The most commonly used French verbs and their conjugation (2023)

The three words that make most French students tremble:"French Verb Conjugation".We understand.

French is not exactly known for its easy grammar andFrench verb conjugation rulesit can cause headaches for even the most experienced language learner. To help you, we created aFrench Verb Conjugation List, complete with examples and additional grammar tips. We focus on the most common French verbs and their conjugations in four tenses:here(gift),perfect weather(perfect gift),imperfect(imperfect) andsimple future(future).

When you get the hang of it and equip yourself with something basic vocabulary in french, no one will stop you!

Conjugation table for common French verbs

Conjugating verbs correctly is essential for successful communication. Even if you are a professional in french question words, nouns, and pronouns, it's hard to express yourself with confidence if you're not confident in yourFrench verb conjugations.

To prepare you, here are the 20 most commonFrench verb conjugations, examples of everyday use and grammar tips.

1.To be(to be)

Example:

Ilsthey arein front of the museum. (They are in front of the museum).

grammar tip:

“Être” is one of the two most important French verbs to learn when you arelearning french.French verb conjugation rules(next to "avoir" - to have). “Être” has irregular conjugations in almost all tenses. It also serves as an auxiliary verb in various French compound tenses and moods (for example, passé composé).

For example. EITHERLestepart late. (He left late.)

2. have (ter)

Example:

Uswe haddeux hier meetings (We had two meetings yesterday.)

grammar tip:

Like “être”, “avoir” is an essential French verb and has irregular conjugations. for the vast majorityFrench verb conjugation, “avoir” serves as an auxiliary verb in compound tenses and moods.

For example. ilsontdejav.c.the movie. (You've already seen the movie.)

3. Aller (to take away)

Example:

Ilsibanau parc tous les jours. (They went to the park every day.)

grammar tip:

Verbs whose auxiliary verb is"to be"must show agreement of its past participles in gender (masculine or feminine—add e) and number (singular or plural—add s).

For example.

• masculine subject →I amy.
• female subject →I amSala.
• Masculine plural → Theylost.
• plural feminine → arerunners.

For a mixed group, always use the masculine form.

For example.

• Thomas y Katherinewent back. (Thomas and Catherine returned.)

4. Parler (talk/chat)

Example:

tutalkalthough l'espagnol! (You speak Spanish so well!)

grammar tip:

"Parler" conforms to the normal pattern of French verbs ending in -er, making it a 'regular' -er verb.

5. Faire (to do)

Example:

Ydothe birthday cake (I am making the cake for his birthday.)

Observation:Unlike English, where the present tense has three different forms (the simple present, the present progressive, and the emphatic present), there is only one present tense in French.The present tense in FrenchIt is used to express both a momentary action and a progressive action. So, “hehdole gâteau” can be translated as “I make the cake”, “I am making the cake” and “I make the cake”.

grammar tip:

"Faire" is found in many French idioms and is the key to the causative construction ("faire" + infinitive).

For example.

• UEdofrio (It's cold.) *Note that in expressions about the weather, “faire” becomes equivalent to “to be”.
• Usdodu ballet. (We do ballet.)
• elledosavings for a trip to Japan. (He is saving for a trip to Japan.)
• The raindoPousser l'herbe plus vite. (Rain makes the grass grow faster.) *causal construction

6. take (take)

Example:

They havetakensix bags by accident! (Her luggage was taken by accident!)

grammar tip:

Like “avoir” and “faire”, the verb “prendre” is one of the most used and appears in the most diverse idiomatic expressions in French.

For example.

• To takedu poids (gain weight)
• To takeson temps (to take your time)
• To takegarde (take care/be careful)

7. Want (Want)

Example:

To wantDo you have a salad with your meal? (Do you want a salad with your meal?)

grammar tip:

"Vouloir" can be used to express a will or wish, or to politely request something. It can also be used to give strong orders or willingly accept something, among other uses.

• Desire:Yto wantbecome an astronaut! (I want to be an astronaut!)
• polite request:To want-will you put up with this? (Could you hold this for me?)
• strong command:Yto wantfinish your homework before you leave. (I want you to finish your homework before you leave.)

8. Savor (know)

Example:

Usyou knewwhich cell phone arrives (We knew this would happen.)

grammar tip:

“Savoir” is an irregular French verb in -ir, like open, have, have, rain, can, receive, hold, come, see, or want.

9. Power (to be able to)

Example:

He canCould you make dinner tonight? (Can you make dinner tonight?)

grammar tip:

"Pouvoir" is often used to express courtesy in French.

For example.

I'm so sorry but nohe canpas vous aider aveça. (Sorry, I can't help you with that.)

10. To come (for vir)

Example:

tuonedomain? (Come tomorrow?)

grammar tip:

Like "aller", "venir" is conjugated with être.

“Come from” means “vir de”.

Ycomes fromMoscow. (I come from Moscow.)

If "come from" is followed by a verb, it means "to have just."

For example.

ellefairfinish son devoir. (She just finished her work.)

11. Terrible (say/say)

Example:

UEsaywe were all getting married. (He told everyone that we were getting married.)

grammar tip:

Most French irregular verbs can be arranged into five patterns, but "terror" doesn't fit any of them. This means that you must learn their conjugation by heart.

12. Give (to give)

Example:

No, she does notaNogivensixes free. (No, she didn't give him her books).

grammar tip:

"Donner" is also used in many idioms.

For example.

• Lead by example(to give an example)
• tell someone the time(to tell someone the time)
• give a party(give a party)

13. Think (think)

Example:

they therewill thinklater. (They'll think about it later.)

grammar tip:

• “Penser à” means “to think about” as “to have someone in mind”:

tuImagineelle, n'est-ce pas? (You're thinking of her, aren't you?)

• Imaginemeans “to think about” in the sense of “to have an opinion about”:

Thatthink- YOUofWhat hotel? (What do you think of this hotel?)

14. Auxiliary (to help)

Example:

Ellahelp toà démenager. (She will help them move out of the apartment.)

grammar tip:

“Aider” is a first group verb, so it follows the regular conjugation pattern for first group verbs ending in -er:

First remove the -er from the end of the infinitive form of the verb (aidbecomesaid). Then add the appropriate endings (for example, in the present tense is: e, es, e, ons, ez, ent).

15. Aimer (I like/love it)

Example:

Ilsamadoplaying together when they were kids. (They loved to play together as children.)

grammar tip:

you can useliketo express that you love, or that you like someone or something.

16. Must (have to, need to)

Example:

YOUhe mustboire plus d'eau. (You need to drink more water.)

grammar tip:

It is easy to confuse "devoir" with "falloir", which also implies an obligation or necessity. Devoir indicates something that a person is obliged to do, while falloir expresses something that must be done. Don't worry if you're confused, this is a hard difference to understand!

For example.

• Yof thetell him that I can't lie! (I have to tell you that. I can't lie!)
• UEneedsthat left me I'll be late ! (I have to go. I'll be late!)

17. Dwell (Live)

Example:

ellego to livein Germany next year. (She will live in Germany next year).

grammar tip:

"Habiter" is often followed by a preposition (like à, en, aux, etc.), but it doesn't technically require one.

For example, we can both say:

J'resideLondon.

J'reside ForLondon.

However, today it is much more common to put a preposition after the verb "habiter" than not to.

18. Watch (mirar, observe)

Example:

their countriesThey were watchingTV every night when we weren't there. (Her parents of hers watched TV every night when we went out.)

grammar tip:

The French verb "regarder" is active (observe, look), while "voir" is more passive (see, see, witness). We use "regard" when there is an intention behind the action and "voir" when we are just noticing or witnessing what is around us.

Here's an example to illustrate the difference between the two:

In the last week Ivistathe birds of the forest (Last week I watched the birds in the forest).

Meaning:Last week I intentionally observed the birds in the forest.

In the last week I'have seenmany birds in the forest. (Last week I saw many birds in the forest.)

Meaning:Last week when I was in the forest, I saw a lot of birds. I didn't focus on them, I didn't mean to see them, I just realized they were there.

19. User (to use)

Example:

you alreadyusedcet order? (Have you used this computer before?)

grammar tip:

“Utiliser” is a regular -er verb. It uses the same infinitive endings as most French verbs (eg "aimer", "aider", "parler").

20. Essay (to test)

Example:

They havetriedto go to Panama, but the flight was full. (They tried to fly to Panama, but the flight was full.)

Grammar tip:

Typically, with French verbs ending in -yer, such as "nettoyer" (to clean), the -y changes to -i before -e, -es, and -ent. However, with the verb "essayer", the -y can, but does not have to, become -i. So j'essaye and j'essaie, for example, are correct. This is also the case for some other -ayer verbs, such as "payer".

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French verb conjugation rulesit can easily discourage even the most committed learner.

But you just took an important step! With thatFrench Verb Conjugation List,Are you ready to startspeak french.

to find any otherFrench verb conjugations, To check reverse conjugation.

to memorizeFrench verb conjugations, the popular French-learning Youtuber behind MyFrenchStory recommends saying the conjugations out loud and spelling out the endings, which is how French kids learn conjugations in school. Canknow butabout this technique and MyFrenchStory here.

Finally, to practice what you have learned and use French verbs in real life contexts,book a private lesson with a French teacherand take your French to the next level.