –ONS and add the endings:<br />
-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the NOUS form <strong>of</strong> the present tense, knock <strong>of</strong>f the –ONS and add the endings:<br />
-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the NOUS form <strong>of</strong> the present tense, knock <strong>of</strong>f the –ONS and add the endings:<br />
-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect<br />
Verbs ending in –ger. You need an extra E before the A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
je mangEais, tu mangEais, il mangEait, nous mangions, vous mangiez, ils mangEaient<br />
Verbs ending in –cer. You need a cedilla before an A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
je plaÇais, tu plaÇais, il plaÇait, nous placions, vous placiez, ils plaÇaient<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are none: all –ir <strong>verb</strong>s follow the regular –ir <strong>verb</strong> rule<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are none: all –re <strong>verb</strong>s follow the regular –re <strong>verb</strong> rule. However, there are a couple<br />
<strong>of</strong> peculiar effects to note:<br />
a. rire/ sourire: nous riions, vous riiez<br />
b. connaître (etc): that circumflex will only appear before a T, so no circumflex in the<br />
imperfect forms :<br />
je connaissais<br />
nous connaissions<br />
ils connaissaient<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 6
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson THREE – the Future (le futur)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Add the endings to the infinitive: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Add the endings to the infinitive: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Drop the –e only and then add the endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the future (rating: easy)<br />
1. Aller: j’irai, tu iras, il ira, nous irons, vous irez, ils iront<br />
2. Envoyer: j’enverrai, tu enverras, il enverra, nous enverrons, vous enverrez, ils enverront<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the future (rating: tricky)<br />
1. Acquérir > j’acquerrai, il acquerra (etc)<br />
2. Avoir > j’aurai, il aura (etc)<br />
3. Courir > je courrai, il courra (etc)<br />
4. Cueillir > je cueillerai, il cueillera (etc)<br />
5. Décevoir > je décevrai, il décevra (etc)<br />
6. Devoir > je devrai, il devra (etc)<br />
7. Mourir > je mourrai, il mourra (etc)<br />
8. Pleuvoir > il pleuvra (no other forms)<br />
9. Pouvoir > je pourrai, il pourra (etc)<br />
10. Recevoir > je recevrai, il recevra (etc)<br />
11. Savoir > je saurai, il saura (etc)<br />
12. Tenir > je tiendrai, il tiendra (etc)<br />
13. Venir > je viendrai, il viendra (etc)<br />
14. Voir > je verrai, il verra (etc)<br />
15. Vouloir > je voudrai, il voudra (etc)<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the future (rating: easy)<br />
1. Être > je serai, il sera (etc)<br />
2. Faire > il ferai, il fera (etc)<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 7
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson FOUR – the Conditional (le conditionnel)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Add the endings to the infinitive: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: easy)<br />
Add the endings to the infinitive: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
Drop the –e only and then add the endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the conditional (rating: easy); AS FOR FUTURE<br />
1. Aller: j’irais, tu irais, il irait, nous irions, vous iriez, ils iraient<br />
2. Envoyer: j’enverrais, tu enverrais, il enverrais, nous enverrions, vous enverriez, ils<br />
enverraient<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the conditional (rating: tricky); AS FOR FUTURE<br />
1. Acquérir > j’acquerrais, il acquerrait (etc)<br />
2. Avoir > j’aurais, il aurait (etc)<br />
3. Courir > je courrais, il courrait (etc)<br />
4. Cueillir > je cueillerais, il cueillerait (etc)<br />
5. Décevoir > je décevrais, il décevrait (etc)<br />
6. Devoir > je devrais, il devrait (etc)<br />
7. Mourir > je mourrais, il mourrait (etc)<br />
8. Pleuvoir > il pleuvrait (only possible form)<br />
9. Pouvoir > je pourrais, il pourrait (etc)<br />
10. Recevoir > je recevrais, il recevrait (etc)<br />
11. Savoir > je saurais, il saurait (etc)<br />
12. Tenir > je tiendrais, il tiendrait (etc)<br />
13. Venir > je viendrais, il viendrait (etc)<br />
14. Voir > je verrais, il verrait (etc)<br />
15. Vouloir > je voudrais, il voudrait (etc)<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the conditional (rating: easy); AS FOR FUTURE<br />
1. Être > je serais, il serait (etc)<br />
2. Faire > je ferais, il ferait (etc)<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 8
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson FIVE – the Subjunctive (le subjonctif)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
<strong>The</strong> nous and vous forms <strong>of</strong> the present subjunctive are the same as the nous and vous<br />
forms <strong>of</strong> the imperfect: nous travaillions, vous travailliez<br />
For the je, tu, il/ elle and ils/ elles forms, take the third person plural form <strong>of</strong> the present<br />
tense, take <strong>of</strong>f the –ENT, and add the present subjunctive endings: -e, -es, - e, -ent<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
<strong>The</strong> nous and vous forms <strong>of</strong> the present subjunctive are the same as the nous and vous<br />
forms <strong>of</strong> the imperfect: nous finissions, vous finissiez<br />
For the je, tu, il/ elle and ils/ elles forms, take the third person plural form <strong>of</strong> the present<br />
tense, take <strong>of</strong>f the –ENT, and add the present subjunctive endings: -e, -es, - e, -ent<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
<strong>The</strong> nous and vous forms <strong>of</strong> the present subjunctive are the same as the nous and vous<br />
forms <strong>of</strong> the imperfect: nous Vous conduisions, vous conduisiez<br />
For the je, tu, il/ elle and ils/ elles forms, take the third person plural form <strong>of</strong> the present<br />
tense, take <strong>of</strong>f the –ENT, and add the present subjunctive endings: -e, -es, - e, -ent<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present subjunctive (rating: easy)<br />
1. Aller : j’aille, nous allions (etc)<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present subjunctive (rating: middling)<br />
2. Avoir : j’aie, tu aies, il AIT, nous ayons (etc)<br />
3. Pouvoir : je puisse, nous puissions (etc)<br />
4. Savoir : je sache, nous sachions (etc)<br />
5. valoir : je vaille, nous valions (etc)<br />
6. vouloir : je veuille, nous voulions (etc)<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the present subjunctive (rating: easy)<br />
1. être : je sois, nous soyons (etc)<br />
2. faire : je fasse, nous fassions (etc)<br />
and also, not irregular, but peculiar : rire/ sourire – nous riions, vous riiez<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 9
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson SIX – the Past Historic (le passé simple)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
Take the nous form <strong>of</strong> the present tense, remove the –ons and add the endings:<br />
-ai -as -a -âmes -âtes – èrent (calmer : il calma (etc))<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
Take the past participle, remove the final vowel/ vowel + consonant and add the endings:<br />
-is -is -it -îmes -îtes –irent (finir: il finit (etc))<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s (rating: middling)<br />
Take the past participle, remove the final vowel and add the endings: -<br />
is -is -it -îmes -îtes –irent (rendre: il rendit (etc))<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the past historic (rating: middling)<br />
Verbs ending in –ger. You need an extra E before the A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
o je mangEai, tu mangEas, il mangEa, nous mangEâmes, vous mangEâtes, ils mangèrent<br />
Verbs ending in –cer. You need a cedilla before an A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
o je plaÇai, tu plaÇas, il plaÇa, nous plaÇâmes, vous plaÇâtes, ils placèrent<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the past historic (rating: tricky)<br />
Voir: je vis, tu vis, il vit (etc)<br />
Other <strong>verb</strong>s ending in –OIR: take the past participle, remove the final vowel and add the<br />
endings: -us -us -ut -ûmes -ûtes -urent (savoir: il sut (etc); avoir: il eut (etc))<br />
Courir : il courut (etc)<br />
Mourir : il mourut (etc)<br />
Tenir and venir: je vins, tu vins, il vint, nous vînmes, vous vîntes, ils vinrent<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the past historic (rating: tricky)<br />
Verbs ending in –NDRE: take the nous form <strong>of</strong> the present tense, remove the –ons and add<br />
the –is, -is, -it endings: peindre: il peignit (etc)<br />
Most irregular <strong>verb</strong>s which have a past participle ending in –u fall into this group<br />
Boire : il but (etc)<br />
Connaître : il connut (etc)<br />
Croire : il crut (etc)<br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 10
Être : il fut (etc)<br />
lire : il lut (etc)<br />
vivre : il vécut (etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Dr E. Tyler Page 11
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
Lesson SEVEN – the Imperfect Subjunctive (l’imparfait du<br />
subjonctif)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
For –ER <strong>verb</strong>s, take the third person singular <strong>of</strong> the Passé Simple (Past Historic) and add<br />
the endings for the imperfect subjunctive: - sse, -sses, -^t, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent.<br />
Example: Il travaillât<br />
RULE 2: regular -IR <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
For –IR <strong>verb</strong>s and –RE <strong>verb</strong>s, take the third person singular <strong>of</strong> the Passé Simple (Past<br />
Historic) and add the endings for the imperfect subjunctive : - sse, -sses, -^t, -ssions, -<br />
ssiez, -ssent<br />
Example: elles dormissent, nous pussions<br />
RULE 3: regular -RE <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
For –IR <strong>verb</strong>s and –RE <strong>verb</strong>s, take the third person singular <strong>of</strong> the Passé Simple (Past<br />
Historic) and add the endings for the imperfect subjunctive : - sse, -sses, -^t, -ssions, -<br />
ssiez, -ssent<br />
Example: je fusse, vous conduissiez<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect subjunctive<br />
Verbs ending in –ger. You need an extra E before the A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
o je mangEasse, il mangEât (etc)<br />
Verbs ending in –cer. You need a cedilla before an A (see Appendix One for explanation):<br />
o je plaÇasse, il plaÇât (etc)<br />
RULE 5: -IR <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect subjunctive<br />
<strong>The</strong>re aren’t any!<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s that are irregular in the imperfect subjunctive<br />
<strong>The</strong>re aren’t any !<br />
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Lesson EIGHT – the Past Participle (le participe passé)<br />
RULE 1: regular –ER <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –ER and add –É: Travailler > travaillé<br />
RULE 2: regular –IR <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –IR and –I: Finir > fini<br />
RULE 3: regular –RE <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the infinitive, remove the –RE and add –U: Rendre > rendu<br />
RULE 4: –ER <strong>verb</strong>s with irregular past participles<br />
<strong>The</strong>re aren’t any! Even irregular –er <strong>verb</strong>s follow rule 1.<br />
RULE 5: irregular –IR <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
1. Verbs ending in –cevoir: drop the -cevoir ending and add –çu<br />
Décevoir (déçu), recevoir (reçu), apercevoir (aperçu)<br />
2. Verbs ending in –vrir: drop the ending and add –vert:<br />
Couvrir (couvert), ouvrir (ouvert), découvrir (découvert)<br />
3. Verbs ending in -érir, drop the ending and add –is:<br />
Acquérir (acquis), conquérir (conquis)<br />
4. Pouvoir/ Savoir/Devoir :<br />
Pouvoir (pu), savoir (su), devoir (dû)<br />
5. Other <strong>verb</strong>s ending in –oir, drop the ending and add –u:<br />
J’ai voulu (vouloir), il a fallu (falloir), il a valu (valoir), nous avons vu (voir)<br />
6. Verbs with completely irregular past participles:<br />
Avoir: eu<br />
Venir and tenir : venu, tenu<br />
Courir : couru<br />
Mourir : mort<br />
RULE 6: –RE <strong>verb</strong>s with irregular past participles (rating : tricky)<br />
1. Être - été<br />
2. Naître – né<br />
3. Other <strong>verb</strong>s ending in –aître, drop this and add –u (apparaître, connaître, paraître, etc)<br />
4. Verbs ending in –indre, drop this and add –int (atteindre, craindre, joindre, etc)<br />
5. Verbs ending in –endre, drop this and add –is (prendre, comprendre, apprendre, etc)<br />
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6. Lire – lu<br />
7. Élire - élu<br />
8. Other <strong>verb</strong>s ending in –ire, drop this and add –it (conduire, instruire, cuire, dire).<br />
9. Verbs ending in –oire, drop this and add –u (boire, croire)<br />
10. Rire and sourire (ri, souri)<br />
11. Offrir and souffir (<strong>of</strong>fert, souffert)<br />
12. Vivre and survivre (vécu, survécu)<br />
13. Suivre – suivi<br />
14. Écrire – écrit<br />
15. Faire – fait<br />
16. Mettre – mis<br />
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Lesson NINE – the auxiliary<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> auxiliary is the conjugated <strong>verb</strong> (avoir or être) that is used in front <strong>of</strong> a past participle to show<br />
you what tense is being used, in a compound (two-part) tense. Most <strong>verb</strong>s conjugate with ‘avoir’<br />
when making the composite tenses. Reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s always conjugate with être, as do some other<br />
<strong>verb</strong>s.<br />
RULE 1: core être <strong>verb</strong>s (mainly <strong>verb</strong>s <strong>of</strong> movement)<br />
A Arriver/ Partir<br />
D Descendre/ Monter<br />
V Venir/ Aller<br />
E Entrer/ Sortir<br />
N Naître/ Mourir<br />
T Tomber/ Rester<br />
RULE 2: composites <strong>of</strong> the core <strong>verb</strong>s (which also take être)<br />
Venir – Devenir, Parvenir, Revenir<br />
Monter – Remonter<br />
Descendre – redescendre<br />
Sortir – Ressortir<br />
Tomber – Retomber<br />
Partir – Repartir<br />
Entrer – Rentrer<br />
Naître – Renaître<br />
Also Retourner – but Tourner IS NOT an être <strong>verb</strong><br />
RULE 3: transitive/ intransitive<br />
<strong>The</strong> être <strong>verb</strong>s revert to conjugating with avoir when they have a DIRECT OBJECT.<br />
This applies to: Monter, descendre, passer, repasser, rentrer, remonter, redescendre,<br />
sortir, ressortir<br />
For example :<br />
o j’ai rentré la voiture dans le garage<br />
o Il a sorti le chat<br />
o Nous avons monté l’escalier<br />
RULE 4: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
All reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s conjugate with être, in all tenses : je me suis dit; ils se sont parlé<br />
<strong>The</strong> past participle will agree if the reflexive pronoun is a Direct Object :<br />
o Ils se sont lavés. (here the ‘se’ is a Direct Object)<br />
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o Ils se sont lavé les mains x (here the ‘se’ is an Indirect Object)<br />
Lesson TEN – Passé composé<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the present <strong>of</strong> avoir: Ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Il a fait, tu as dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the present <strong>of</strong> être : Suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Nous sommes venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the present <strong>of</strong> être : Suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Je me suis levé(e), nous nous sommes levés<br />
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Lesson ELEVEN – plus-que-parfait<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the imperfect <strong>of</strong> avoir: Avais, avais, avait, avions, aviez, avaient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Il avait fait, tu avais dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the imperfect <strong>of</strong> être : étais, étais, était, étions, étiez, étaient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Nous étions venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the imperfect <strong>of</strong> être : étais, étais, était, étions, étiez, étaient<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Je m’étais levé(e), nous nous étions levés<br />
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Lesson TWELVE – futur antérieur<br />
By this time tomorrow, I will have done this.<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the future <strong>of</strong> avoir: Aurai, auras, auras, aurons, aurez, auront<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Il aura fait, tu auras dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the future <strong>of</strong> être : Serai, seras, sera, serons, serez, seront<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Nous serons venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the future <strong>of</strong> être : Serai, seras, sera, serons, serez, seront<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Je me serai levé(e), nous nous serons levés<br />
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Lesson THIRTEEN – Conditionnel antérieur<br />
I would have done this, if I had had the time.<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the conditional <strong>of</strong> avoir: Aurais, aurais, aurait, aurions, auriez, auraient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Il aurait fait, tu aurais dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the condtional <strong>of</strong> être : Serais, serais, serait, serions, seriez, seraient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Nous serions venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the conditional <strong>of</strong> être : Serais, serais, serait, serions, seriez, seraient<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Je me serais levé(e), nous nous serions levés<br />
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Lesson FOURTEEN – subjonctif passé<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the present subjunctive <strong>of</strong> avoir: Aies, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Qu’il ait fait, que tu aies dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the present subjunctive <strong>of</strong> être: Sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Que nous soyons venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the present subjunctive <strong>of</strong> être: Sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Que je me sois levé(e), que nous nous soyons levés<br />
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Lesson FIFTEEN - Passé antérieur<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the passé simple <strong>of</strong> avoir: Eus, eus, eut, eûmes, eûtes, eurent<br />
Add the past participle<br />
il eut fait, que tu eus dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the passé simple <strong>of</strong> être: Fus, fus, fut, fûmes, fûtes, furent<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
nous fûmes venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the passé simple <strong>of</strong> être: Sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
je me fus levé(e), nous nous fûmes levés<br />
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Lesson SIXTEEN - Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif<br />
RULE 1: avoir <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the imperfect subjunctive <strong>of</strong> avoir: Eusse, eusses, eût, eussions, eussiez, eussent<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Qu’il eût fait, que tu eusses dit<br />
RULE 2: être <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Take the imperfect subjunctive <strong>of</strong> être: Fusse, fusses, fût, fussions, fussiez, fussent<br />
Add the past participle<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Que nous fussions venus<br />
RULE 3: reflexive <strong>verb</strong>s<br />
Put the subject (je, tu, etc) first<br />
<strong>The</strong>n add the reflexive pronoun (me, te, etc)<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the imperfect subjunctive <strong>of</strong> être: Fusses, fusses, fusse, fussions, fussiez,<br />
fussent<br />
Remember that the past participle will agree with the subject <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong><br />
Que je me fusse levé(e), que nous nous fussions levés<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
APPENDIX ONE (SPELLING CHANGE VERBS):<br />
a. Verbs ending in –cer:<br />
In the infinitive, the ‘c’ sound is s<strong>of</strong>t. In other words it sounds like an ‘s’, and if you look in<br />
your dictionary, it will be represented by an [s] in the phonetic transcription. A ‘c’ followed<br />
by an ‘e’ or an ‘i’ is always pronounced as an [s] – cela, ici.<br />
So when you start conjugating a –cer <strong>verb</strong>, and you add an ending that begins with an ‘a’ or<br />
an ‘o’ or a ‘u’, you need to add a cedilla to the ‘c’ to keep it sounding s<strong>of</strong>t:<br />
Je plaçai<br />
Nous plaçons<br />
NB – it also applies to recevoir in the past participle – reçu<br />
b. Verbs ending in –ger:<br />
<strong>The</strong> same rule applies to these <strong>verb</strong>s, but the change you make is different. In the infinitive<br />
the ‘g’ sound is s<strong>of</strong>t; if you look in your dictionary, it will be represented by an [Ʒ]. To keep<br />
it sounding s<strong>of</strong>t, you add an e between the g and the a or o.<br />
Je mangeai, nous mangeons, vous mangeates, etc<br />
Appendix two (stem-changing <strong>verb</strong>s)<br />
All the changes below affect the STEM <strong>of</strong> the <strong>verb</strong>, and not its ENDING. <strong>The</strong>y all happen when the<br />
following ‘e’ is weak (unstressed, unpronounced – or barely pronounced). Same rule in each case, but<br />
different changes taking place.<br />
a. Verbs ending in –yer:<br />
<strong>verb</strong>s ending in – oyer, - uyer, the y becomes an i before a weak ‘e’:<br />
vous nettoyez, j’ennuyai BUT je nettoie & j’ennuierai (ennui-uh-rez)<br />
<strong>verb</strong>s ending in –ayer, either the ‘y’ or the ‘i’ is possible:<br />
vous payez, je payai, je paye/ paie & je payerai/ paierai<br />
b. Verbs ending in –eler (like appeler)<br />
a. <strong>The</strong> ‘l’ doubles before a weak ‘e’ – je m’appelle, je m’appellerai, je m’appelais, appelé<br />
b. A few –eler <strong>verb</strong>s have an è instead <strong>of</strong> a ‘ll’ : je modèle, je modèlerai, je modelais,<br />
modelé<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>rules</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>French</strong> <strong>verb</strong> <strong>formation</strong><br />
c. This applies to : celer (déceler, receler), ciseler, démanteler, écarteler, geler<br />
(congeler, surgeler, dégeler), harceler, marteler, peler.<br />
c. Verbs ending in –eter (like jeter)<br />
a. <strong>The</strong> ‘t’ doubles before a weak e – je jette, je jetterai, je jetais, jeté<br />
b. A few –eter <strong>verb</strong>s have an è instead <strong>of</strong> a ‘tt’ : j’achète, j’achèterai, j’achetais, acheté<br />
c. This applies to: racheter, crocheter, fileter, haleter<br />
d. Verbs ending in -ever, -eser, -ener, the e become è<br />
a. <strong>The</strong> ‘e’ becomes an è before a weak e – je pèse, je pèserai, je pesais, pesé<br />
e. Verbs ending in érer, éder, éter, etc, the é changes to an è before a weak e.<br />
a. For example: vous considérez/ cédez/ inquiétez BUT ils considèreront/ cèderont/<br />
inquièteront<br />
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