Webster's French Verbs

575+French Verbsby Gail Stein

TM

Websters New World 575+ French Verbs

Copyright 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, NJ

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, NJPublished simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:Stein, Gail Websters New World 575+ French verbs / by Gail Stein.1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-10 0-7645-7771-9 (pbk.) ISBN-13 978-0-7645-7771-0 (pbk.)1.French languageVerb. 2. French languageIdioms. I. Title: 575+ French verbs. II. Title. PC2271.S74 2005 448.2421dc22 2004030066

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to my wonderful editors on the Wiley team, Roxane Cerda, Elizabeth Kuball, and Julie Foss. I couldnt have done it without all your help.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my loving husband, Douglas; my two wonderful sons, Eric and Michael; and to Katherine Bensen-Piscopo, my future daughter-in-law, who will be the daughter I always wanted.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Verb Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .635

Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .663

Appendix C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .669

Appendix D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .675

Appendix E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .679

INTRODUCTION

Websters 575+ French Verbs is an invaluable tool that will enable students, travelers, and business people alike, to communicate proficiently and effectively in any given situation. Being able to effectively use verbs correctly will give your French more polish and shine. If youre seeking a more in-depth command of the language, one that will enable you to speak, read, and write like a native, one that will allow you to express your thoughts easily and confidently, then this book is for you. Websters 575+ French Verbs not only provides a quick, simple-to-read reference to the conjugation of the 575 most frequently used French verbs but also illustrates their everyday, colloquial, and idiomatic usage in explicit examples (with English equivalents) using a variety of different moods and tenses. Websters 575+ French Verbs is divided into three distinct sections: Verb Usage Review (which explains the various moods and tenses used in French), verb charts (containing 576 fully conjugated verbs with example sentences), and five appendices with over 1,800 additional verbs, idiomatic and colloquial expressions, irregular verb forms, common reflexive verbs, as well as an English-French Verb Index.

Verb Usage ReviewThis section provides a comprehensive review of French verbs, where moods and tenses of regular, verbs with spelling changes, and irregular verbs are defined and illustrated through examples. To encourage independence from the verb charts, this section teaches you every-thing you need to know about French verbs and their varying usages, so that you can confi-dently communicate on your own without a crutch.

To get you off to a good start, the French Subject Pronouns section is presented so that you will be able to choose the correct pronoun to use no matter what the circumstances. Each subject pronoun requires its own specific ending based upon the subject of the sentence and the time period in which the action is occurring (past, present, or future). The verb charts are divided into two columns: singular ( je -I, tu-you, il-he/elle-she/on- one) and plural (nous-we, vous-you, ils-they/elles-they).

The Verbals section explains the formation and use of present participles; the formation, use, and agreement of past participles; and the use of the present and past infinitive, the unconjugated to be form of the verb. Comprehensive lists are provided with verbs that are immediately followed by the infinitive, verbs that require before the infinitive, verbs that require de before the infinitive, and verbs that require other prepositions before the infinitive.

In Tenses and Moods, the difference between the two is explained. Then each French simple tense or mood and its corresponding compound tense or mood (refer to Table 9, p. 18), as well as their English equivalents, are illustrated in detail in independent sections. Many examples are provided to foster understanding of the rules.

The Imperative section explains how to form affirmative and negative commands and how to make suggestions. All explanations are followed by illustrative examples both in French and in English.

The Passive Voice section is presented with directions on substitute constructions that may be used as an alternative. (The passive voice is not as widely used in French as it is in Eng-lish.) Examples are provided for easier understanding.

2 / Websters New World 575+ French Verbs

The Verb Usage Review ends with the special of uses of certain verbs: verbs where the meaning is changed based on the tense that is used. Examples illustrate the differences for each verb.

Verb ChartsThe alphabetical Verb Charts section, arranged by infinitives, contains 576 fully conjugated verbs. Each chart identifies the French infinitive, its English meaning(s), the present participle, the past participle, and the imperative forms. In the case of reflexive verbs, reflexive pronouns are shown. Then each verb is shown in its simple and compound tenses in both the indicative and subjunctive moods. All charts are followed by a series of example sentences in French and English that show the different usage and meaning of the specific verb.

cuisinerto cookPresent participle: cuisinant Past participle: cuisinImperative: cuisine, cuisinez, cuisinons

Mode Simple Tenses Compound Tenses

Singular Plural Singular Plural

Indicative

Present Pass Composcuisinecuisinescuisine

cuisinonscuisinezcuisinent

ai cuisinas cuisina cuisin

avons cuisinavez cuisinont cuisin

Imperfect Pluperfectcuisinaiscuisinaiscuisinait

cuisinionscuisiniezcuisinaient

avais cuisinavais cuisinavait cuisin

avions cuisinaviez cuisinavaient cuisin

Pass Simple Pass Antrieurcuisinaicuisinascuisina

cuisinmescuisintescuisinrent

eus cuisineus cuisineut cuisin

emes cuisinetes cuisineurent cuisin

Future Future Perfectcuisineraicuisinerascuisinera

cuisineronscuisinerezcuisineront

aurai cuisinauras cuisinaura cuisin

aurons cuisinaurez cuisinauront cuisin

Conditional Conditional Perfectcuisineraiscuisineraiscuisinerait

cuisinerionscuisineriezcuisineraient

aurais cuisinaurais cuisinaurait cuisin

aurions cuisinauriez cuisinauraient cuisin

Subjunctive

Present Pastcuisinecuisinescuisine

cuisinionscuisiniezcuisinent

aie cuisinaies cuisinait cuisin

ayons cuisinayez cuisinaient cuisin

Imperfect Pluperfectcuisinassecuisinassescuisint

cuisinassionscuisinassiezcuisinassent

eusse cuisineusses cuisinet cuisin

eussions cuisineussiez cuisineussent cuisin

EXAMPLESCuisinez-vous bien? Do you cook well?Ne lui parle pas quand elle cuisine. Dont talk to her while she is cooking.Jai cuisin hier soir. I cooked last night.tais-tu surpris que jaie cuisin ce repas? Were you surprised that I cooked that

meal?

The present participle in French has an English ing verb ending equiva-lent. The French present participle may not be used as a gerund.

The past participle is used with either avoir or tre to form compound tenses. It may also be used as an adjective.

The imperative is used to give a command or a suggestion.

The indicative mood states facts in the past, present, or future tense.

The subjunctive mood is used when there is wish-ing, emotion, or doubt.

The pass simple and the pass antrieur are only used and seen in literary works.

The imperfect and plu-perfect subjunctive are only used and seen in literary works.

Appendix of Additional VerbsThe Appendix of Additional Verbs contains over 1,500 French verbs with a quick page reference to a fully conjugated verb in the verb charts. This allows you to have command of a huge selection of verbs in the language.

Appendix of Irregular Verb FormsThe Appendix of Irregular Verb Forms helps you to locate the infinitive from which a conju-gated verb was formed. In many instances, this conjugated form bears little resemblance to the infinitive, and its meaning might prove to be deceptive.

Appendix of Idiomatic and Colloquial ExpressionsThis appendix lists idiomatic and colloquial expressions with a variety of high-frequency French verbs. This appendix is an invaluable tool for those who want to perfect their use of French and who want to use the language the way a native would.

Common Reflexive VerbsThis appendix provides the most commonly used French reflexive verbs and their English equivalents. You should expect to encounter these verbs in everyday conversational or writ-ten French. Make sure to follow the rules on reflexive verbs when using these verbs.

English-French Verb IndexThe English-French Verb Index alphabetically lists English verbs followed by their French equivalents, with a page reference that will point you to the proper verb conjugation chart for the French verb. Use this index to select a verb that enables you to express what you would like to say. Make sure to double-check usage in a bilingual dictionary.

Introduction / 3

VERB USAGE REVIEW

This section will help you understand and internalize the rules for conjugating (changing the verb so that it agrees with the subject noun or pronoun) regular, spelling-change, and irregular French verbs in all tenses and moods. Youll be given the guides you need to readily convert English forms to their French equivalent so that the process will quickly become routine. Your goal should be to become so familiar with French verbs that you can use them automatically, the way a native speaker would. Read this section first for a better understanding of which verbs will follow a regular pattern, which will require an internalized change to maintain proper pronunciation, and which will have to be memorized due to their irregular nature. After you study this information, youll have an easier time understanding the verb charts that follow.

Subject PronounsProper verb conjugation requires an understanding of subject nouns and pronouns and how they are used. A subject noun identifies who or what is performing the action of the verb and may be a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. A subject pronoun, which may replace the subject noun, allows for a more fluid conversation by eliminating unnecessary repetition of the same noun:

Carole is my friend. She lives next door to me.Honesty is the best policy. It has always served me well.

Subject pronouns indicate the endings needed to conjugate verbs in all tenses and moods. French subject pronouns have a numbersingular (one) or plural (more than one)and a gendermasculine or feminine. They may identify any noun. In French, the verb ending must agree with the subject noun or pronoun. Table 1 shows the French subject pronouns and their equivalent English meanings.

Table 1 Subject Pronouns

Person Singular Plural1st je (I) nous (we)

2nd tu (you) vous (you)

3rd il (he, it) ils (they)

elle (she, it) elles (they)

on (one, you, we, they)

Note the following about the French subject pronouns:

Je (I) is capitalized only when used at the beginning of a sentence. Je becomes j before a vowel or vowel sound (y and unaspirated h, which means that no puff of air is emitted when producing the h sound). This is known as elision.

Jaime le franais. I like French.Jhabite New York. I live in New York.

6 / The Basics on Verbs

Tu is the singular informal or familiar pronoun that expresses you. Tu is used to address a friend, relative, child, or pet. The u from tu is never dropped for purposes of elision:

Tu es formidable. You are terrific.

Vous is the formal or polite pronoun that expresses you. In the singular, vous is used to show respect and to address an older person, a stranger, or someone whom you dont know well. Vous is the only pronoun that expresses you in the plural, regardless of the degree of familiarity:

Monsieur, vous tes trs optimiste. Sir, you are very optimistic.Vous tes mes bons amis. You are my good friends.

Il (he) and elle (she) may refer to a person or a thing:

Jacques est tomb. (Jack fell.) Il est tomb. (He fell.)Larbre est tomb. (The tree fell.) Il est tomb. (It fell.)

Lisette est arrive. (Lisette arrived.) Elle est arrive. (She arrived.)La lettre est arrive. (The letter arrived.) Elle est arrive. (It arrived.)

On refers to an indefinite person and may express: you, we, they, one, or people in general. On is often used to replace nous:

On sort? Shall we go out?

Ils (they) and elles (they) refer to groups of people. Elles is used only to refer to a group of females. Ils, however, may refer to a group of males or to a combined group consisting of males and females (despite the number of each within the group):

Lise et Luc dansent. (Lise and Luke dance.) Ils dansent. (They dance.)Sue et Lise dansent. (Sue and Lise dance.) Elles dansent. (They dance.)

Ce (C before a vowel) (it, he, she, this, that, these, those) is most frequently used before the verb tre (to be) and replaces il, elle, ils, and elles in the following cases:

Before a modified noun: Cest un bon professeur. (Hes a good teacher.) Before a name: Cest Marie. (Its Marie.) Before a pronoun: Cest moi. (It is me.) Before a superlative: Cest le moins cher. (Its the least expensive.) In dates: Cest le onze juillet. (Its July 11th.) In reference to a previous mentioned idea or action: Il est juste. Cest clair. (He is

fair. Thats clear.) Before an adjective + + verb infinitive (to + unconjugated verb): Cest inutile

faire. (Thats useless to do.)

The Basics on VerbsA verb expresses action, feeling, or existence and serves to command, emphasize, declare, or deny something. In dictionaries, verbs are shown in their infinitive, the basic form of the verb that is not conjugated and expresses to + action. French verbs must agree in number (singular or plural) with their subjects in order to express tense (past, present, future), and mood (indicative, imperative, conditional, subjunctive). The tense of the verb indicates

the time when an action occurred, while the mood indicates an attitude on the part of the subject. The indicative mood states a fact. The imperative gives a command. The conditional expresses what would happen under certain circumstances. The subjunctive expresses, among other things, wishing, emotion, and doubt. The infinitive mood, the to form of the verb, does not require agreement with a subject.

French verb infinitives consist of a stem and an infinitive ending. There are three regular infinitive endings that categorize the three main verb families: er, ir, and re. Additionally there are seven regular verbs ending in oir or evoir. Each regular verb within its respective family follows the same rules of conjugation in all tenses and moods. If, therefore, you mem-orize the pattern for the er family, you then know the pattern for every single verb within that family: parler (to speak), danser (to dance), chanter (to sing), just to name a few. Verbs belonging to the er family that end in cer, ger, yer, e + consonant + er, and + consonant + er undergo internal spelling changes in certain tenses to preserve the sound of the conju-gated verb form. Irregular verbs follow no particular pattern and must be memorized. Some verbs have irregularities in only some tenses.

VerbalsIn English, verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) are words that are derived from verbs but are generally used as nouns or adjectives. Both present participles and gerunds end in ing and are distinguishable only by their use in a sentence. A present participle is used only as an adjective and a gerund is used only as a noun:

I saw an amusing film. (amusing = adjective = present participle)Skiing is his favorite pastime. (skiing = noun = gerund)

In French, a present participle may be used as an adjective or after the preposition en to express while or by:

Jai vu un film amusant. I saw an amusing film.Il parlait en regardant la tl. He was speaking while watching television.

In French, because a present participle may not be used as a noun, gerunds are expressed by the infinitive:

Faire du ski est son passetemps favori. Skiing is his favorite pastime.

FORMING THE PRESENT PARTICIPLEThe present participle of all French verbs ends in ant, the English equivalent of ing. The present participle of most French verbs, whether regular or irregular, is formed by dropping the ons ending from the nous form of the present tense of the verb and adding ant, as shown in Table 2.

Verbals / 7

Table 2 Forming the Present Participle

Infinitive Nous Form of Present Present Participleparler (to speak) nous parlons parlant (speaking)

finir (to finish) nous finissons finissant (finishing)

attendre (to wait) nous attendons attendant (waiting)

aller (to go) nous allons allant (going)

boire (to drink) nous buvons buvant (drinking)

commencer (to begin) nous commenons commenant (beginning)

dire (to say, to tell) nous disons disant (saying)

faire (to do) nous faisons faisant (doing)

manger (to eat) nous mangeons mangeant (eating)

sortir (to go out) nous sortons sortant (going out)

venir (to come) nous venons venant (coming)

voir (to see) nous voyons voyant (seeing)

There are only three irregular present participles in French:

Verb Nous Form Present Participleavoir (to have) nous avons ayant (having)

tre (to be) nous sommes tant (being)

savoir (to know) nous savons sachant (knowing)

USING THE PRESENT PARTICIPLEThe present participle is used:

With the preposition en to imply simultaneous actions:

Elle est tomb en courant. (She fell [while, when, upon, on, as she was] running.)

Tout may be used before en to add emphasis:

Il parle tout en mangeant. (He speaks even while eating.)

En + present participle may mean by. With the verbs commencer and finir, par + infinitive is used provided there is no direct object:

Ils apprennent beaucoup en voyageant. (They learn a lot by traveling.)As-tu commenc par parler franais? (Did you begin by speaking French?)Elle finit par rire. (She ends up laughing.)

BUT:

Il finit lhistoire en riant. (He finishes the story by laughing.)

Without the preposition en to show a cause, a reason, a motive, a condition, a result, an incidental circumstance, or an action that took place at the same moment as or immediately before the action of the main verb. When used as a verb, the present participle is invariablemeaning that there is no agreement of the present participle with the subject:

tant fatigu, jai cess de travailler. (Being tired, I stopped working.)Il est sorti, oubliant son portefeuille. (He went out, forgetting his wallet.)Faisant ses devoirs, il a beaucoup appris. (Doing his homework, he learned a lot.)Nous parlions en regardant le film. (We were speaking while watching the film.)Elle est arrive pleurant. (She arrived crying.)

8 / Verbals

Some present participles may be used as adjectives and must, therefore, agree in number and gender with the nouns or pronouns they modify. They generally follow the noun or pronoun:

Nous avons entendu des nouvelles surprenantes. (We heard surprising news.)Jai trouv ce livre intrigant. (I found that book intriguing.)

The present participle can, but rarely does, replace a relative clause (qui + verb):

Elle cherche des gens qui parlent franais. (She is looking for people who speak French.)Elle cherche des gens parlant franais. (She is looking for people speaking French.)

The present participle cannot be used:

To express the English present progressive form: to be + present participle. To express that an action is in progress, use the present tense or tre en train de + infinitive:

Ils jouent. (They are playing.)Ils sont en train de jouer. (They are playing.)

To replace an English gerund (a noun ending in ing):

Aimes-tu le ski? (Do you like skiing?)Faire des gteaux est une science. (Baking is a science.)Nous le cacherons sans quelle le sache. (Well hide it without her knowing it.)

FORMING THE PAST PARTICIPLEThe past participle of regular French verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the endings shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Forming the Past Participle

Verb Family Infinitive Past Participleer travailler travaill (worked)

ir choisir choisi (chosen)

re perdre perdu (lost)

Some French verbs have irregular past participles that fall into the following groups:

Those ending in i:

rire (to laugh) risuffire (to suffice) suffisuivre (to follow) suivi

Those ending in is:

acqurir (to acquire) acquisasseoir (to seat) assisconqurir (to conquer) conquismettre (to put) misprendre (to take) pris

Verbals / 9

Those ending in it:

conduire (to drive) conduitconstruire (to construct) construitcuire (to cook) cuitdtruire (to destroy) dtruitdire (to say, to tell) ditcrire (to write) critproduire (to produce) produittraduire (to translate) traduit

Those ending in u:

apercevoir (to notice) aperuavoir (to have) euboire (to drink) buconnatre (to know) connucourir (to run) courucroire (to believe) crudevoir (to have to) dlire (to read) luparatre (to appear) paruplaire (to please) plupouvoir (to be able to) purecevoir (to receive) reusavoir (to know) suse taire (to be quiet) tutenir (to hold) tenuvaloir (to be worth) valuvenir (to come) venuvivre (to live) vcuvouloir (to want) voulu

Those ending in ert:

ouvrir (to open) ouvertoffrir (to offer) offertsouffrir (to suffer) souffert

Those ending in int:

atteindre (to attain) atteintcraindre (to fear) craintteindre (to extinguish) teintjoindre (to join) jointpeindre (to paint) peintplaindre (to pity) plaint

Those totally irregular:

tre (to be) tfaire (to make, to do) faitmourir (to die) mortnatre (to be born) n

Any compound infinitive, an infinitive comprised of a prefix + a verb, forms its past parti-ciple according to the list above, for example:

comprendre (to understand) compriscouvrir (to cover) couvertpermettre (to permit) permissourire (to smile) sourisoutenir (to support) soutenu

10 / Verbals

USING THE PAST PARTICIPLEIn French, as in English, the past participle is used to form the seven compound (perfect) tenses, to form the passive voice with tre (to be), and as an adjective:

Jai tudi pour mon examen. I studied for my test.Le lit na pas t fait. The bed wasnt made.Les fentres sont ouvertes. The windows are open.

In French, compound tenses may be formed with avoir or tre as the helping (auxiliary) verb that precedes the past participle. In order to select the correct helping verb, keep the follow-ing in mind:

The overwhelming majority of verbs require avoir as their helping verb. Reflexive verbs (those whose infinitive is preceded by the reflexive pronoun sesee

Appendix D) always use tre as their helping verb: Je me suis lav la figure. (I washed my face.)

The most common intransitive verbs (those that do not take a direct object) use tre as their helping verb. These verbs generally show motion or change of place, state, or condition and include those shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Verbs That Use tre as Their Helping Verb

Infinitive Meaning Past Participlealler to go all

arriver to arrive arriv

descendre * to go down descendu

devenir to become devenu

entrer to enter entr

monter * to go up mont

mourir to die mort

natre to be born n

partir to leave parti

passer * to pass by pass

rentrer * to return home rentr

rester to remain rest

retourner * to return retourn

revenir to come back revenu

sortir * to go out sorti

tomber to fall tomb

venir to come venu

Verbs with an asterisk in Table 4 use avoir instead of tre when they are followed by a direct object. Note the difference in meaning:

Jai descendu lescalier. I went downstairs.Jai descendu mon livre. I took my book downstairs.Je suis descendu vite. I went down quickly.

Il a mont lescalier. He went upstairs.Il a mont son livre. He took his book upstairs.Il est mont lentement. He went up slowly.

Verbals / 11

Jai pass une semaine Paris. I spent a week in Paris.Je suis pass par ta maison. I passed by your house.

Elle a rentr son chat. She brought her cat in.Elle est rentre tt. She came home early.

A-t-il retourn la table? Did he turn the table over?Est-il retourn du Japon? Did he return from Japan?

Elles ont sorti leur argent. They took out their money.Elles sont sorties. They went out.

AGREEMENT OF PAST PARTICIPLESPast participles of verbs conjugated with avoir agree in gender (add e for the feminine) and number (add s for the plural) with a preceding direct object noun, pronoun, or antecedent unless the direct object is linked to the infinitive and not to the conjugated verb:

Je ne lai pas entendu(e). I didnt hear him (her).Regarde la lettre que jai crite. Look at the letter I wrote.Ces films? Je ne les ai pas encore vus. Those films? I havent seen them yet.

BUT:

Les filles? Je les ai entendu chanter. The girls? I heard them singing.

Past participles of verbs conjugated with tre agree in gender and number with the subject:

Elle est arrive en retard. She arrived late.Nous sommes venu(e)s lheure. We came on time.

Past participles of reflexive verbs agree with the reflexive pronoun only when that pronoun is acting as a direct object. When the reflexive pronoun serves as an indirect object (the direct object follows the verb), there is no agreement:

Elles se sont laves. They washed themselves.Elles se sont lav les cheveux. They washed their hair.

THE INFINITIVEAlthough the infinitive is a verb form, it may be used as a subject:

Mentir est un pch. Lying is a sin.

As a command (generally on signs and in recipes):

vendre. For sale.Ne pas toucher. Dont touch.

Laisser refroidir. Allow to cool.Faire bouillir leau. Boil the water.Faire venir le docteur. Send for the doctor.

12 / Verbals

Or as part of a question or an exclamation:

Quoi faire? What should we do?Oh, avoir encore vingt ans! Oh, to be twenty again!

Certain French verbs are followed by the infinitive, as shown in Table 5.

Table 5 Verbs Followed by the Infinitive

aimer to like, to love

aimer mieux to prefer

aller to go

compter to intend

dsirer to wish, to want

dtester to hate

devoir to have to

entendre to hear

envoyer to send

esprer to hope

faillir to almost do, to just miss doing

faire to make

falloir to be necessary

laisser to let, to allow

oser to dare

penser to intend

pouvoir to be able

prfrer to prefer

prtendre to claim

savoir to know how to

souhaiter to wish

valoir mieux to be better

venir to come

voir to see

vouloir to wish, to want

Jaime danser. I like to dance.Sais-tu cuisiner? Do you know how to cook?

The infinitive is used after all prepositions except en (which is followed by a present parti-ciple) and aprs (which is followed by the past infinitive). Many verbs require the preposition before the infinitive, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6 Verbs Requiring Before the Infinitive

aider to help

samuser to have fun

apprendre to learn (teach) to

arriver to succeed in

sattendre to expect to

avoir to have to

chercher to try to

Verbals / 13

14 / The Basics on Verbs

commencer to begin to

consentir to consent to

consister to consist of

continuer to continue to

se dcider to decide to

se disposer to be disposed

demander to ask to

encourager to encourage to

enseigner to teach to

forcer to force to

shabituer to get used to

hsiter to hesitate to

inciter to incite to

sintresser to be interested in

inviter to invite to

se mettre to begin to

obliger to oblige to

passer (du temps) to spend (time)

penser to think about

persister to persist in

se plaire to take pleasure in, to enjoy

se prparer to prepare to

renoncer to give up

rester to remain to

russir to succeed in

servir to serve to

songer to think about

suffire to be enough to

tenir to insist on

travailler to work to

Il commence pleuvoir. It is beginning to rain.a ne sert rien. That serves no purpose.

Some verbs require the preposition de before the infinitive, as shown in Table 7.

Table 7 Verbs Requiring de Before the Infinitive

accepter de to accept

accuser de to accuse of

sagir de to be a question of

achever de to finish

sarrter de to stop

blamer de to blame

cesser de to stop

choisir de to choose

se contenter de to be satisfied with

continuer de to continue

convenir de to be fitting

dcider de to decide

dfendre de to forbid

se dpcher de to hurry

sefforcer de to strive

empcher de to prevent from

essayer de to try

stonner de to be surprised at

viter de to avoid

fliciter de to congratulate on

finir de to finish

se garder de to take care not to

menacer de to threaten

mriter de to deserve

ngliger de to neglect

soccuper de to take care of

offrir de to offer

oublier de to forget

parler de to speak about

se passer de to do without

persuader de to persuade

se plaindre de to complain about

prier de to beg, to ask

promettre de to promise

proposer de to propose

recommander de to recommend

refuser de to refuse

regretter de to regret

remercier de to thank for

reprocher de to reproach

rver de to dream about

rire de to laugh at

risquer de to risk

se souvenir de to remember

suggrer de to suggest

tcher de to try

se vanter de to boast of

venir de to have just

Jai oubli de te tlphoner. I forgot to call you.Lenfant tche de nager. The child is trying to swim.

Some verbs require the pattern quelquun + de before the infinitive, as shown in Table 8.

Table 8 Verbs Requiring quelquun + de

commander quelquun de to order (someone) to (do something)

conseiller quelquun de to advise (someone) to (do something)

dfendre quelquun de to forbid (someone) to (do something)

demander quelquun de to ask (someone) to (do something)

Verbals / 15

dire quelquun de to tell (someone) to (do something)

crire quelquun de to write (to someone) to (do something)

interdire quelquun de to forbid (someone) to (do something)

offrir quelquun de to offer (someone) to (do something)

ordonner quelquun de to order (someone) to (do something)

permettre quelquun de to allow (someone) to (do something)

promettre quelquun de to promise (someone) to (do something)

proposer quelquun de to propose (to someone) to (do something)

recommander quelquun de to recommend (to someone) to (do something)

reprocher quelquun de to reproach (someone) for something

suggrer quelquun de to suggest (to someone) to (do something)

tlphoner quelquun de to telephone (someone) to (do something)

La mre permet ses enfants de sortir. The mother allows her children to go out.Jai suggr mon amie de maider. I suggested that my friend help me.

Two verbs that require quelquun + before an infinitive are

enseigner quelquun to teach (someone) to (do something)apprendre quelquun to teach (someone) to (do something)

Japprends mon neveu conduire. I am teaching my nephew to drive.

Some prepositions are commonly followed by an infinitive.

afin de in order toau lieu de instead ofavant de beforepour in order to, for the purpose ofsans without

Paul regarde la tl au lieu de faire Paul watches television instead of doing ses devoirs. his homework.

Note:

After verbs of motion, the preposition pour is generally omitted.

Il est descendu couter la radio. He came downstairs to listen to the radio.

Par may follow commencer and finir in certain idiomatic expressions.

Il a commenc par parler franais. He began (by) speaking French.Elles ont fini par rire. They ended up (by) laughing.

Most nouns and adjectives are followed by de before an infinitive.

Cest une bonne ide de savoir nager. Its a good idea to know how to swim.Elle est heureuse de rentrer. She is happy to go home.

Note:

Certain adjectives and nouns may be followed by before an infinitive that implies a passive meaning.

Ce livre est difficile comprendre. This book is hard to understand.Ce tricot est facile tricoter. This sweater is easy to knit.

16 / Verbals

The preposition is used with certain nouns before an infinitive to express purpose or function:

Regarde ma chambre coucher. Look at my bedroom.On nemploie plus une machine crire. We no longer use a typewriter.

The preposition is used before an infinitive after le dernier (the last), le seul (the only), le premier (the first), and other numerals, and after a few adjectives showing tendency, fitness, and purpose, such as habile (skillful), lent (slow), and prt (ready).

Il est le dernier arriver. He is the last to arrive.Nous sommes prts partir. We are ready to leave.

THE PAST INFINITIVEThe past infinitive is used to express a previous action regardless of the English translation and also after the preposition aprs. It is formed by using the correct helping verb (avoir or tre) in its infinitive form and the past participle of the verb showing the action.

On la punie pour avoir menti. They punished her for lying.Elle est partie sans avoir dit merci. She left without saying thank you.Aprs avoir dormi, ils se sont habills. After having eaten, they got dressed.Aprs tre arrive, elle sest assise. After having arrived, she sat down.

NEGATING THE INFINITIVEBoth parts of a negative precede the present infinitive.

Je vous conseille de ne rien faire. I advise you not to do anything.Le docteur a dit de ne pas manger. The doctor said not to eat.

With the past infinitive, both parts of a negative may precede the helping verb (avoir or tre) or the second part of the negative may be placed between the helping verb and the past participle.

Il regrette de ne pas mavoir dit au revoir. He regrets not saying good-bye to me.Il regrette de ne mavoir pas dit au revoir.

Note: Personne, nul, and aucun always follow the infinitive or the past participle.

Elle est triste de ne rencontrer personne. She is sad not to meet anyone.Elle est triste de navoir rencontr personne. She is sad not to have met anyone.

French Tenses and MoodsThere are seven simple and seven corresponding compound tenses and moods in French. Tense refers to a time periodpresent, past, or futurewhereas a mood shows how the sub-ject views the action. The tenses in French are the present, the imperfect, the past definite, and the future. The moods in French are the indicative (states a fact), the conditional (states what would happen under certain circumstances), the subjunctive (expresses a subjective response or attitude), the infinitive (the to form of the verb), and the imperative (com-mand). A simple tense or mood consists of one verb tense form to express an action whereas

French Tenses and Moods / 17

a compound tense requires the use of the appropriate helping verb (avoir or tre) followed by a past participle expressing the action. Table 9 compares seven simple and compound tenses and moods in French.

Table 9 Simple Tenses and Corresponding Compound Tenses/Moods

Simple Tense/Mood Compound Tense/MoodPresent Past Indefinite (Compound Past)le prsent le pass compos

do/does; am/are/is have, did + past participle

Je parle. Jai parl.

I speak, I do speak, I am speaking. I spoke, I have spoken, I did speak.

Imperfect Pluperfectlimparfait le plus-que-parfait

was; used to had + past participle

Tu parlais. Tu avais parl.

You were speaking. You used to speak. You had spoken.

Past Definite (Simple Past) Past Anteriorle pass simple le pass antrieur

have, did had + past participle

Il parla. Il eut parl.

He spoke. He had spoken.

Future Future Perfect (Future Anterior)le futur le futur antrieur

will will have + past participle

Nous parlerons. Nous aurons parl.

We will speak. We will have spoken.

Conditional Conditional Perfectle conditionnel le conditionnel pass

would would have + past participle

Vous parleriez. Vous auriez parl.

You would speak. You would have spoken.

Present Subjunctive Past Subjunctivele prsent du subjonctif le pass du subjonctif

do/does; am/are/is; will; may have/did/may have + past participle

ils parlent ils aient parl

they (do, are, will, may) speak(ing) they (did speak), (will, may) have spoken

Imperfect Subjunctive Pluperfect Subjunctivelimparfait du subjonctif le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif

have/did/might had/might have + past participle

on parlt on et parl

they (have, did, might) speak they (had spoken) might have spoken

Note the following:

Each compound tense requires a form of the helping verbavoir or tre (which is conjugated in the corresponding simple tense) and a past participle. See page 139 for the complete conjugation of avoir and page 54 for the complete conjugation of tre.

The imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive appear only in literary and historical works and should be learned only for the purpose of recognition in those works.

18 / French Tenses and Moods

THE PRESENT AND THE PASS COMPOSThe present indicative is a simple tense that expresses what is happening now. Its corre-sponding compound is the pass compos, a tense expressing an action or state of being that occurred at a particular time in the past.

Forming the Present Tense of Regular VerbsTo form the present tense of a regular verb in either the er, ir, or re family, simply drop the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings for each subject shown in Table 10.

Table 10 The Present Tense of Regular Verbs

parler (to speak) finir (to finish) vendre (to sell)je parle je finis je vends

tu parles tu finis tu vends

il/elle/on parle il/elle/on finit il/elle/on vend

nous parlons nous finissons nous vendons

vous parlez vous finissez vous vendez

ils/elles parlent ils/elles finissent ils/elles vendent

The verb rompre (to break) and other compound verbs that include rompre in their stems, such as corrompre (to corrupt) and interrompre (to interrupt), add t to the third person singu-lar form: il rompt, il corrompt, il interrompt.

Jaime le franais. I like French.Vous maigrissez. You are getting thin.Il rompt toujours ses promesses. He always breaks his promises.

Forming the Present of oir and evoir VerbsTo form the present tense of the seven regular verbs that end in oir and evoir, drop the oir or evoir infinitive ending and add the endings shown in Table 11. All other verbs ending in oir (avoir, voir, etc.) are irregular and require memorization. Verbs ending in cevoir change c to before o and u to preserve the soft s sound.

Table 11 The Present of oir and evoir Verbs

Infinitive Meaning Subject Ending Conjugated Verbapercevoir to notice je ois aperois

concevoir to conceive tu ois conois

dcevoir to deceive il oit doit

devoir to owe, have to elle oit doit

percevoir to perceive on oit peroit

recevoir to receive nous evons recevons

redevoir to still owe vous evez redevez

recevoir to receive ils oivent reoivent

Tu dois tudier. You have to study.Je reois le journal chaque jour. I receive the newspaper every day.


Forming the Present of Verbs with Spelling ChangesRegular verbs with spelling changes all belong to the er verb family. They are often called shoe verbs because their changes often occur in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, creating the effect of a shoe:

je nous

tu vous

il, elle, on ils, elles

There are five categories of verbs that require spelling changes:

Verbs ending in cer: Change c to before a or o to maintain a soft sound. In the present, this occurs only in the nous form:

prononcer (to prononce): je prononce, tu prononces, il prononce, nous prononons, vous prononcez, ils prononcent

Other cer verbs include annoncer, avancer, commencer, effacer (to erase), lancer (to throw), menacer, placer (to place), remplacer (to replace), and renoncer (to give up).

Nous commenons la leon. We begin the lesson.Je renonce fumer. Im giving up smoking.

Verbs ending in ger: Insert a silent e between g and a and g and o to maintain a soft sound. In the present, this occurs only in the nous form:

manger (to eat): je mange, tu manges, il mange, nous mangeons, vous mangez, ils mangent

Other ger verbs include arranger, changer, corriger (to correct), dmnager (to move), dranger (to disturb), diriger (to direct), nager (to swim), obliger, partager (to divide), plonger (to dive), ranger (to tidy), songer (to think about), and voyager.

Manges-tu des legumes? Do you eat vegetables?Tu ne me drange pas. You arent bothering me.

Verbs ending in yer: Change y to i before silent e in all shoe forms:

employer (to use): jemploie, tu emploies, il emploie, nous employons, vous employez, ils emploient

Other yer verbs include ennuyer (to bother), envoyer (to send), essuyer (to wipe), nettoyer (to clean), and renvoyer (to fire).

Verbs that end in ayer may or may not change the y to i before a silent e. These verbs include essayer (to try) and payer.

Je te paie demain. I will pay you tomorrow.Nettoie ta chambre. Clean your room.

Verbs ending in e + consonant + er: Change the silent e before the infinitive ending to for all forms within the shoe:

acheter (to buy): je achte, tu achtes, il achte, nous achetons, vous achetez, ils achtent

Other e + consonant + er verbs include achever (to finish), amener (to bring), lever (to bring up, to raise), emmener (to lead away), enlever (to remove), geler (to freeze), lever (to raise), peser (to weigh), and promener (to walk).

Two common verbs, appeler (to call) and jeter (to throw), along with any related compound verb, such as rappeler (to recall), rejeter (to reject), projeter (to project), double the consonant before the infinitive ending in all forms within the shoe:

appeler: jappelle, tu appelles, il appelle, nous appelons, vous appelez, ils appellent jeter: je jette, tu jettes, il jette, nous jetons, vous jetez, ils jettent


Jachte un cadeau mon amie. Im buying a gift for my friend.Luc promne son chien dans le parc. Luke is walking his dog in the park.

Verbs ending in + consonant + er: Change to within the shoe:

clbrer (to celebrate): je clbre, tu clbres, il clbre, nous clbrons, vous clbrez, ils clbrent

Other + consonant + er verbs include clbrer, esprer (to hope), possder (to possess), prfrer, protger (to protect), and rpter (to repeat).

Je clbre mon anniversaire en mai. I celebrate my birthday in May. Nous prfrons aller au cinema. We prefer going to the movies.

The Present of Irregular VerbsIrregular verbs do not adhere to any set pattern of rules and, therefore, must be memorized. The most common present tense irregular verbs, which can be found in the charts that fol-low, are

aller (to go) asseoir (to seat) avoir (to have) battre (to beat) boire (to drink) conduire (to drive) Verbs like conduire include construire (to construct), inscrire (to register), produire (to

produce), and traduire (to translate). connatre (to know, to be acquainted with) Verbs like connatre include paratre (to appear), disparatre (to disappear), and

reconnatre (to recognize). courir (to run) craindre (to fear) Verbs like craindre include atteindre (to reach), teindre (to extinguish), joindre (to

join), peindre (to paint), and plaindre (to pity). croire (to believe) cueillir (to pick) devoir (to have to, to owe) dire (to say, to tell) distraire (to distract) dormir (to sleep) Verbs like dormir keep the consonant before the ir ending in all plural forms:

endormir (to put to sleep), mentir (to lie), partir (to go away), sentir (to feel, to smell), servir (to serve), sortir (to go out).

crire (to write) tre (to be) faire (to make, to do) falloir (to be necessary) fuir (to flee) lire (to read) mettre (to put [on]) Verbs like mettre include commettre (to commit), permettre (to permit), promettre (to

promise), and remettre (to put back). offrir (to offer) ouvrir (to open) paratre (to seem) A verb like paratre is apparatre (to appear). plaire (to please) pleuvoir (to rain)


pouvoir (to be able to) prendre (to take) Verbs like prendre include apprendre (to learn), comprendre (to understand), reprendre

(to take back), and surprendre (to surprise). recevoir (to receive) Verbs like recevoir include apercevoir (to notice) and concevoir (to conceive). rire (to laugh) A verb like rire is sourire (to smile). savoir (to know [a fact]) suivre (to follow): A verb like suivre is poursuivre (to pursue). tenir (to hold) Verbs like tenir include appartenir (to belong to), obtenir (to obtain), and retenir (to

retain) vaincre (to defeat) A verb like vaincre is convaincre (to convince). valoir (to be worth) venir (to come) Verbs like venir include devenir (to become) and revenir (to come back). vivre (to live) A verb like vivre is survivre (to survive). voir (to see) vouloir (to wish, to want)

Nous avons une grande maison. We have a big house.Je suis amricaine. I am American.Il fait chaud aujourdhui. Its hot today.

The Present of Impersonal VerbsSome verbs are only conjugated in the third person singular in all tenses where il means it. Consult the charts that follow to find these verbs in other tenses.

advenir il advient it happens

bruiner il bruine its drizzling

convenir il convient its suitable

dgeler il dgle its thawing

falloir il faut its necessary

geler il gle its freezing

grler il grle its hailing

importer il importe its important

neiger il neige its snowing

pleuvoir il pleut its raining

regeler il regle its freezing again

tonner il tonne its thundering

Il faut tudier pour russir. It is necessary to study to succeed.Il pleut verse. Its raining cats and dogs.


The Present of Reflexive VerbsA reflexive verb, one that shows that the subject is acting upon itself, can be identified by the reflexive pronoun se that precedes the infinitive. In the reflexive construction the subject and the reflexive pronoun refer to the same person. The reflexive pronoun may act either as a direct or an indirect object. Reflexive verbs, like all other verbs, are conjugated in the vari-ous tenses according to their infinitive ending and to any spelling changes or irregularities. Reflexive verbs, unlike other verbs however, must be preceded by their appropriate reflexive pronoun:

Je me lave. Nous prparons-nous bien?Tu te rases. Vous brossez-vous les cheveux?Il ne se lve pas. Ne samusent-ils pas?Elle ne se maquille pas. Ne se reposent-elles pas?

Many verbs can be non-reflexive or reflexive depending upon whether the subject is acting upon itself or upon someone or something else.

Elle lave le chien. She is washing the dog.Elle se lave. She is washing herself.

When there is one subject that is followed by a conjugated verb and an infinitive, the reflex-ive pronoun is placed before the infinitive:

Je vais me rveiller tt. Im going to wake up early.Il ne doit pas se peigner. He doesnt have to comb his hair.

A list of common reflexive verbs appears in Appendix D.

Uses of the Present TenseThe present tense is used to:

Express what the subject does or is doing at the current time:

Jean regarde la tlvision. John watches television. John is watching television. John does watch television.

Express an action that will take place in the near future:

Je te tlphone ce soir. Ill call you tonight.

Ask for instructions:

Je viens midi? Shall I come at noon?

Express an action or event that began in the past and is continuing in the present:

Depuis quand (combien de temps) How long have you been living in Paris?habites-tu Paris?Jhabite Paris depuis un an. Ive been living in Paris for a year.

Other ways to express the same question and answer are

Combien de temps y a-t-il que tu habites Paris?Il y a un an que jhabite Paris.a fait combien de temps que tu habites Paris?a fait un an que jhabite Paris.Voil un an que jhabite Paris.


Forming the Pass ComposThe pass compos (the compound past), also referred to as the past indefinite, is comprised of two parts: a helping verb conjugated in the present tense (avoir: jai, tu as, il a, elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont, elles ont OR tre: je suis, tu es, il est, elle est, nous sommes, vous tes, ils sont, elles sont) and a past participle (refer to Tables 3 and 4):

Henri a mang. Henry ate.Elles sont alles au cinma. They went to the movies.Nous nous sommes rveills tt. We woke up early.

The pass compos is negated by placing ne and the other negative word around pronouns that precede it and the conjugated helping verb:

Henri na rien mang. Henry didnt eat anything.Elles ne sont jamais alles au cinma. They never went to the movies.Nous ne nous sommes pas rveills tt. We didnt wake up early.

Inversion may be used to form a question in the pass compos by reversing the order of the subject pronoun and the conjugated helping verb:

Henri (n) a-t-il (rien) mang? Did(nt) Henry eat (anything)?(Ne) sont-elles (jamais) alles au cinma? Did(nt) they (ever) go to the movies?(Ne) nous sommes-nous (pas) rveills tt? Did(nt) we wake up early?

Uses of the Pass ComposThe pass compos is used to express:

A specific action or event that was started and completed at a definite time in the past (even if the time isnt mentioned):

Nous avons jou au football. We played soccer.La petite fille est tombe. The little girl fell.Ils se sont dpchs. They hurried.

A specific action or event that occurred at a specific point in past time:

Mavez-vous tlphon hier? Did you call me yesterday?Il est arriv deux heures. He arrived at two oclock.Ne tes-tu pas couch avant minuit? Did you go to bed before midnight?

A specific action or event that was repeated for a stated number of times:

Jai lu ce roman trois fois. I read that book three times.Ils sont alls en Europe deux fois. They went to Europe twice.Il sest ras une seule fois hier. He shaved only once yesterday.

The following words and expressions often require the use of the pass compos because they specify a definite past time:

lanne passe (last year) avant-hier (the day before yesterday) dabord (at first) enfin (finally) ensuite (then, next) lt pass/lhiver pass (last summer/last winter) finalement (finally) une fois (one time)


hier (yesterday) hier soir (last night) lautre jour (the other day) ce jour-l (that day) un jour (one day) le mois pass (dernier) (last month) la semaine passe (dernire) (last week) soudain (suddenly) tout dun () coup (suddenly)

Je suis all au match de football hier. I went to the soccer match yesterday.Tout dun coup elle a ternu. All of a sudden she sneezed.Je me suis couch tt hier soir. I went to bed early last night.

For refl exive verbs in the pass compos and in all compound tenses, the refl exive pronoun is placed before the conjugated helping verb (tre). The past participle agrees in number and gender with the preceding refl exive pronoun only when that pronoun serves as a direct object. When the refl exive pronoun serves as an indirect object, there is no agreement of the past participle.

Elle sest lave. She washed herself.Elle sest lav la figure. She washed her face.

THE IMPERFECT AND THE PLUPERFECTThe imperfect is a simple tense that expresses or describes continuous, repeated, habitual, or incomplete actions, situations, or events in the past. The imperfect describes what was going on at an unspecific time in the past or what used to happen. Its corresponding compound is the pluperfect, a tense expressing an action or state of being that had taken place and that had been completed in the past before another action took place.

Forming the Imperfect of Regular VerbsTo form the imperfect tense of a regular verb in either the er, ir, or re family, simply drop the ons ending from the nous form of the present tense and add the appropriate endings for each subject shown in Table 12.

Table 12 The Imperfect of Regular Verbs

parler (to speak) finir (to finish) perdre (to lose)nous parlons nous finissons nous perdons

je parlais je finissais je perdais

tu parlais tu finissais tu perdais

il/elle/on parlait il/elle/on finissait il/elle/on perdait

nous parlions nous finissions nous perdions

vous parliez vous finissiez vous perdiez

ils/elles parlaient ils/elles finissaient ils/elles perdaient

Je regardais les enfants jouer. I was watching the children play.Il choisissait toujours la glace comme He would always choose ice cream asdessert. dessert.Ce marchand vendait les vtements This merchant used to sell sports de sport. clothes.


Note: Verbs such as tudier (to study), rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile), and vrifier (to check) end in ions in the present. When ons is dropped to form the imperfect, two is are present in the nous and vous forms:

Nous tudiions. We were studying.Riiez-vous? Were you laughing?

Forming the Present Imperfect of Verbs with Spelling ChangesVerbs ending in cer change c to before a to maintain the soft c sound in the je, tu, il (elle), and ils (elles) forms:

Je lanais la balle. I was throwing the ball.Effaais-tu les fautes? Were you erasing the mistakes?Le spectacle commenait. The show was beginning.Les voitures avanaient rapidement. The cars were advancing quickly.

Verbs ending in ger change g to ge before a to maintain the soft g sound in the je, tu, il (elle), and ils (elles) forms:

Quand jtais jeune, je mangeais peu. When I was young, I would eat little.Voyageais-tu beaucoup? Did you used to travel a lot?Ma soeur me drangeait toujours. My sister would always bother me.Dirigeaient-ils une grande enterprise? Did they manage a big company?

The Imperfect of Irregular VerbsAll remaining verbs, including reflexive verbs, follow the same rules for the formation of the imperfect as do regular verbs, except for the verb tre. A list of the nous form of the most common irregular verbs follows. Simply drop the ons ending and add the imperfect endings shown above:

aller (to go): nous allons avoir (to have): nous avons boire (to drink): nous buvons conduire (to drive): nous conduisons connatre (to know): nous connaissons courir (to run): nous courons craindre (to fear): nous craignons croire (to believe): nous croyons devoir (to have to): nous devons dire (to say, to tell): nous disons dormir (to sleep): nous dormons crire (to write): nous crivons faire (to make, to do): nous faisons lire (to read): nous lisons mettre (to put): nous mettons offrir (to offer): nous offrons ouvrir (to open): nous ouvrons plaire (to please): nous plaisons pouvoir (to be able to): nous pouvons prendre (to take): nous prenons recevoir (to receive): nous recevons


savoir (to know): nous savons suivre (to follow): nous suivons tenir (to hold): nous tenons valoir (to be worth): nous valons venir (to come): nous venons vivre (to live): nous vivons voir (to see): nous voyons vouloir (to wish, to want): nous voulons

Ils venaient toujours lheure. They always came on time.Savais-tu les rgles? Did you know the rules?

Notes:

For tre, use the imperfect endings with the stem: t: jtais, tu tais, il (elle) tait, nous tions, vous tiez, ils (elles) taient.

Nous tions heureux. We were happy.

For reflexive verbs, simply place the reflexive pronoun before the verb.

Ils se dpchaient. They were hurrying.

The Imperfect of Impersonal VerbsFor verbs conjugated in the third person singular where il means it, consult the chart that follows to find these verbs in the imperfect.

advenir il advenait it was happening

bruiner il bruinait it was drizzling

convenir il convenait it was suitable

dgeler il dgelait it was thawing

falloir il fallait it was necessary

geler il gelait it was freezing

grler il grlait it was hailing

importer il importait it was important

neiger il neigeait it was snowing

pleuvoir il pleuvait it was raining

regeler il regelait it was freezing again

tonner il tonnait it was thundering

Il importait faire le mnage. It was important to do the housework.Il neigeait. It was snowing.

Uses of the ImperfectThe imperfect is used to:

Describe ongoing, continuous, habitual, or repeated actions or events in the past (which may or may not have been completed):

Je travaillais tous les jours. I worked (used to work, would work) every day.


Describe what was going on when something else happened:

Je travaillais quand il ma tlphon. I was working when he called.

Describe a person, place, thing, or state of mind:

Les oiseaux chantaient. The birds were singing.

Express the day, month, or time of day:

Ctait samedi. It was Saturday.

Express an action or event that began in the past and continued for some time in the past:

Depuis quand (combien de temps) How long had you been livinghabitais-tu Paris? in Paris?Jhabitais Paris depuis un an. I had been living in Paris for a year.

Other ways to express the same question and answer are

Combien de temps y avait-t-il que tu habitais Paris?Il y avait un an que jhabitais Paris.a faisait combien de temps que tu habitais Paris?a faisait un an que jhabitais Paris.Voil un an que jhabitais Paris.

Express two actions occurring simultaneously:

Elle riait pendant que je pleurais. She was laughing while I was crying.

The following words and expressions often require the use of the imperfect because they usu-ally imply repetitious or habitual past actions:

autrefois (formerly) chaque jour (semaine, mois, anne) (each [every] day [week, month, year]) de temps autre (from time to time) de temps en temps (from time to time) dhabitude (usually) dordinaire (usually, generally) en ce temps-l (at that time) en gnral (generally) frquemment (frequently) gnralement (generally) habituellement (habitually) parfois (sometimes) quelquefois (sometimes) souvent (often) toujours (always) tous les jours (mois) (every day [month]) tout le temps (all the time)

Mon mari jouait au golf tout le temps. My husband used to play golf all the time.Nous allions souvent en France. We often went to France.

Verbs that indicate a state of mind in the past are generally used in the imperfect. When the state of mind occurred at a specific time in the past, however, the pass compos is used:

aimer (to like, to love) croire (to believe) dsirer (to desire) esprer (to hope) tre (to be)


penser (to think) pouvoir (to be able to) prfrer (to prefer) regretter (to regret, to be sorry) savoir (to know [how]) vouloir (to want)

Je ne pouvais pas continuer travailler. I wasnt able to continue working.Soudain, je nai pas pu continuer Suddenly I wasnt able to continue travailler. working.

Forming the PluperfectThe pluperfect is comprised of two parts: a helping verb conjugated in the present tense (avoir: javais, tu avais, il avait, elle avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils avaient, elles avaient OR tre: jtais, tu tais, il tait, elle tait, nous tions, vous tiez, ils taient, elles taient) and a past participle (refer to Tables 3 and 4):

Ils avaient parl. They had spoken.Elle est arrive tt. She had arrived early.Tu ttais prpar avec soin. You had prepared yourself carefully.

The pluperfect is negated by placing ne and the other negative word around pronouns that precede it and the conjugated helping verb:

Ils navaient pas parl. They hadnt spoken.Elle ntait jamais arrive tt. She had never arrived early.Tu ne ttais pas prpar avec soin. You hadnt prepared yourself carefully.

Inversion may be used to form a question in the pluperfect by reversing the order of the sub-ject pronoun and the conjugated helping verb:

(N) Avaient-ils (pas) parl? Had(nt) they spoken?(N) tait-elle (jamais) arrive tt? Had(nt) she (ever) arrived early?(Ne) Tes-tu (pas) prpar avec soin. Had(nt) you prepared yourself carefully?

Use of the PluperfectThe pluperfect is used to express a specific action or event that had taken place and had been completed before another action (not necessarily mentioned, but if so, generally in the pass compos or the imperfect) took place.

Y aviez-vous rflchi avant dagir ? Had you thought about it before acting?Il tait rest la maison. He had stayed home.Quand je me suis habill, je mtais When I got dressed, I had already washed dj lav. myself.Quand jallais lcole, mes parents When I would go to school, my parents hadtaient dj partis au bureau. already left for the office.

THE PAST DEFINITE AND THE PAST ANTERIORThe past definite (pass simple) is a simple tense that is used primarily in formal, literary, and historical writings to express completed actions, situations, or events in the past. The pass compos is used in conversation and informal writing. The corresponding compound


of the past definite is the past anterior (pass antrieur), a tense expressing an action or state of being that had taken place and that had been completed in the past before another action took place.

Forming the Past Definite of Regular VerbsTo form the past definite of a regular verb in either the er, ir, or re family, simply drop the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings for each subject shown in Table 13.

Table 13 The Past Definite of Regular Verbs

travailler (to work) choisir (to choose) rpondre (to answer)je travaillai je choisis je rpondis

tu travaillas tu choisis tu rpondis

il/elle/on travailla il/elle/on choisit il/elle/on rpondit

nous travaillmes nous choismes nous rpondmes

vous travailltes vous choistes vous rpondtes

ils/elles travaillrent ils/elles choisirent ils/elles rpondirent

Larme franaise gagna la bataille. The French army won the battle.Vous trahtes votre patrie. You betrayed your country.Le village perdit sa libert. The village lost its freedom.

For refl exive verbs, simply place the refl exive pronoun before the verb.

Elle se rveillrent. They awakened.Je me dpchai. I hurried.

Forming the Past Definite of Verbs with Spelling ChangesVerbs ending in cer change c to before a to maintain the soft c sound in all forms except ils:

La guerre commena. The war began.Ces gens dnoncrent leur gouvernement. Those people denounced their government.

Verbs ending in ger change g to ge before a to maintain the soft g sound in all forms except ils:

Elle prsagea lavenir. She foresaw the future.Ils ngligrent leurs responsabilits. They neglected their responsibilities.

The Past Definite of Irregular VerbsVerbs with irregular stems in the pass simple generally end in i or u and have the following endings:

je s nous mestu s vous tesil t ils rent


Table 14 lists the most common irregular verbs in the past definite and their stems. Note that many of these stems are the same as, or closely resemble, the past participle of the verb:

Table 14 Past Definite Irregular Verbs Stems

Verb Infinitive Past Definite Stemavoir (to have) eu

boire (to drink) bu

connatre (to know) connu

construire (to build) construis

courir (to run) couru

craindre (to fear) craigni

croire (to believe) cru

devoir (to have to) du

dire (to say, to tell) di

crire (to write) crivi

tre (to be) fu

faire (to do) fi

joindre (to join) joigni

lire (to read) lu

mettre (to put) mi

mourir (to die) mouru

natre (to be born) naqui

ouvrir (to open) ouvri

peindre (to paint) peigni

plaire (to please) plu

pouvoir (to be able to) pu

prendre (to take) pri

recevoir (to receive) reu

rompre (to break) rompu

savoir (to know) su

tenir *(to hold) tin

traduire (to translate) traduisi

vaincre (to vanquish) vainqui

venir *(to come) vin

vivre (to live) vcu

voir (to see) vi

vouloir (to wish, to want) voulu

Note: There are special nous and vous forms for tenir, venir, and their related verbs: nous tnmes, nous vnmes, vous tntes, vous vntes.

Les deux pays eurent une dispute. The two countries had a dispute.Sartre vcut au vingtime sicle. Sartre lived in the twentieth century.


The Past Definite of Impersonal VerbsFor verbs conjugated in the third person singular where il means it, consult the chart that follows to find these verbs in the past definite.

advenir il advint it happened

bruiner il bruina it drizzled

convenir il convint it was suitable

dgeler il dgela it thawed

falloir il fallut it was necessary

geler il gela it froze

grler il grla it hailed

importer il importa it was important

neiger il neigea it snowed

pleuvoir il plut it rained

regeler il regela it froze again

tonner il tonna it thundered

Il lui convint rester en ville. It was suitable to stay in town.Il grla. It hailed.

Use of the Past DefiniteThe past definite is used to express completed actions in formal writing:

Napolon fut empreur de la France. Napoleon was an emperor of France.Cette femme aida les pauvres. That woman helped the poor.

Forming the Past AnteriorThe past anterior (pass antrieur) is comprised of two parts: a helping verb conjugated in the present tense (avoir: jeus, tu eus, il eut, elle eut, nous emes, vous etes, ils eurent, elles eurent OR tre: je fus, tu fus, il fut, elle fut, nous fmes, vous ftes, ils furent, elles furent) and a past participle (refer to Tables 3 and 4 above):

Il eut aid le prsident. He had helped the president.Elle fut morte jeune. She had died young.Ils se furent dfendus. They had defended themselves.

The past anterior is negated by placing ne and the other negative word around pronouns that precede it and the conjugated helping verb:

Il neut jamais aid le prsident. He had never helped the president.Elle ne fut pas morte jeune. She hadnt died young.Ils ne se furent pas dfendus. They hadnt defended themselves.

Inversion may be used to form a question in the past anterior by reversing the order of the subject pronoun and the conjugated helping verb:

(N) Eut-il (jamais) aid le prsident? Had(nt) he ever helped the president?(Ne) Fut-elle (pas) morte jeune? Had(nt) she died young?(Ne) Se furent-ils (pas) dfendus ? Had(nt) they defended themselves?


Use of the Past AnteriorThe past anterior, like the pluperfect, is used to express a specific action or event that had taken place and had been completed before another action took place (expressed in the past definite) and follows conjunctions of time: aussitt que, ds que (as soon as) and lorsque, quand (when). Like the past definite, the past anterior is used primarily in formal and liter-ary works.

Aussitt que le gouverneur eut As soon as the governor had greeted thesalu la foule, il partit. crowd, he left.Quand la princesse fut arrive When the princess had arrived at the castle, au chateau, elle se reposa. she rested.

THE NEAR FUTURE, THE FUTURE, AND THE FUTURE PERFECTThe near future expresses what the subject is going to do or what is going to take place in the not-too-distant future. The future is a simple tense that expresses what will happen. Its corresponding compound is the future perfect, a tense expressing an action or state of being that will have been completed in the future.

Forming the Near FutureEvents or actions that are going to take place in the immediate future may be expressed in the following manner:

By using the present:

Jarrive dans une heure. Ill be arriving in an hour.

By using the conjugated form of the irregular verb aller: to go (je vais, tu vas, il va, elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont, elles vont) followed by the infinitive of the verb:

Je vais arriver dans une heure. Im going to arrive in an hour.Allez-vous mattendre? Are you going to wait for me?(Ne) Vas-tu (pas) sortir ce soir? Are(nt) you going to go out tonight?

Forming the Future Tense of Regular VerbsTo form the future tense of a regular verb, add the endings shown in Table 15 to the infinitive stem. Note that re verbs drop the final e before adding these endings. For reflexive verbs, simply place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.

Table 15 The Future Tense of Regular Verbs

gagner (to speak) choisir (to finish) entendre (to hear)je gagnerai je choisirai je entendrai

tu gagneras tu choisiras tu entendras

il/elle/on gagnera il/elle/on choisira il/elle/on entendra

nous gagnerons nous choisirons nous entendrons

vous gagnerez vous choisirez vous entendrez

ils/elles gagnerent ils/elles choisiront ils/elles entendront


Je noublierai rien. I wont forget anything.Nous obirons. We will obey.Perdront-elles patience? Will they lose patience?Elle se maquillera. She will put on her makeup.

Forming the Future of oir and evoir VerbsThe future of verbs that end in oir and evoir drops the oi from the infinitive ending and adds the endings shown in Table 16. All other verbs ending in oir (avoir, voir, etc.) are irregu-lar and require memorization. Verbs ending in cevoir change c to before o and u to pre-serve the soft s sound.

Table 16 The Future of oir and evoir Verbs

Infinitive Meaning Future Stemapercevoir to notice apercevr

concevoir to conceive concevr

dcevoir to deceive dcevr

devoir to owe, have to devr

percevoir to perceive percevr

recevoir to receive recevr

redevoir to still owe redevr

Tu devras travailler plus dur. You will have to work harder.Vous recevrez un beau cadeau. You will receive a pretty gift.

Forming the Future of Verbs with Spelling ChangesThere are two categories of verbs that require spelling changes in the future:

Verbs ending in yer: (except envoyer, to send, which is irregular) Change y to i in all future forms. For verbs ending in ayer this change is optional.

employer (to use): jemploierai, tu emploieras, il emploiera, nous emploierons, vous emploierez, ils emploieront

payer (to pay): je payerai (paierai), tu payeras (paieras), il payera (paiera), nous payerons (paierons), vous payerez (paierez), ils payeront (paieront)

Verbs ending in e + consonant + er: (not those ending in + consonant + er) Change the silent e before the infinitive ending to in all future forms:

acheter (to buy): je achterai, tu achteras, il achtera, nous achterons, vous achterez, ils achteront


In the future, verbs like appeler and jeter double the consonant before the infinitive ending:

appeler (to call): jappellerai, tu appelleras, il appellera, nous appellerons, vous appellerez, ils appelleront

Elle se lvera bientt. She will get up soon.Je jetterai les ordures. Ill throw out the garbage.

The Future of Irregular VerbsThe most common future tense irregular verbs, which can be found in the list that follows, are:

Infinitive Future Stemaller (to go) ir

asseoir (to seat) assir or assoir

avoir (to have) aur

courir (to run) courr

cueillir (to pick) cueiller

envoyer (to send) enverr

tre (to be) ser

faire (to make, to do) fer

mourir (to die) mourr

pouvoir (to be able to) pourr

savoir (to know) saur

tenir (to hold) tiendr

valoir (to be worth) vaudr

venir (to come) viendr

voir (to see) verr

vouloir (to wish, to want) voudr

Je serai chez toi midi. Ill be at your house at noon.Il menverra un paquet. He will send me a package.

The Future of Impersonal VerbsConsult the list at the top of the next page to find these verbs in the future tenses.


advenir il adviendra it will happen

bruiner il bruinera it will drizzle

convenir il conviendra it will be suitable

dgeler il dgelera it will thaw

falloir il faudra it will be necessary

geler il gelera it will freeze

grler il grlera it will hail

importer il importera it will be important

neiger il neigera it will snow

pleuvoir il pleuvra it will rain

regeler il regelera it will freeze again

tonner il tonnera it will thunder

Il faudra y aller. It will be necessary to go there.Il ne bruinera pas. It will not drizzle.

Uses of the Future TenseThe future tense is used

To express future time:

Je ne toublierai jamais. I will never forget you.

After quand (when), lorsque (when), ds que (as soon as), aussitt que (as soon as), tant que (while), and pendant que (while) when the future is implied, even though the present may be used in English:

Je regarderai la television pendant que tu Ill watch television while you do yourferas tes devoirs. homework.

Forming the Future PerfectThe future perfect is comprised of two parts: a helping verb conjugated in the future tense (avoir: jaurai, tu auras, il aura, elle aura, nous aurons, vous aurez, ils auront, elles auront OR tre: je serai, tu seras, il sera, elle sera, nous serons, vous serez, ils seront, elles seront) and a past participle (refer to Tables 3 and 4 above):

Il aura parl avant mon arrive. He will have spoken before my arrival.Ils seront rentrs avant moi. They will have gone home before me.Elle se sera habille avant huit heures. She will have dressed before 8 oclock.

The future perfect is negated by placing ne and the other negative word around pronouns that precede it and the conjugated helping verb:

Il naura pas parl avant mon arrive. He will not have spoken before my arrival.Ils ne seront pas rentrs avant moi. They will not have gone home before me.Elle ne se sera pas habille avant She will not have dressed before 8 oclock.huit heures.

Inversion may be used to form a question in the future perfect by reversing the order of the subject pronoun and the conjugated helping verb:


(N) Aura-t-il (pas) parl avant mon Will he (not) have spoken before my arrive? arrival?(Ne) Seront-ils (pas) rentrs avant moi? Will they (not) have gone home before me?(Ne) Se sera-t-elle (pas) habille avant Will she (not) have dressed before eight huit heures? oclock?

Uses of the Future PerfectThe future perfect is used

After quand (when), lorsque (when), ds que (as soon as), aussitt que (as soon as), tant que (while), and pendant que (while) when the future is in the main clause.

Ds que nos invites seront arrives, As soon as our guests have arrived, nous mangerons. we will eat.

To express probability or supposition in the past:

Il ne ma pas envoy de cadeau. He didnt send me a gift. Il aura oubli mon anniversaire. He must have forgotten my birthday.Elles ne sont pas venues. They havent arrived. Il sera arriv quelque chose. Something must have happened.

THE CONDITIONAL AND THE CONDITIONAL PERFECTBoth the conditional and the conditional perfect are not tenses and, therefore, do not relate to any period of time. The conditional is a simple mood that expresses what would happen or what the subject would do given certain circumstances or suppositions. Its correspond-ing compound is the conditional perfect, a mood expressing an action or state of being that would have been completed had something else had or had not occurred.

Forming the Conditional of Regular VerbsTo form the conditional tense of a regular verb, add the imperfect endings shown in Table 17 to the infinitive (future) stem. Note that re verbs drop the final e before adding these end-ings. For reflexive verbs, simply place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.

Table 17 The Conditional of Regular Verbs

arriver (to arrive) dsobir (to disobey) attendre (to wait)je arriverais je dsobirais je attendrais

tu arriverais tu dsobirais tu attendrais

il/elle/on arriverait il/elle/on dsobirait il/elle/on attendrait

nous arriverions nous dsobirions nous attendrions

vous arriveriez vous dsobiriez vous attendriez

ils/elles arriveraient ils/elles dsobiraient ils/elles attendraient

Je taiderais. I would help you.Les enfants obiraient. The children would obey.Il me dfendrait. He would defend me.Te dtendrais-tu? Would you relax?


Forming the Conditional of oir and evoir VerbsThe conditional of verbs that end in oir and evoir drops the oi from the infinitive ending and adds the endings shown in Table 18. All other verbs ending in oir (avoir, voir, etc.) are irregular and require memorization. Verbs ending in cevoir change c to before o and u to preserve the soft s sound.

Table 18 The Conditional of oir and evoir Verbs

Infinitive Meaning Future Stemapercevoir to notice apercevr

concevoir to conceive concevr

dcevoir to deceive dcevr

devoir to owe, have to devr

percevoir to perceive percevr


redevoir to still owe redevr


Il ne devrait pas revenir. He wouldnt have to come back.Sapercevraient-ils de cette erreur? Would they notice that error?

Forming the Conditional of Verbs with Spelling ChangesThere are two categories of verbs that require spelling changes in the conditional:

Verbs ending in yer: (except envoyer, to send, which is irregular) Change y to i in all future forms. For verbs ending in ayer this change is optional.

employer (to use): jemploierais, tu emploierais, il emploirait, nous emploierions, vous emploieriez, ils emploieraient

payer (to pay): je payerais (paierais), tu payerais (paierais), il payerait (paierait), nous payerions (paierions), vous payeriez (paieriez), ils payeraient (paieraient)

Verbs ending in e + consonant + er: (not those ending in + consonant + er) Change the silent e before the infinitive ending to in all future forms:

acheter (to buy): je achterais, tu achterais, il achterait, nous achterions, vous achteriez, ils achteraient

In the future, verbs like appeler and jeter double the consonant before the infinitive ending:

appeler (to call): jappellerais, tu appellerais, il appellerait, nous appellerions, vous appelleriez, ils appelleraient

Il amnerait sa mere au lyce. He would bring his mother to school.Appelleriez-vous vos parents ? Would you call your parents?

The Conditional of Irregular VerbsThe most common irregular verbs in the conditional, which can be found in the list that fol-lows, are


Infinitive Conditional Stemaller (to go) ir

asseoir (to seat) assir or assoir

avoir (to have) aur

courir (to run) courr

cueillir (to pick) cueiller

envoyer (to send) enverr

tre (to be) ser

faire (to make, to do) fer

mourir (to die) mourr

pouvoir (to be able to) pourr

savoir (to know) saur

tenir (to hold) tiendr

valoir (to be worth) vaudr

venir (to come) viendr

voir (to see) verr

vouloir (to wish, to want) voudr

Je ne courrais pas. I wouldnt run.Serais-tu content? Would you be happy?

The Conditional of Impersonal VerbsConsult the list that follows to find these verbs in the conditional.

advenir il adviendrait it would happen

bruiner il bruinerait it would drizzle

convenir il conviendrait it would be suitable

dgeler il dgelerait it would thaw

falloir il faudrait it would be necessary

geler il gelerait it would freeze

grler il grlerait it would hail

importer il importerait it would be important

neiger il neigerait it would snow

pleuvoir il pleuvrait it would rain

regeler il regelerait it would freeze again

tonner il tonnerait it would thunder

On ne savait pas ce quil en adviendrait. Nobody knew how it would turn out.Il ne faudrait pas rendre cette It wouldnt be necessary to return that marchandise. merchandise.

Uses of the ConditionalNote the following about when and when not to use the conditional in French:

Distinguish between would as used in the conditional and would as used in the imperfect, to express used to:

Nous irions en France. We would go to France.Nous allions souvent en France. We would (used to) go to France often.


Distinguish between would as used to form the conditional and the verb vouloir in the imperfect or in the pass compos to express would in the sense of to be willing:

Sous ces conditions, il ferait le travail. Under those conditions, he would do the work.Il ne voulait pas faire le travail. He wouldnt (wasnt willing to) do the work.OR Il na pas voulu faire le travail.

The conditional of the verb pouvoir (to be able to) is used when could means should be able to:Je pourrais apprendre ces verbes. I could (should be able to) learn these verbs.

Je pouvais apprendre ces verbes. I could (was able) to learn these verbs.OR Jai pu apprendre ces verbes.

The conditional is used after the following conjunctions of time when the verb in the main clause is in the conditional, even if English uses the past tense:

quand, lorsque, au moment o (when) ds que, aussitt que (as soon as) pendant que, tandis que (while)

Elle se reposerait lorsqu (quand, au She would rest when she wasnt busy.moment o) elle ne serait pas occupe. Ds que (Aussitt que) je le lui As soon as I gave it to him, he would eat it.donnerais, il le mangerait.

The conditional is used after au cas o (in case) even if English uses the present:

Elle ne lachtera pas au cas o il She wont buy it in case it is too small.serait trop petit.

The conditional is used to soften a request, a desire, or a demand:

Pourriez-vous me lexpliquer? Could you explain it to me?Jaimerais te voir. I would like to see you.Elle voudrait partir. She would like to leave.

The conditional is used to express a possible action or condition in the present:

Quel temps ferait-il? Il ferait chaud. What could the weather be like? It could be hot.

The conditional may be used by reporters and journalists to describe an action that is unsure or not known to be true:

Le roi abdiquererait son trne. It is rumored [alleged, said] that the king will abdicate his throne.

Forming the Conditional PerfectThe conditional perfect is comprised of two parts: a helping verb conjugated in the condi-tional (avoir: jaurais, tu aurais, il aurait, elle aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils auraient, elles auraient OR tre: je serais, tu serais, il serait, elle serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils seraient, elles seraient) and a past participle (refer to Tables 3 and 4 above):

Elle aurait travaill ltranger. She would have worked abroad.Vous seriez descendus en ville. You would have gone downtown.Il se serait ras le matin. He would have shaved in the morning.


The conditional perfect is negated by placing ne and the other negative word around pronouns th

Webster's French Verbs

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