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In French grammar, verbs are a part of speech. Each verb lexeme has a collection of finite and non-finite forms in its conjugation scheme.

Finite forms depend on grammatical tense and person/number. There are eight simple tense–aspect–mood forms, categorized into the indicative, subjunctive and imperative moods, with the conditional mood sometimes viewed as an additional category. The eight simple forms can also be categorized into four tenses (future, present, past, and future-of-the-past), or into two aspects (perfective and imperfective).

The three non-finite moods are the infinitive, past participle, and present participle.

There are compound constructions that use more than one verb. These include one for each simple tense with the addition of avoir or être as an auxiliary verb. There is also a construction which is used to distinguish passive voice from active voice.

Conjugation

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Main articles: French conjugation and French verb morphology

French verbs are conjugated by isolating the stem of the verb and adding an ending. In the first and second conjugation, the stem is easily identifiable from the infinitive, and remains essentially constant throughout the paradigm. For example, the stem of parler ("speak") is parl- and the stem of finir ("finish") is fin-. In the third group, the relationship between the infinitive form and the stem is less consistent, and several distinct stems are needed to produce all the forms in the paradigm. For example, the verb boire ("drink") has the stems boi-, boiv-, bu-, and buv-.

The ending depends on the mood, tense, aspect, and voice of the verb, as well as on the person and number of its subject. Every conjugation exhibits some degree of syncretism, where the same (homophonous, and possibly also homographic) form is used to realize distinct combinations of grammatical features. This is most noticeable for -er verbs. For instance, the conjugated form parle can be the 1st or 3rd person singular indicative or subjunctive form of parler, or the singular familiar imperative. Furthermore, the 2nd person singular indicative and subjunctive form parles and the 3rd person plural form parlent are pronounced the same way as parle (except in liaison contexts). The prevalence of syncretism in conjugation paradigms is one functional explanation for the fact that French does not allow null subjects, unlike most of the other Romance languages.

Classification

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Aside from être and avoir (considered categories unto themselves), French verbs are traditionally[1] grouped into three conjugation classes (groupes):

  • The first conjugation class consists of all verbs with infinitives ending in -er, except for the irregular verb aller and (by some accounts) the irregular verbs envoyer and renvoyer;[2] the verbs in this conjugation, which together constitute the great majority of French verbs, are all conjugated similarly, though there are a number of subclasses with minor changes arising from orthographical and phonological considerations.
  • The second conjugation class consists of all verbs with infinitives in -ir or -ïr and present participles in -issant or -ïssant, as well as the verb maudire. There are somewhat over 300 such verbs, all conjugated identically, with some minor exceptions. The -iss- or -ïss- in much of their conjugation is a reflex of the Latin inchoative infix -isc-/-esc-, but does not retain any aspectual semantics.
  • The third conjugation class consists of all other verbs: aller, arguably (r)envoyer, a number of verbs in -ir (including all verbs in -oir, which is an etymologically unrelated ending), and all verbs in -re. Nonetheless, this class is very small compared to the other two, though it does contain some of the most common verbs. This class has a few dozen subclasses, often differing substantially; indeed, this class is essentially a catch-all for verbs, besides être and avoir, that do not fit into the first two classes. There are about 370 verbs in this group, though a much smaller number are still in frequent use.

Moods

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As with English verbs, French verbs have both non-finite moods (les modes impersonnels), also called verbals, and finite ones (les modes personnels).

Finite moods

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The finite moods are the indicative (l'indicatif), the imperative (l'impératif), and the subjunctive (le subjonctif). As discussed below, sometimes the conditional is recognized as a fourth mood. While the rules that determine the correct mood are quite complex, they are simplified and summarized in the following table:

indicative
  • used in most independent clauses
  • used in affirmative and negative statements and questions
  • used in dependent clauses that are certainly true
  • used when no other mood applies
  • « Où êtes-vous ? » ("Where are you?")
  • « Je suis ici. » ("I am here.")
subjunctive
  • used in many dependent clauses
  • used to express a doubtful, desired, or requested event
  • used to express an event to which the reaction is of most significance
  • used to express a third-person imperative
  • used much more than in English
  • « Il se peut qu'il vienne demain. » ("It may be that he will come tomorrow.")
  • « J'ai demandé qu'il parte. » ("I asked that he leave.")
  • « Je suis heureux qu'il soit venu. » ("I am glad that he came.")
  • « Vive la République ! » ("Long live the Republic!")
imperative
  • used in commands and requests
  • only possible with first-person plural and second-person singular and plural subject
  • the subject is implied
  • almost exactly as in English
  • « Fais tes devoirs ! » ("Do your homework!")
  • « Faisons nos devoirs ensemble. » ("Let's do our homework together.")

Many linguists recognize a fourth mood, the conditional (le conditionnel), which is used in almost exactly the same circumstances as the conditional in English. In French, « Je le ferais si j'avais assez de temps » is "I would do it if I had enough time" in English. The conditional can also be used evidentially, to express reservations about the verb: « Il serait suivi par un psychologue », "He is apparently/is said to be/[etc.] under the care of a psychologist." Other linguists consider the conditional to be a tense of the indicative mood. The two camps do not disagree on the rules for when and how to use the conditional.[citation needed] A third camp recognizes both "conditionnel présent/conditionnel passé" (for use in conditional sentences), and "indicatif futur du passé / indicatif futur antérieur du passé" (for tense concords, "future from a past point of view"; e.g. « Il m'a dit qu'il le ferait le lendemain », "He told me he would do it the next day"), but they recognize also that both are conjugated the same.

Non-finite moods

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  • The infinitive has a present tense, with a perfect: "faire" means "to do", while "avoir fait" means "to have done".
  • There is a present participle, with a perfect construction: "faisant" means "doing", while "ayant fait" means "having done". As noted above, this participle is not used in forming a continuous aspect. Further, it cannot be used as a noun, in the way that present participles in English have the same form as gerunds; the only verbal noun is the infinitive.
    • There is a gérondif ("gerundive", but different from the Latin gerundive), formed with the clitic en and the present participle: "en faisant" means "by doing" or "while doing". (It is analogous to the English "in doing", but in English, since "doing" can act as a noun, "in doing" is taken as a prepositional phrase rather than as a separate verb form. That interpretation is not available for "en faisant".) Similarly, "en ayant fait" means "by having done".
  • There is a separate past participle: "fait" means "done". As in English, it can be used in the passive voice, in the perfect form, or on its own as an adjective. The past participle has no perfect, except arguably in the special surcomposé tense.

Tenses and aspects

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Tenses and aspects of the indicative mood

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The indicative mood has five "simple" (synthetic) tense-aspect forms, conveying four tenses (times of action) (future, present, past, and future-of-past) and two aspects (fabrics of time) (perfective, conveying an action viewed in its entirety without its time frame being considered in more detail, and imperfective, conveying an action that occurs repeatedly or continuously). The tense-aspect forms of the indicative mood in French are called the present (le présent: present tense, imperfective aspect), the simple past (le passé simple: past tense, perfective aspect), the imperfect (l'imparfait: past tense, imperfective aspect), the future (le futur: future tense, unspecified aspect), and the conditional (le conditionnel: future-in-past tense, unspecified aspect). Note that, as discussed above, in some uses the conditional can be considered a separate mood completely, while in other uses it is the future-in-past tense of the indicative. The use of the various tense forms is described in the following table:

present
  • like in English, used to describe habitual, recurring, and "always" true events
  • unlike in English, used to describe ongoing current action
  • unlike in English, used to describe events that started in the past and affect the present (i.e., most cases where simple perfect is used in English)
  • sometimes used to describe upcoming events
  • used in a protasis (if-clause) when the apodosis (then-clause) is in the future tense or imperative mood
  • « Les mardis, je joue au tennis. » ("On Tuesdays, I play tennis.")
  • « En ce moment, je joue au tennis. » ("At the moment, I am playing tennis. ")
  • « Il habite à Paris depuis 15 ans. » ("He has lived/has been living in Paris for 15 years. ")
  • « Demain, je joue au tennis avec Marc. » ("Tomorrow, I am playing tennis with Marc.")
  • « Si je joue au tennis avec vous mardi, jouerez-vous aux échecs avec moi mercredi ? » ("If I play tennis with you on Tuesday, will you play chess with me on Wednesday?")
simple past
(past perfective)
  • used to describe past events in a perfective or aorist aspect; that is, with a sense of completion, with a definite beginning and end
  • a literary tense that is rarely used in spoken language
  • « Et la lumière fut. » ("And there was light.")
  • « Il naquit en 1930 et mourut en 1998. » ("He was born in 1930 and died in 1998.")
  • « Hier, il plut. » ("Yesterday, it rained.")
  • « Il rangea la salle tandis qu'elle faisait la vaisselle. » ("He cleaned the room while she was washing the dishes.")
imperfect
(past imperfective)
  • used to describe past events or situations in an imperfective aspect; that is, ongoing, repetitive, or habitual past events or situations
  • often used in conjunction with the simple or compound past to indicate an event that was ongoing while another took place
  • used in a contrary-to-fact protasis (with the apodosis in the conditional)
  • often analogous to English past continuous ("was doing") or to the construction "used to do"
  • « Quand j'étais jeune, j'habitais à Paris. » ("When I was young, I lived in Paris.")
  • « Il rangea la salle tandis qu'elle faisait la vaisselle. » ("He cleaned the room while she was washing the dishes.")
  • « Si je le savais, je te le dirais. » ("If I knew [it], I would tell you.")
simple future
  • used to describe future events
  • mostly the same as in English, except that it is a simple (one-word) tense in French
  • « Je le ferai demain. » ("I will do it tomorrow.")
conditional (future-in-past)
  • used in an apodosis when the protasis is contrary to fact (in the imperfect)
  • used to describe a past event from the standpoint of an even-earlier event
  • mostly the same as in English, except that it is a simple (one-word) tense in French
  • « Si je le savais, je te le dirais. » ("If I knew it, I would tell you.")
  • « Ils disaient que je réussirais. » ("They said that I would succeed.")

Additionally, the indicative has five compound (two-word) tense-aspect forms, each of which is formed analogously to the perfect in languages such as English (e.g., "have done") (though in French this form does not indicate the perfect aspect) as applied to one of the above simple tense forms. These tense forms are used to indicate events before the corresponding simple tense forms; for example, « À ce moment-là, il se souvint de ce qu'il avait promis » ("At that moment, he remembered what he had promised"). In addition, except in literature or very formal speeches, the present perfect form is used in modern French wherever the simple past would have been used in older or more literary writing. Since this use is much more common than its use as a true present perfect, it is usually called the compound past (le passé composé). Further, where older or more literary French would have used the perfect form of the simple past tense (le passé antérieur) for the past-of-the-past, modern non-literary French uses the pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait; the perfect of the imperfect), or sometimes a new form called the surcomposé (literally, "over-compound"), which re-applies the perfect to the compound past, resulting in a structure like « Je l'ai eu fait » (literally, "I it have had done").

Unlike English or Spanish, French does not mark for a continuous aspect. Thus, "I am doing it" (continuous) and "I do it" both translate to the same sentence in French: « Je le fais. » However, the distinction is often clear from context; and when not, it can be conveyed using periphrasis; for example, the expression être en train de [faire quelque chose] ("to be in the middle of [doing something]") is often used to convey the sense of a continuous aspect. (For example, "I am doing it" might be expressed as « Je suis en train de le faire », "I am in the middle of doing it.") In the case of the past tense, neither the simple nor the compound past tense is ever used with a continuous sense; therefore, the imperfect often indicates a continuous sense (though it does have other uses, as discussed above).

Similarly to English, the verb aller (to go) can be used as an auxiliary verb to create a near-future tense (le futur proche). Whereas English uses the continuous aspect (to be going), French uses the simple present tense; for example, the English sentence "I am going to do it tomorrow" would in French be « Je vais le faire demain ». As in English, this form can generally be replaced by the present or future tense: "I am doing it tomorrow", "I shall do it tomorrow", « Je le fais demain », « Je le ferai demain ».

Much like the use of aller (to go) to create a near-future tense, the verb venir (to come) can be used as an auxiliary verb to create a near-past tense (le passé proche). As in the near-future tense, the auxiliary verb is in the present tense. Unlike aller, venir needs the preposition de before the infinitive. Hence the English sentence "I [just] did it a minute ago" would in French be « Je viens de le faire il y a une minute ».

Tenses and aspects of the subjunctive mood

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Main article: Subjunctive mood § French

Forms

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The subjunctive mood has only two simple tense-aspect forms: a present (le présent du subjonctif) and an imperfect (l'imparfait du subjonctif). Of these, only the present is used nowadays; like the simple past indicative, the imperfect subjunctive is only found in older and more literary works. When both tense-aspect forms are used, there is no difference in meaning between the two; the present is used in subordinate clauses whose main clauses are in a present or future tense, as well as in the few main clauses that use the subjunctive, and the imperfect is used in subordinate clauses whose main clauses are in a past tense form (other than present perfect). Except in literature and very formal speeches, modern French uses the present subjunctive even where an older or more literary work would use the imperfect subjunctive.

As with the indicative, the subjunctive also has one compound tense form for each simple tense form. The difference between the present perfect subjunctive (le passé du subjonctif) and the pluperfect subjunctive (le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif) is analogous to the difference between the present subjunctive and imperfect subjunctive; of the two, only the present perfect subjunctive is found in modern French.

Uses

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The subjunctive in French[3] is used almost wherever it would be in English, and in many other situations as well. It is used in que ("that") clauses to indicate emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, desire, and so forth. For example, as in English one says

  • Je préfère qu'il le fasse, "I prefer that he it do", "I prefer that he do it"

But also, unlike in English, the subjunctive is used in, for example,

  • Je veux qu'il le fasse "I want that he it do", "I want him to do it"
  • Je crains qu'il (ne) parte "I fear that he (optional subjunctive particle) leave", "I am afraid that he will leave"
  • Je cherche un homme qui sache la vérité "I seek a man who knows the truth", "I am looking for a man who knows the truth"

Sometimes the subjunctive is used in the interrogative and the negative but not in the affirmative:

  • Penses-tu qu'il soit sympa ? (subjunctive) "Do you think that he is nice?"
  • Oui, je pense qu'il est sympa. (indicative) "Yes, I think that he is nice."
  • Non, je ne pense pas qu'il soit sympa. (subjunctive) "No, I do not think that he is nice."

In addition to situations of doubt, negatives stated with certainty take the subjunctive:

  • Il n'y a rien que nous puissions faire. "There is nothing that we can do."

Superlatives also can optionally be accompanied by the subjunctive in a que clause, if the speaker feels doubt:

  • C'est le meilleur livre que j'aie pu trouver. "That is the best book that I could find."

Finally, as in English, counterfactual conditions in the past are expressed by backshifting the apparent time reference. In English this backshifted form is called the pluperfect subjunctive, and unless it is expressed in inverted form it is identical in form to the pluperfect indicative; it is called subjunctive because of the change in implied time of action. In French, however, there is a distinction in form between the seldom used pluperfect subjunctive and the pluperfect indicative, which is used in this situation. For example,

  • Si on l'avait su (pluperfect indicative), on aurait pu (conditional perfect) l'empêcher. "Had we known (pluperfect subjunctive) it, we would have been able (conditional perfect) to prevent it.

Tenses and aspects of the imperative mood

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imperative
  • used to give commands

« Fais-le. » ("Do it.")

The imperative only has a present tense, with a rarely used perfect: "fais-le" and "aie-le fait" both mean "do it", with the latter implying a certain deadline (somewhat like English "have it done").

Voice

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Like English, French has two voices, the unmarked active voice and the marked passive voice. As in English, the passive voice is formed by using the appropriate form of "to be" (être) and the past participle of the main verb.

Temporal auxiliary verbs

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Main article: Passé composé

In French, all compound tense-aspect forms are formed with an auxiliary verb (either être "to be" or avoir "to have"). Most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary verb. The exceptions are all reflexive verbs and a number of verbs of motion or change of state, including some of the most frequently used intransitive verbs of the language:

These verbs are often remembered by the acronym MRS VANDER TRAMP or DR & MRS VANDER TRAMP. In the former acronym, devenir and revenir aren't mentioned because they are often thought of as variations of venir.

Verbs that are derived from these by prefixation may continue to select être, but this is not always the case. For example:

(The verbs marked with "1" above combine with être in their intransitive uses, and avoir when used transitively.)

A small number of verbs, including some already mentioned above, can in fact be found with either auxiliary (croître, monter, descendre, convenir, paraître, apparaître, trépasser). There may be a subtle change of meaning depending on the auxiliary chosen, and one auxiliary is usually more literary or archaic than the other.

The distinction between the two auxiliary verbs is important for the correct formation of the compound tense-aspect forms and is essential to the agreement of the past participle.

Past participle agreement

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The past participle is used in three ways in French: as an adjective, in the passive construction, and in the compound tense-aspect constructions. When it is used as an adjective, it follows all the regular adjective agreement rules. In passive constructions, it always agrees with the passive subject.

In compound tense-aspect forms, more complicated agreement rules apply, reflecting the subtle priority rules between the attribute meaning (which implies an agreement) and the compound tense construction (which by itself does not imply any agreement).

A. The auxiliary verb is avoir.

  1. If there is no direct object (the verb is intransitive) or the direct object appears after the past participle, then the past participle does not agree (i.e., it takes the default masculine singular form).
    • (intransitive) Elles ont dormi. ("They (fem.) slept.")
    • (direct object after verb) Claire a vu deux baleines. ("Claire saw two whales.")
  2. If there is a direct object and it appears before the past participle, then the participle must agree with it. Three cases:
    • (pronoun before the auxiliary) Il y avait deux baleines. Claire les a vues. ("There were two whales. Claire saw them.")
    • (clause-initial wh-question element) Quelles baleines Claire a-t-elle vues ? ("Which whales did Claire see?")
    • (relative clause introduced by que) les deux baleines que Claire a vues ("the two whales that Claire saw")
  3. The above rule is one of the most difficult in French, and even native speakers have trouble with it, and ignore it in colloquial speech. Since, when spoken, for most verbs, the different forms sound the same (for example, vu vus vue vues "seen" are all pronounced /vy/) this is usually not noticeable. There are however, past participles like fait "done" and mis "put" whose feminine forms sound different when spoken, and only the most careful speakers will be heard applying the rule.

B. The auxiliary is être, and the verb is not reflexive. The past participle agrees with the subject:

Elles sont arrivées. ("They (fem.) arrived.")

C. The auxiliary is être and the verb is reflexive. The agreement rules are in fact the same as those for structures with avoir in A, keeping in mind that the reflexive pronoun corresponds to either the direct object or the indirect object of the verb.

  1. There is no direct object, or the direct object appears after the past participle → no agreement. In these cases, the reflexive pronoun expresses the indirect object.
    • (no direct object) Elles se sont succédé. Nous nous sommes parlé. ("They (fem.) succeeded. We spoke with each other.")
    • (direct object after verb) Elles se sont posé des questions. ("They (fem.) asked each other some questions.")
  2. There is a direct object and it appears before the past participle. → The past participle agrees with this object.

    The first three cases are the same as in A.2 above (the reflexive pronoun is the indirect object).

    • (direct object pronoun) J'ai fait une tarte. Les enfants se la sont partagée. ("I made a pie. The children shared it.")
    • (wh-question) Quelle tarte se sont-ils partagée ? ("Which pie did they share?")
    • (que relative) la tarte que les enfants se sont partagée ("the pie that the children shared")

    The reflexive pronoun can itself be the direct object, in which case the participle agrees with it (and therefore with the subject). This also includes "inherently reflexive" verbs, for which the reflexive pronoun cannot be interpreted semantically as an object (direct or indirect) of the verb.

    • (ordinary reflexive) Elles se sont suivies. Nous nous sommes salués. ("They (fem.) followed each other. We greeted each other.")
    • (inherently reflexive) Ils se sont moqués de moi. Nous nous sommes souvenus de l'événement.
      ("They made fun of me. We remembered the event.") (exception: Elles se sont ri du danger. "They (fem.) laughed at the danger.")

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

French verbs

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
French verbs constitute the dynamic core of the , serving to express actions, states, and occurrences while adapting through conjugation to indicate , number, tense, mood, and aspect. They are traditionally divided into three main groups of regular verbs based on their infinitive endings: the first group ending in -er (e.g., , to speak, the vast majority (over 80%) of verbs), the second in -ir (e.g., finir, to finish), and the third in -re (e.g., vendre, to sell). However, French features a significant number of irregular verbs, such as être (to be) and avoir (to have), which deviate from standard patterns and require individual memorization due to their high frequency and foundational role in forming compound tenses. Verbs agree with their subjects in and number, and their conjugation patterns are essential for sentence construction, often preceding or following subjects in declarative or interrogative structures. The French verbal system encompasses a rich array of tenses and moods to convey nuanced temporal, aspectual, and attitudinal . In the indicative mood, which states facts or realities, there are simple tenses like the present (je parle, I speak), (je parlais, I was speaking), future (je parlerai, I will speak), and (a literary past), alongside compound tenses such as the (j'ai parlé, I spoke) formed with auxiliaries avoir or être plus the past participle. Aspect distinguishes ongoing or habitual actions (e.g., ) from completed ones (e.g., ), aiding narrative progression. Other moods include the subjunctive for doubt, emotion, or necessity (que je parle, that I speak); the conditional for hypotheticals (je parlerais, I would speak); and the imperative for commands (parle!, speak!). This multiplicity of forms, often dozens of distinct conjugations per verb, enables precise expression of conditions, suppositions, and commands, contributing to the language's clarity and literary depth. Notable features of French verbs include reflexive constructions, where pronouns like se (oneself) are used with verbs such as se laver (to wash oneself), conjugating regularly but reflecting reciprocal or self-directed actions common in daily expressions. Voice alternates between active (subject performs the action, e.g., Tex écrit un poème, Tex writes a poem) and passive (subject receives it, e.g., Un poème est écrit par Tex, A poem is written by Tex), with the latter employing être plus the past participle. Transitive verbs require direct objects, while intransitive ones do not, influencing sentence structure and auxiliary choice in compounds. Overall, the system's complexity, rooted in evolution, demands mastery for fluent communication, yet its patterns facilitate learning once regular paradigms are grasped.

Classification

Regular groups

French regular verbs are classified into three main groups based on their infinitive endings and shared conjugation patterns, which allow for predictable forms across tenses. This classification accounts for the majority of French verbs, with the first group comprising approximately 88% of all verb types. Group membership is determined primarily by the form and the consistency of the stem, which is derived by removing the infinitive ending, though some groups require additional checks like the present formation for confirmation. The first group includes verbs ending in -er (excluding the irregular aller), which form the largest and most straightforward category. Common examples are (to speak), (to like), and travailler (to work). To form the stem, remove the -er ending, resulting in a consistent base used across persons, with minor spelling adjustments in some cases (e.g., for verbs ending in -cer or -ger). The present indicative paradigm for this group, illustrated with , follows a standard set of endings added to the stem:
PersonConjugation
jeparle
tuparles
il/elle/onparle
nousparlons
vousparlez
ils/ellesparlent
The second group consists of verbs ending in -ir that form their present with the suffix -issant, distinguishing them from other -ir verbs. This group represents about 5% of French verbs and includes examples such as finir (to finish), choisir (to choose), and obéir (to obey). The stem is obtained by removing -ir, and it remains consistent, with endings that insert an -iss- in the plural forms. The present indicative conjugation for finir exemplifies this pattern:
PersonConjugation
jefinis
tufinis
il/elle/onfinit
nousfinissons
vousfinissez
ils/ellesfinissent
The third group encompasses regular verbs with infinitives ending in -re, certain -ir forms outside the second group, and -oir, each following distinct but predictable patterns without the -er or -ir(-issant) structures. These verbs, making up the remaining portion of regular forms, include examples like vendre (to sell) for -re endings, and sortir (to go out) for -ir subtypes, where stems may show minor shifts (e.g., o to or in singular for dormir) but adhere to group-specific endings. Identification relies on the infinitive ending and exclusion from the first two groups, with stem formation by removing the ending and applying endings that often lack a before the -s in singular forms. For -re verbs like vendre, the present indicative uses:
PersonConjugation
jevends
tuvends
il/elle/onvend
nousvendons
vousvendez
ils/ellesvendent
For regular third-group -ir verbs like sortir, the paradigm mirrors the -re pattern closely, with a consistent stem: je sors, tu sors, il sort, nous sortons, vous sortez, ils sortent. Similarly, dormir follows a with stem alternation but standard endings: je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment. Regular -oir verbs are less common but follow analogous patterns, though most -oir forms deviate into irregular territory; the group emphasizes stem consistency within these endings for predictable conjugation.

Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs in French deviate from the predictable conjugation patterns of the three main regular groups (-er, -ir, and -re endings), requiring learners to memorize unique forms across tenses. These verbs often exhibit changes in the stem or endings that do not align with standard rules, making them essential yet challenging for fluency. Unlike regular verbs, which follow systematic additions to a consistent stem, irregulars demand rote learning but can be approached through identifiable categories of variation. Irregularities typically fall into three broad categories: stem-changing verbs, where the infinitive stem alters in certain persons (e.g., aller changes from "all-" to "v-" in the first and second persons singular); vowel-alternating verbs, which involve shifts in root vowels across conjugations (e.g., être and avoir display ablaut-like patterns in forms like suis and ai); and completely irregular verbs, which lack consistent patterns and must be learned individually (e.g., pouvoir and vouloir, with stems shifting unpredictably like "peu-" to "voul-"). Stem-changing examples include envoyer, which becomes "envoy-" in the first and second persons plural. Vowel alternations are prominent in high-frequency , while completely irregular verbs often include modals essential for expression. These irregularities trace their origins to Latin, the parent language of French, where sound changes over centuries created unpredictable forms that survived due to high usage frequency. For instance, vowel shifts in verbs like mourir (from Latin , with "eu" in je meurs resulting from historical diphthongization) persisted because frequent verbs resist regularization, as speakers reinforce established patterns across generations. A comprehensive study of , including French, confirms that such forms evolved through phonological evolutions like reductions and assimilations, leaving relics that no longer align with modern rules. Among the most common irregular verbs, the following 14 are prioritized for learners, with brief present indicative paradigms shown below. These represent high-impact verbs in everyday and formal French, covering essentials like being, having, and modals.
VerbMeaningJeTuIl/ElleNousVousIls/Elles
ÊtreTo besuisesestsommesêtessont
AvoirTo haveaiasaavonsavezont
AllerTo govaisvasvaallonsallezvont
FaireTo do/makefaisfaisfaitfaisonsfaitesfont
VouloirTo wantveuxveuxveutvoulonsvoulezveulent
PouvoirTo be ablepeuxpeuxpeutpouvonspouvezpeuvent
DevoirTo have todoisdoisdoitdevonsdevezdoivent
SavoirTo knowsaissaissaitsavonssavezsavent
PrendreTo takeprendsprendsprendprenonsprenezprennent
VenirTo comeviensviensvientvenonsvenezviennent
VoirTo seevoisvoisvoitvoyonsvoyezvoient
RecevoirTo receivereçoisreçoisreçoitrecevonsrecevezreçoivent
DireTo saydisdisditdisonsditesdisent
ÉcrireTo writeécrisécrisécritécrivonsécrivezécrivent
Effective learning strategies emphasize grouping irregular verbs by shared patterns to reduce memorization load, such as clustering -oir verbs like voir, savoir, and recevoir, which conjugate similarly as ois/ois/oit/oyons/oyez/oient in the present indicative. Other groups include stem-changers like prendre and derivatives (boire, craindre) or modals (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir) with parallel forms in the singular. This pattern-based approach, supported by pedagogical research, leverages similarities to build recognition and application across related verbs.

Auxiliary verbs

Avoir

Avoir is the primary in French, essential for forming compound tenses with the majority of s, particularly transitive ones and most intransitive s that do not express motion or state change. As one of the most frequently used irregular s, it also functions as a main to express possession (e.g., J'ai un livre, 'I have a book'), family members (e.g., J'ai deux sœurs, 'I have two sisters'), and age (e.g., J'ai vingt ans, 'I am twenty years old'), making it indispensable in everyday French communication. Its conjugation paradigm spans all finite moods and tenses, exhibiting irregularities especially in the present indicative and subjunctive. The full conjugation of avoir is presented below in tables organized by mood. These paradigms apply to finite forms used in simple and compound tenses.

Indicative Mood

Tensej'tuil/elle/onnousvousils/elles
Presentaiasaavonsavezont
avaisavaisavaitavionsaviezavaient
auraiaurasauraauronsaurezauront
euseuseuteûmeseûteseurent
ai euas eua euavons euavez euont eu
Plus-que-parfaitavais euavais euavait euavions euaviez euavaient eu
Futur antérieuraurai euauras euaura euaurons euaurez euauront eu
Passé antérieureus eueus eueut eueûmes eueûtes eueurent eu

Subjunctive Mood

Tenseque j'que tuqu'il/elle/onque nousque vousqu'ils/elles
Presentaieaiesaitayonsayezaient
eusseeusseseûteussionseussiezeussent
Passéaie euaies euait euayons euayez euaient eu
Plus-que-parfaiteusse eueusses eueût eueussions eueussiez eueussent eu

Conditional Mood

Tensej'tuil/elle/onnousvousils/elles
Presentauraisauraisauraitaurionsauriezauraient
Pastaurais euaurais euaurait euaurions euauriez euauraient eu

Imperative Mood

The imperative of avoir is used primarily for exhortations and lacks forms for il/elle/on.
Tensetunousvous
Presentaieayonsayez
Pastaie euayons euayez eu
In its role as the primary auxiliary, avoir combines with the past participle of the main to form compound tenses for transitive verbs (e.g., j'ai mangé, "I ate") and most intransitive verbs, except those requiring être. This usage predominates in modern French, accounting for the vast majority of compound constructions. As a main verb, avoir expresses possession, as in J'ai un ("I have a "), or idiomatic senses like age, as in J'ai vingt-cinq ans ("I am twenty-five years old"). It also conveys or necessity in expressions such as Il a faim ("He is hungry"). Phonetically, the common contraction j'ai (from je + ai) is pronounced /ʒɛ/, with elision of the vowel in je, resulting in a liaison that sounds like "zhay" in rapid speech. This pronunciation can vary slightly by region, but /ʒɛ/ is standard in Parisian French.

Être

Être is one of the most irregular verbs in French, serving primarily as the "to be" and as the main expressing existence, identity, and states. It is essential for forming compound tenses with a specific set of verbs, contrasting with the more common auxiliary avoir, which handles the majority of transitive and many intransitive verbs. As a highly irregular , être does not follow standard conjugation patterns across moods and tenses, requiring memorization of its unique forms. The full conjugation paradigm of être spans the indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative moods, with simple and compound forms derived using avoir as the auxiliary for être itself in compounds (past participle: été). Below are the key finite forms, presented for clarity.

Indicative Mood

Present

PersonConjugation
je suisI am
tu esyou are
il/elle/on esthe/she/one is
nous sommeswe are
vous êtesyou are
ils/elles sontthey are

Imperfect

PersonConjugation
j'étaisI was
tu étaisyou were
il/elle/on étaithe/she/one was
nous étionswe were
vous étiezyou were
ils/elles étaientthey were

Simple Past (Passé simple)

PersonConjugation
je fusI was
tu fusyou were
il/elle/on futhe/she/one was
nous fûmeswe were
vous fûtesyou were
ils/elles furentthey were

Future

PersonConjugation
je seraiI will be
tu serasyou will be
il/elle/on serahe/she/one will be
nous seronswe will be
vous serezyou will be
ils/elles serontthey will be

Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait)

Formed with imparfait of avoir + past participle été (e.g., j'avais été).

Past Anterior (Passé antérieur)

Formed with of avoir + été (e.g., j'eus été).

Future Perfect (Futur antérieur)

Formed with future of avoir + été (e.g., j'aurai été).

Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive

PersonConjugation
que je soisthat I be
que tu soisthat you be
qu'il/elle/on soitthat he/she/one be
que nous soyonsthat we be
que vous soyezthat you be
qu'ils/elles soientthat they be

Imperfect Subjunctive

PersonConjugation
que je fussethat I were
que tu fussesthat you were
qu'il/elle/on fûtthat he/she/one were
que nous fussionsthat we were
que vous fussiezthat you were
qu'ils/elles fussentthat they were

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Formed with passé simple of avoir + été (e.g., que j'eusse été).

Conditional Mood

Present Conditional

PersonConjugation
je seraisI would be
tu seraisyou would be
il/elle/on seraithe/she/one would be
nous serionswe would be
vous seriezyou would be
ils/elles seraientthey would be

Past Conditional (Conditionnel passé)

Formed with conditionnel présent of avoir + été (e.g., j'aurais été).

Imperative Mood

  • Sois (tu)
  • Soyons (nous)
  • Soyez (vous)
No je, il/elle/on, or ils/elles forms in the imperative. In its role as an , être is used to form compound tenses for intransitive verbs denoting motion (e.g., aller, venir), change of state (e.g., naître, mourir), and all pronominal or reflexive verbs (e.g., se laver). For example, the of aller is je suis allé (I went). This usage distinguishes être from avoir, the default auxiliary that complements être's more limited semantic niches. A common mnemonic for verbs requiring être is the "Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp" list, which includes verbs like aller (to go), venir (to come), entrer (to enter), retourner (to return), tomber (to fall), revenir (to come back), arriver (to arrive), monter (to go up), sortir (to go out), partir (to leave), descendre (to go down), rester (to stay), naître (to be born), mourir (to die), and passer (to pass), along with their derivatives. As a main verb, être functions to express identity, such as Je suis étudiant (I am a ), location with prepositions like à or en, as in Je suis à Paris (I am in ), and professions or roles, for example Elle est médecin (She is a doctor). These uses highlight être's role in describing states of being and essential attributes.

Indicative mood

Simple tenses

The simple tenses of the French indicative mood are single-word verb forms that encode primary temporal and aspectual meanings without the use of auxiliary verbs. These tenses—present, , simple , and —allow speakers to describe ongoing actions, habits, predictions, and completed events in narrative contexts. They form the foundation of French verbal expression, distinguishing between durative (ongoing or repeated) and perfective (completed or bounded) aspects inherent to the verb morphology itself. The present tense (le présent) is formed by taking the verb's stem (the infinitive minus the -er, -ir, or -re ending for regular verbs) and adding specific person endings. For regular -er verbs, such as parler (to speak), the stem parl- takes endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent, yielding forms like je parle (I speak/am speaking), tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, and ils/elles parlent. Regular -ir verbs, like finir (to finish), use the stem fin- with endings -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent (e.g., je finis, nous finissons). Regular -re verbs, such as vendre (to sell), employ the stem vend- with -s, -s, (none), -ons, -ez, -ent (e.g., je vends, il vend). This tense expresses current actions, habitual behaviors, general truths, or near-universal states, as in Je mange une pomme (I eat/am eating an apple) for a present activity or Le soleil se lève à l'est (The sun rises in the east) for a timeless fact. The imperfect tense (l'imparfait) derives its stem from the first-person plural (nous) form of the present tense minus the -ons ending, then adds uniform endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For parler, the nous form parlons yields stem parl-, resulting in je parlais (I was speaking/used to speak), tu parlais, il/elle/on parlait, nous parlions, vous parliez, and ils/elles parlaient; similar patterns apply across conjugations, with spelling adjustments for verbs like manger (je mangeais) to preserve pronunciation. This tense denotes ongoing or habitual past actions, background descriptions, or interrupted events, such as Il pleuvait quand je suis sorti (It was raining when I went out), emphasizing duration or repetition in the past. The simple future tense (le futur simple) uses the full infinitive as the stem for -er and -ir verbs, or the infinitive minus the final -e for -re verbs, followed by endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Thus, parler becomes je parlerai (I will speak), tu parleras, il/elle/on parlera, nous parlerons, vous parlerez, ils/elles parleront; for vendre, the stem vendr- produces je vendrai. It conveys predictions, intentions, or future events in formal or written registers, as in Nous voyagerons en France l'année prochaine (We will travel to France next year). In contrast, the near future (futur proche), formed with aller in the present plus an infinitive (e.g., Je vais parler), is more colloquial and implies immediacy, though it is not a true simple tense. The , or historical past, is a literary tense formed by dropping the ending and adding -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent for -er verbs (e.g., je parlai from ) or -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent for -ir and -re verbs (e.g., je finis from finir). Irregular stems apply to verbs like être (je fus) or avoir (j'eus). Primarily used in formal writing, novels, and historical narratives to recount completed, sequential past events—such as Le héros entra dans la pièce (The hero entered the room)—its employment has declined sharply in modern spoken French, where the largely supplants it even in elevated speech. In terms of aspect, simple tenses inherently mark durative ( for ongoing/habitual past) versus perfective ( for bounded/completed past) implications, providing a synthetic framework for progression without auxiliary support; compound tenses extend this by adding perfect aspects for nuanced completion.

Compound tenses

In , compound tenses in the indicative mood are analytic constructions formed by conjugating an —either avoir (to have) or être (to be)—in a simple tense and adding the past of the main verb. These tenses express completed or anterior actions relative to another timeframe, contrasting with simple tenses that convey ongoing or habitual aspects. The choice of auxiliary depends on the main verb: avoir is used with most verbs, particularly transitive ones, while être is required for verbs of motion (e.g., aller, venir, arriver), verbs indicating a change of state (e.g., naître, mourir, devenir), and all pronominal (reflexive) verbs. The passé composé, the most common compound past tense in spoken French, denotes a completed action in the past with relevance to the present, often equivalent to the English . It is formed by the of the auxiliary followed by the past participle, as in J'ai mangé (I ate/have eaten) using avoir, or Je suis allé(e) (I went/have gone) using être. This tense has largely replaced the in everyday oral use for narrating sequential events. The plus-que-parfait expresses an action completed before another past event, establishing anteriority in narratives, similar to the English (e.g., "had done"). It uses the tense of the auxiliary plus the , for example, J'avais fini (I had finished) or Nous étions partis (We had left). This tense frequently appears in subordinate clauses following an , , or in the main clause. The futur antérieur indicates an action that will be completed before a specified point in the future or expresses assumption about a past event, akin to "will have done" in English. Formed with the of the auxiliary and the past participle, examples include J'aurai lu le livre (I will have read the book) or Elle sera arrivée (She will have arrived). It is commonly used in conditional sentences or to convey probability. The passé antérieur, a literary tense rarely used in modern spoken French, marks an action immediately preceding another in the past, often in formal writing or historical narratives. It combines the of the auxiliary with the past participle, such as J'eus compris (I had understood) or Ils furent partis (They had left). This tense typically follows a passé simple in the main clause and is confined to elevated prose styles.

Subjunctive mood

Forms

The subjunctive mood in French is used to express subjectivity, such as , , or necessity, and features four tenses: present, (perfect), , and . The present and subjunctives are the most common in modern usage, while the and are largely literary or archaic. For regular verbs, the present subjunctive is formed by taking the third-person plural form of the present indicative, dropping the -ent ending, and adding the subjunctive endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. For example, for (to speak): que je parle, que tu parles, qu'il/elle/on parle, que nous parlions, que vous parliez, qu'ils/elles parlent. For finir (to finish): que je finisse, que tu finisses, etc. Irregular verbs have unique stems but use the same endings. Common examples include être (to be): que je sois, que tu sois, qu'il/elle/on soit, que nous soyons, que vous soyez, qu'ils/elles soient; avoir (to have): que j'aie, que tu aies, qu'il/elle/on ait, que nous ayons, que vous ayez, qu'ils/elles aient; and aller (to go): que j'aille, que tu ailles, etc. Verbs like faire (to do/make) use que je fasse. These must often be memorized due to deviations from regular patterns. The past subjunctive is a compound tense formed with the present subjunctive of the auxiliary avoir or être plus the past participle of the main verb. For parler: que j'aie parlé; for motion verbs like aller: que je sois allé(e). Agreement rules apply as in the indicative passé composé. The imperfect subjunctive, rare in spoken French and used mainly in literature, is formed from the third-person plural of the passé simple (simple past), dropping -ent, and adding endings: -sse, -sses, -t, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent. For parler: que je parlasse, que tu parlasses, qu'il/elle/on parlât, que nous parlassions, que vous parliez, qu'ils/elles parlassent. Irregular verbs follow the passé simple stem. The subjunctive, also literary, combines the subjunctive of avoir or être with the past participle: e.g., que j'eusse parlé (that I had spoken). It expresses actions completed before another past action in hypothetical contexts.

Uses

The subjunctive is primarily used in subordinate introduced by que when the main clause expresses subjectivity, , or unreality. It requires a change in subject between the main and subordinate clauses; otherwise, the is used. Common triggers include:
  • Necessity and obligation: Expressions like il faut que (it is necessary that), il est nécessaire que (it is necessary that). Example: Il faut que tu finisses tes devoirs. (You must finish your homework.)
  • Emotion and judgment: Verbs such as avoir peur que (to be afraid that), être content que (to be happy that), regretter que (to regret that). Example: J'ai peur qu'il pleuve. (I'm afraid it might rain.)
  • Doubt and possibility: Douter que (to doubt that), il est possible que (it is possible that), especially in negative or interrogative forms. Example: Je doute qu'il arrive à temps. (I doubt that he'll arrive on time.)
  • Will, desire, and preference: Vouloir que (to want that), souhaiter que (to wish that). Example: Je veux que tu viennes. (I want you to come.)
  • Conjunctions: Afin que (so that), bien que (although), pour que (in order that), avant que (before). Example: Je travaille afin que tout soit prêt. (I work so that everything is ready.)
In modern spoken French, the subjunctive is less frequent than in formal writing, and the present subjunctive often covers future hypotheticals. The past subjunctive indicates completion relative to the main clause's time.

Conditional mood

Forms

The French conditional mood has two tenses: the present conditional and the past conditional. The present conditional is formed by taking the future stem (usually the infinitive) and adding the imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For regular verbs, this applies directly: for parler (to speak), je parlerais (I would speak); for finir (to finish), je finirais (I would finish); for vendre (to sell), je vendrais (I would sell, dropping the final -e of the infinitive). Irregular verbs use their irregular future stems with the same endings. Common examples include avoir (to have): j'aurais (I would have); être (to be): je serais (I would be); aller (to go): j'irais (I would go); faire (to do): je ferais (I would do). Spelling changes in certain verbs, such as préférer (to prefer): je préférerais, follow patterns similar to the future tense. The past conditional is a compound tense formed with the present conditional of the auxiliary verbs avoir or être plus the past participle: for parler, j'aurais parlé (I would have spoken); for motion verbs like aller, je serais allé (I would have gone, with agreement for masculine singular).

Uses

The conditional mood expresses hypothetical situations, politeness, and uncertainty. It is commonly used for polite requests and wishes, often with vouloir: Je voudrais un café (I would like a coffee). For suggestions or advice, verbs like pouvoir (to be able) or devoir (to have to) are employed: Tu devrais étudier (You should study); On pourrait partir maintenant (We could leave now). In hypothetical constructions, particularly si clauses, the conditional appears in the main clause when the si clause uses the imperfect: Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais une maison (If I had money, I would buy a house). It also conveys reported speech for future actions in the past: Il a dit qu'il viendrait (He said he would come). Additionally, it expresses probability or uncertain information: Il y aurait un accident sur l'autoroute (There would be an accident on the highway). Historically, the conditional evolved from the Latin , developing in as a fusion of and forms, enabling nuanced expression of conditionality in modern French.

Imperative mood

Forms

The French imperative mood features only three conjugated forms, corresponding to the second-person singular (tu), first-person plural (nous), and second-person plural or formal second-person singular (vous); there are no forms for the first-person singular or third person. Unlike other moods, the imperative lacks future or past tenses, relying solely on the present form for direct commands. For regular verbs, the tu form of the present imperative is derived from the present indicative tu form by omitting the subject pronoun and, in the case of first-conjugation (-er) verbs, dropping the final -s (e.g., parle from parles in ). This elision of the -s applies particularly when the following word begins with a vowel to ensure smooth , though the -s is retained and hyphenated before the pronouns y or en to avoid a hiatus (e.g., vas-y from aller). The nous and vous forms are identical to those of the present indicative (e.g., parlons and parlez for ). The negative imperative employs the structure ne ... pas (or other negative particles) enclosing the imperative forms for tu, nous, and vous (e.g., ne parle pas, ne parlons pas, ne parlez pas for parler). With pronominal (reflexive) verbs, the pronoun follows the verb in affirmative imperatives, connected by a hyphen, and te changes to toi before a vowel or mute h (e.g., lave-toi from se laver); in negative imperatives, the pronoun precedes the verb. Several common irregular verbs have unique imperative forms, often aligning with their present subjunctive: sois (être), aie (avoir), viens (venir), sache (savoir), and veuille (vouloir).

Uses

The in French serves to convey commands, polite requests, and instructions, adapting to social contexts through the choice between the informal tu form and the formal or vous form. For instance, a might say Mange ta soupe! ("Eat your !") to a using tu, while a teacher would use Mangez votre soupe! to a for . This distinction underscores the mood's role in navigating familiarity and in everyday interactions. Beyond personal commands, the imperative appears in impersonal instructions, such as recipes or directions, where it provides clear, step-by-step guidance without specifying a recipient. Examples include Mélangez les ingrédients ("Mix the ingredients") in cooking or Tournez à droite ("Turn right") in , emphasizing efficiency in procedural . The negative form extends this function to prohibitions, as in Ne touchez pas ("Do not touch"), which explicitly forbids actions and is common in signs or warnings. Historically, the French imperative evolved from Latin's richer inflectional system, initially expanding in with stress-shifting paradigms and flexible word order to accommodate emphatic expressions. Over time, analogical simplifications reduced these alternations by the , leading to more uniform forms in modern . In spoken French, further reductions occur, such as optional ne deletion in negatives and preverbal pronoun placement for emphasis, as in Me donne pas ça! ("Don't give me that!") instead of the standard postverbal attachment, reflecting informal oral dynamics while retaining core directive force. For softer, indirect imperatives, the may occasionally substitute, as in Pourriez-vous m'aider? ("Could you help me?").

Non-finite forms

Infinitive

The infinitive represents the base, unconjugated form of the French verb, which is invariant in terms of , number, tense, or mood, and serves as the standard citation form. French verbs are grouped into three conjugations primarily based on their infinitive endings: the first group ends in -er (e.g., "to speak," "to love"), comprising the majority of verbs; the second group ends in -ir with a present in -issant (e.g., finir "to finish," choisir "to choose"); and the third group features irregular endings such as -ir without -issant, -oir, or -re (e.g., venir "to come," pouvoir "to be able," vendre "to sell"). These endings evolved directly from Latin infinitive forms, with -er deriving from the first-conjugation -āre (e.g., Latin amāre > French ), -ir from the fourth-conjugation -īre (e.g., Latin finīre > French finir) and some second-conjugation -ēre verbs that shifted classes, and -re from the third-conjugation -ere (e.g., Latin vidēre > French voir, though irregular). Syntactically, the infinitive plays versatile roles, often governed by preceding elements. It follows modal and semi-auxiliary verbs to express possibility, obligation, or volition, as in je dois partir "I must leave" or elle veut danser "she wants to dance." The infinitive also appears after prepositions to indicate purpose, cause, or manner, such as pour apprendre "in order to learn," de rentrer "of returning," à comprendre "to understand," or sans hésiter "without hesitating." Following adjectives, it typically requires a preposition like à or de to convey ease, difficulty, or emotional response, for example, difficile à prononcer "hard to pronounce" or prêt de partir "ready to leave." Furthermore, infinitive phrases can function as subjects or direct objects, allowing general or abstract reference to actions, as in parler anglais aide "speaking English helps" (subject) or j'aime lire "I like to read" (object). In pronunciation, the maintains its full form without person-based variations, but it undergoes in certain contexts, particularly in negative expressions with prepositional phrases before vowel-initial elements. For example, in ne ... pas d'y aller "not to go there," the ne ... pas precedes the infinitive, and the preposition de elides to d' before the adverb y to avoid hiatus. This phonetic behavior reflects the infinitive's historical invariance, inherited from the Latin infinitive, which was similarly non-personal and used in non-finite constructions without agreement or inflectional endings beyond the stem.

Present participle

The present participle in French, known as the participe présent, is formed by taking the nous form of the present indicative, removing the ending -ons, and adding -ant. This rule applies across verb groups: for first-group -er verbs, such as parler (nous parlons → parlant), and third-group -re verbs, such as vendre (nous vendons → vendant). For second-group -ir verbs, the stem includes the doubled consonant from the nous form, yielding endings like -issant, as in finir (nous finissons → finissant). Certain spelling adjustments occur to preserve . Verbs ending in -cer change the c to before -ant (e.g., commencer → nous commençons → commençant), while -ger verbs insert an e (e.g., → nous mangeons → mangeant). Verbs in -yer replace y with i (e.g., envoyer → nous envoyons → envoyant). A few irregular verbs have unique forms, including avoir → ayant, être → étant, and savoir → sachant. These forms remain invariable when used verbally but agree in and number when functioning adjectivally. The present participle primarily serves adverbial functions, often equivalent to a gerund when preceded by en to indicate simultaneous or ongoing actions (e.g., En parlant, il réfléchit – "While speaking, he thinks"). Without en, it can express circumstances like time, cause, or concession as an invariable modifier (e.g., Voyant le danger, elle s'arrêta – "Seeing the danger, she stopped"). In adjectival use, it describes a or state and agrees with the it modifies (e.g., une femme parlante or des hommes parlants – "a speaking woman" or "speaking men"). Unlike English -ing forms, which frequently build progressive tenses (e.g., "I am speaking"), the French present participle rarely forms such constructions in standard usage; instead, phrases like être en train de + are preferred for ongoing actions (e.g., Il est en train de parler).

Past participle

The past participle, known as le participe passé in French, is a non-finite verb form that typically indicates completion of an action or a resulting state. It is formed from the by following specific rules for regular verbs and unique patterns for irregular ones, and it serves multiple grammatical functions beyond finite tenses. For regular verbs, the participle is derived by removing the ending and adding a specific : -é for first-conjugation verbs ending in -er (e.g., parler becomes parlé, meaning "spoken"), -i for most second-conjugation verbs ending in -ir (e.g., finir becomes fini, meaning "finished"), and -u for third-conjugation verbs ending in -re (e.g., vendre becomes vendu, meaning "sold"). These endings reflect the verb's group and ensure the form aligns phonetically with the in many cases, such as parlé being pronounced similarly to parler despite the orthographic change from -er to -é. Orthographic variations include the addition of accents for clarity and pronunciation, as in ouvert from ouvrir (to open, participle ouvert, meaning "opened"), while phonetic features often involve a final sound that may be silent or elided in connected speech. Many verbs have irregular past participles that do not follow these patterns, requiring due to their frequency and historical evolution. Common examples include voir (to see) → vu (seen), dire (to say) → dit (said), prendre (to take) → pris (taken), faire (to do/make) → fait (done), and avoir (to have) → eu (had). These forms often shorten or alter the stem entirely, with orthographic adjustments like the in lu from lire (to read, meaning "read"). Phonetically, they exhibit variations such as in bu from boire (to drink, meaning "drunk") or the silent final consonant in mis from mettre (to put, meaning "put"). The past participle functions as an to describe nouns, modifying them to indicate a past action or state, as in une porte fermée (a closed ) from fermer (to close). In the , it combines with the être (to be) to form constructions where the subject receives the action, such as La lettre est écrite (The letter is written) from écrire (to write). Additionally, it briefly appears in compound tenses with auxiliaries like avoir or être to express completed actions, though its primary standalone roles emphasize result or passivity.

Voice

Active voice

In French grammar, the is the default form of verb conjugation, where the subject performs the action expressed by the . This voice indicates that the subject acts as the agent, directly carrying out the 's action without any intermediary construction. The basic structure consists of the subject followed by the conjugated , as in "Je mange la pomme" (I eat the apple), where "je" is the subject and "mange" is the conjugated form of the "manger." The applies to all French verbs, both transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs, which take a direct object, express a complete action directed toward that object, such as "Elle lit un " (She reads a book). Intransitive verbs, which do not require a direct object, describe actions or states performed by the subject alone, like "Il court" (He runs). This universality ensures that the serves as the foundational mode for expressing agency across verb types. In simple tenses, such as the , , or , the requires no ; the main verb is conjugated directly according to , number, and tense, emphasizing the subject's direct involvement. For instance, the conjugation of "" (to speak) is "je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle," highlighting agentivity without additional elements. In compound tenses, auxiliaries like "avoir" or "être" are used with the , but the voice remains active as the subject retains its role as the performer of the action. Semantically, this focus on agentivity underscores the subject's volition or causation in the event. Unlike the passive voice, which promotes the direct object to the subject position and demotes the original agent, the active voice maintains the subject as the central agent, preserving the natural hierarchy of actor and action in sentence structure.

Passive voice

The passive voice in French is constructed using the auxiliary verb être conjugated in the desired tense or mood, followed by the past participle of the main verb, which functions as the predicate adjective. This structure shifts the focus from the agent performing the action to the patient receiving it, transforming the direct object of the active voice into the subject of the passive sentence. For example, the active sentence Le chat mange la pomme ("The cat eats the apple") becomes La pomme est mangée ("The apple is eaten") in the passive voice. This formation can be applied across all tenses and moods of the indicative, subjunctive, and conditional, as long as être is conjugated accordingly. In the present indicative, it appears as est mangée; in the , sera mangée; in the , a été mangée; and in the , aurait été mangée. The past participle agrees in and number with the subject, functioning as a predicate . Only transitive verbs—those capable of taking a direct object in the —can form the passive, as intransitive verbs lack this object to promote to subject status. For instance, aller ("to go") cannot be passivized, while lire ("to read") yields Le livre est lu. The agent of the action, if specified, is introduced by the preposition par and placed after the , often at the end of the sentence for emphasis. This optional element clarifies who performs , as in La pomme est mangée par le chat. In some contexts, de may replace par for certain agents like materials or causes, but par is the standard for personal agents. The is particularly prevalent in formal and , where it allows writers to highlight the action or result over the performer, enhancing objectivity and impersonality—for example, in legal or scientific texts like La loi a été adoptée par l'Assemblée. This stylistic choice contrasts with the more dynamic preferred in everyday narrative.

Pronominal voice

The pronominal voice in French verbs, also known as the reflexive voice, involves the use of a reflexive pronoun that corefers with the subject, indicating actions performed on oneself, between subjects, or in idiomatic expressions. These verbs are formed by combining the infinitive with the particle se (or s' before a vowel), and in conjugation, the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) is placed immediately before the conjugated verb in affirmative sentences. For example, je me lave means "I wash myself," where me agrees with the first-person subject. In imperatives, the pronoun attaches to the verb with a hyphen, as in lève-toi! ("get up!"). Pronominal verbs fall into three primary types based on their semantic role. True reflexive verbs describe actions where the subject acts upon itself, such as se laver ("to wash oneself"), where the direct object is the subject. Reciprocal verbs indicate mutual actions between two or more subjects, like s'embrasser ("to kiss each other"), as in ils s'embrassent ("they kiss each other"). Idiomatic pronominal verbs, on the other hand, take on meanings distinct from their non-pronominal counterparts, such as se souvenir ("to remember"), which has no direct equivalent without the . In compound tenses, pronominal verbs invariably use the auxiliary être rather than avoir, with the past participle following standard agreement rules for être constructions. For instance, the passé composé of se lever ("to get up") is je me suis levé ("I got up"). Pronominal verbs are classified as essential or non-essential depending on whether the reflexive form is obligatory for the verb's existence or meaning. Essential pronominal verbs, also called essentially pronominal, only occur with the reflexive pronoun and lack a non-pronominal counterpart, such as se promener ("to go for a walk"), which derives idiomatically from promener but cannot stand alone in that sense. In contrast, non-essential pronominal verbs like se laver have a non-reflexive form (laver, "to wash [something else]"), where the pronoun adds a reflexive interpretation. Certain pronominal verbs involve phonetic contractions for euphony, particularly when combining the reflexive pronoun with adverbial pronouns like en. A common example is s'en aller ("to go away" or "to leave"), conjugated as je m'en vais in the present tense, blending se with en before a vowel. This construction emphasizes departure and is idiomatic, differing from the active voice's simple aller ("to go").

Past participle agreement

With avoir

In compound tenses formed with the auxiliary verb avoir, the past participle typically remains invariable and does not agree in or number with the subject. This default rule applies when the direct object follows the verb, as in the example J'ai mangé la pomme (I ate the apple), where mangé stays in the masculine singular form regardless of the feminine of pomme. The same holds across other tenses using avoir, such as the plus-que-parfait (J'avais mangé la pomme) and the futur antérieur (J'aurai mangé la pomme), ensuring no agreement in these constructions. Agreement becomes necessary only when the direct object precedes the verb, in which case the past participle must match the direct object in and number. This occurs commonly with direct object pronouns, relative pronouns, or in structures. For instance, in the , La pomme, je l'ai mangée (The apple, I ate it) requires the feminine singular ending -ée on mangé to agree with the feminine la or pomme. Similarly, for a masculine direct object, Les livres, je les ai lus (The books, I read them) adds the plural -s to lu. This rule extends to other tenses, as seen in the plus-que-parfait Les livres, je les avais lus or the conditionnel passé Les livres, je les aurais lus, where the agreement follows the preceding direct object. Certain verbs, such as coûter (to cost), valoir (to be worth), peser (to weigh), and mesurer (to measure), present exceptions to the standard agreement rule when their complements express measure, value, , or duration, which are treated as circumstantial rather than direct objects. In these cases, the past participle remains invariable even if the complement precedes the verb, as in Les 15 euros que ce repas a coûtés would incorrectly agree; instead, it is Les 15 euros que ce repas a coûté, with no feminine plural ending on coûté. However, if a true direct object precedes, agreement applies, such as La récompense que ce travail nous a value, where value takes the feminine singular -e to match récompense. The morphological changes from agreement—adding -e for feminine, -s for , or -es for both—often have minimal phonetic impact in modern spoken French, as the final e is typically mute and the s is silent unless a liaison occurs before a -initial word. For example, in je l'ai mangée, the final e in mangée is not pronounced ([mɑ̃ʒe] becomes [mɑ̃ʒ]), but in liaison contexts like j'ai mangées des pommes (if feminine), the s may link to the following as [ze]. This subtlety underscores how written agreements primarily serve grammatical clarity rather than altering core in isolation.

With être

In French compound tenses, when the être is used, the must agree in and number with the logical subject of the . This agreement is mandatory and applies uniformly, adding an -e for feminine subjects and an -s for subjects, or both as needed (e.g., elles sont allées). The rule stems from the 's historical role as an adjectival complement to être, functioning similarly to a predicate that modifies the subject (e.g., la femme est morte parallels elle est morte). This agreement requirement extends to all verbs that select être as their auxiliary, including verbs of motion (such as aller, venir, partir, arriver), reflexive verbs, and passive constructions. In the , for instance, il est parti uses the masculine singular form, while nous sommes partis employs the masculine plural. The same pattern holds in other compound tenses, such as the plus-que-parfait (elle était allée) or the futur antérieur (tu seras arrivé(e)), ensuring consistency across temporal forms. Unlike cases with avoir, there are no exceptions to this subject agreement when être is the auxiliary; the participle always aligns fully with the subject's features, reflecting the construction's predicative nature. This uniformity simplifies the morphology for learners while preserving the adjectival heritage of the past participle in French syntax.

In pronominal constructions

In pronominal constructions, the past participle of French verbs conjugated with être generally agrees in gender and number with the subject when the reflexive pronoun functions as a direct object, reflecting the reflexive nature of the action on the subject itself. For example, Elle s'est lavée (she washed herself), where lavée agrees with the feminine subject elle. This agreement holds for essentially pronominal verbs that only exist in reflexive form, such as s'évanouir (Elles se sont évanouies). However, if a direct object noun follows the verb without a preceding pronoun, the reflexive pronoun is considered indirect, and no agreement occurs: Elle s'est lavé les mains (she washed her hands). A key exception arises when a direct object pronoun precedes the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary verb; in such cases, the past participle agrees with that direct object pronoun rather than the subject. For instance, Je me suis lavé les mains becomes Je me les suis lavées when the direct object les mains is replaced by the pronoun les, with lavées agreeing in feminine plural form. For indirect reflexives, where the acts as an indirect object (often answering "to whom?" or "for whom?"), the remains invariable, regardless of the subject. Verbs like se téléphoner or se parler exemplify this: Nous nous sommes téléphoné (we called each other), with no agreement on téléphoné because nous is indirect. This extends to reciprocal uses, as in Ils se sont embrassés (they kissed each other, agreement with subject as direct), but Ils se sont écrit (they wrote to each other, no agreement as indirect). Idiomatic pronominal expressions follow similar logic, such as se souvenir (Je m'en suis souvenu, invariable due to indirect en). Certain verbs, like se plaire or se rire de, are always invariable even in reflexive contexts. In complex cases involving multiple pronouns, the precedence rule prioritizes the direct object closest to the for agreement: Tu te les es achetés (you bought them for yourself), agreeing with les (masculine plural). Regarding spoken versus written variations, while standard rules apply strictly in writing, spoken French often omits audible realization of agreements (e.g., the in réveillée), leading to informal pronunciations that ignore distinctions, though the written form preserves them for clarity.

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