Chapter 1

Present Indicative
Usage
To
To
To
To

convey what is happening now

make generalizations or speak about habitual actions
show what is happening in the very near future
indicate an action which started in the past and has continued into the present

Formation
-er verbs

-ir verbs

-re verbs

Verb endings
Remove the -er, -ir, or -re endings of the infinitive and add these endings according to the sentences subject
Je

-e

Nous

-ons

Je

-s

Nous

-ssons

Je

-s

Nous

-ons

Tu

-es

Vous

-ez

Tu

-s

Vous

-ssez

Tu

-s

Vous

-ez

Il/Elle/On

-e

Ils/Elles

-ent

Il/Elle/On

-t

Ils/Elles

-ssent

Il/Elle/On

Ils/Elles

-ent

Examples

tudier
Jtudie
Tu tudies
Il/Elle/On tudie
Nous tudions
Vous tudiez
Ils/Elles tudient

Russir
Je russis
Tu russis
Il/Elle/On russit
Nous russissons
Vous russissez
Ils/Elles russissent

Rendre
Je rends
Tu rends
Il/Elle/On rend
Nous rendons
Vous rendez
Ils/Elles rendent

Exceptions
Many -er verbs have spelling changes
for pronunciation consistency.
Verbs whose stem ends in
-g
add an
e
before the nous form
Ex. Nous mangeons
Verbs whose stem ends in
-c
changes the
c
to a

in the
nous form
Ex. Nous commenons
Verbs with only one consonant
at the ends of the verb often
add a second consonant for

Some -ir verbs have irregularities in

their formation
For dormir, partir, sentir, and
sortir, drop the last three letters
of the infinitive and add regular
-ir endings for singular forms. For
plural forms, drop only the -ir
ending and add -er endings.
Ex. je dors
Ex. Nous partons
Verbs couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, and
souffrir are conjugated like -er

There are no major exceptions to -re

verbs

every form but nous and vous

Ex. Jappelle
Ex. Il jette
Some verbs, like acheter,
modeler and prfrer change
the last
e
in the stem to

for
every form but nous and vous
Ex. Je prfre
Ex. Elle achte

verbs
Ex. Je couvre
Ex. Vous offrez

More irregular verb conjugations

tre

Avoir

Aller

Faire

Je suis

Nous sommes

Jai

Nous avons

Je vais

Nous allons

Je fais

Nous faisons

Tu es

Vous tes

Tu as

Vous avez

Tu vas

Vous allez

Tu fais

Vous faites

Il/Elle est

Ils/Elles sont

Il/Elle a

Ils/Elles ont

Il/Elle va

Ils/Elles vont

Il/Elle fait

Ils/Elles font

Other uses
To indicate what is happening in the future using aller + an infinitive
To indicate what has just happened in the past using venir de + an infinitive

Payer et Sennuyer
Formation

Payer

Sennuyer

All verbs that end with -ayer are conjugated this

way, including payer
The
y
can be changed to a
i
before the verb
endings
-e
,
-es
, and
-ent
, but doesnt have to be
In future and conditional forms, all conjugations
can take
i
instead of
y

Ex. (Cond.) Nous paierions

Allverbsthatendinuyerareconjugatedthisway,
includingsennuyer
The
y
must be changed to a
i
before the verb
endings
-e
, -
es
, and -
ent
In future and conditional forms, all conjugations
can take
i
instead of
y

Ex. (Cond.) Nous nous ennuierions

Present
Je paie (paye)

Nous payons

Je mennuie

Nous nous ennuyons

Tu paies (payes)

Vous payez

Tu tennuies

Vous vous ennuyez

Il/elle/on paie (paye)

Ils/Elles paient (payent)

Elle/il/on sennuie

Ils/elles sennuient

Infinitives
Usage
Used when a verb follows another with no conjunction (like que) between them
Used when a verb follows a preposition
Used as a subject of a sentence

Formation

Present Infinitive

Past infinitive
Formation Examples

Infinitives usually end with endings -er, -ir, and -re

although there are exceptions
tudier
Rendre
Rentrer
Sinscrire
The pronoun changes based on the direct
or indirect object

The auxiliary verb avoir or tre is infinitive, and the

action is in past-participle form
Avoir tudi
Avoir rendu
tre rentr(e)(s)
DR./MRS. VANDERTRAMP verbs take tre
as the auxiliary verb, not avoir
The past participle must agree with the
subject with verbs using tre
Stre inscrit(e)(s)
Reflexive verbs take tre as the auxiliary
verb, not avoir
The past participle must agree with the
subject with verbs using tre

Sentence Examples
Je veux
suivre
un cours
Trans: I want to take a course
Il travaille dur afin d
avoir
de bonnes notes
Trans: He works hard in order to have
good grades
Bosser
la dernire minute, ce nest pas une
bonne ide
Trans: Cramming is not a good idea

Aprs
avoir fini
ses tudes, elle est retourne
chez ses parents
Trans: After having finished her studies,
she returned home to her parents

LImperatif
Usage
Used to give commands, orders, or to extend invitations
Commands can be softened by using sil te plat or sil vous plat
To be less direct or abrupt, the request can be reformed as a question

Formation
There are three different imperative forms:

Tu

Nous

For commands given to

someone you know well
-er
verbs drop the
-s
of the
tu
form
Pronominal verbs keep the
reflexive pronoun (toi)

For commands in which the

speaker includes themselves
Trans: lets (action)
Pronominal verbs keep the
reflexive pronoun (nous)

Vous
For commands to more than
one person
For commands to someone
you dont know very well
Pronominal verbs keep the
reflexive pronoun (vous)

Sentence examples
Rponds!
Ne parle pas!
Rappelle-toi!

Assistons cette
confrence!
Remercions le prof!

Ecoutez!
Taisez-vous
!

Irregular formations
Avoir

tre

Savoir

Tu

Aie!

Sois!

Sache!

Nous

Ayons!

Soyons!

Sachons!

Vous

Ayez

Soyez!

Sachez!

Faire causatif
Usage
To indicate that the subject is having something done, and isnt doing it themselves
Ex. she is having her hair cut, he is getting the hedges trimmed

Formation
Formation follows the conjugation of
faire
+ infinitive
Present
Je fais (infinitive)

Nous faisons (infinitive)

Tu fais (infinitive)

Vous faites (infinitive)

Il/elle/on fait (infinitive)

Ils/elles font (infinitive)

Examples:
Le prof
fait signer
le bulletin par les parents
Il nous
fait
beaucoup
travailler
Elle ly
a fait envoyer
Parfois un lve
fait rire
toute la classe.