French Verb Conjugation

When you understand subject pronouns, tenses, moods, and how to conjugate
French verbs, you're in great shape. There are however some grammatical subjects
which make conjugation a bit more difficult.

Multiple subjects

When you have more than one subject, you have to figure out which subject
pronouns would replace that group and then conjugate the verb accordingly. For
example, toi et moi would be replaced by nous, as would David et moi.

Toi et lui and Michel et toi would be replaced by vous. Lui et elle or Marc et Anne
would be replaced by ils. The trick is to make this replacement in your head without
actually saying it out loud, as denoted by the (parentheses):

Toi et moi (nous) pouvons le faire

You and I can do it

Paul, Marie et moi (nous) mangeons

Paul, Marie, and I are eating

Toi et elle (vous) tes en retard

You and she are late

Sophie et toi (vous) devez partir

You and Sophie have to leave

Luc et sa femme (ils) sont arrivs

Luc and his wife have arrived

Lui et elle (ils) lisent beaucoup

He and she read a lot

Subject + object pronoun

In a construction with an object pronoun, usually nous or vous, there is sometimes a

tendency to conjugate the verb according to it, rather than to the subject pronoun,
because the object directly precedes the verb.
Though this tends to be a careless mistake made orally rather than a lack of
understanding, it's included here just as a little reminder.

Je vous ai donn la liste

I gave you the list
xx Je vous avez donn la liste xx

Vous nous avez menti

You lied to us
xx Vous nous avons menti xx

C'est... qui

The construction c'est + stressed pronoun + qui makes many people - including at
times native French speakers - want to use the third person singular verb
conjugation because of qui. But this is incorrect; in fact, the conjugation has to
agree with the pronoun.

C'est moi qui ai gagn

It's me that won
xx C'est moi qui a gagn xx

C'est vous qui avez tort

You're the one who's wrong
xx C'est vous qui a tort xx

C'est nous qui allons le faire

We're the ones who are going to do it
xx C'est nous qui va le faire xx

Pronoun + qui

Similar to the c'est... qui construction is a subject or demonstrative pronoun + qui.

Again, the qui makes people want to use the third person singular, but once again
the conjugation has to agree with the pronoun.

Vous qui avez mang pouvez partir

Those of you who have eaten may leave
xx Vous qui a mang pouvez partir xx

Ceux qui veulent aider doivent me voir

 Those who want to help need to see me
xx Ceux qui veut aider doivent me voir xx

Je cherche celles qui tudient

I'm looking for the ones who are studying
xx Je cherche celles qui tudie xx

Collective Subjects

Collective subjects can take the third person singular or plural:

Un tas de fleurs sont mortes / Un tas de fleurs est mort

A bunch of flowers died

Un grand nombre de livres ont disparu / Un grand nombre de livres a disparu

A large number of books disappeared

Adverbs of quantity

Adverbs of quantity take the third person singular or plural, depending on the
number of the noun that follows:

Beaucoup d'tudiants sont arrivs

A lot of students have arrived

Peu de pluie est tombe

Little rain fell

Combien de livres y a-t-il ?

Indefinite pronouns always take a third person conjugation (either singular or plural,
depending on the number of the pronoun).

La plupart a dcid
Most have decided

Plusieurs sont perdus

Many are lost

Tout le monde est l

Everyone is there
Also see "...d'entre..."

...d'entre...

When an adverb of quantity or indefinite pronoun is followed by entre + personal

pronoun, many non-native French speakers (including myself) want to conjugate the
verb according to the personal pronoun. But this is incorrect - in this construction,
the verb has to be conjugated to agree with what comes before entre, not what
comes after.

Certains d'entre vous ont oubli

Some of you forgot
xx Certains d'entre vous avez oubli xx

Beaucoup d'entre nous sont en retard

Many of us are late
xx Beaucoup d'entre nous sommes en retard xx

Chacun d'entre vous peut le faire

Each one of you can do it
xx Chacun d'entre vous pouvez le faire xx