French/Grammar/Print version

1. Adjectives
2. Adverbs
3. Articles
4. Negation
5. Prepositions
6. Sentences
7. Verbs
8. Conjugations
9. Verb tenses sorted by type
10. Verb moods

Adjectives

Just like articles, French adjectives also have to match the nouns that they modify in gender and plurality.

Regular formation

Spelling

Most adjective changes occur in the following manner:

• Feminine: add an -e to the masculine form
  • un garçon intéressant --> une fille intéressante
  • un ami amusant --> une amie amusante
  • un camion lent --> une voiture lente
• Plural: add an -s to the singular form
  • un garçon intéressant --> des garçons intéressants
  • une fille intéressante --> des filles intéressantes

Pronunciation

Generally, the final consonant is pronounced only when it comes before an -e. Most adjectives, such as those above, are affected by this rule.

• Masculine Pronunciation: intéressan, amusan, len
• Feminine Pronunciation: intéressant, amusant, lent

Irregular formation

Irregular plural formation

				Examples
	M Sing.	-->	M. Pl.	Masc. Singular	-->	Masc. Plural	Notes
No change	-s		-s	un plafond bas un gros porc		des plafonds bas des gros porcs
	-x		-x	un homme généreux un garçon furieux		des hommes généreux des garçons furieux
Add x	-eau		-eaux	un nouveau jeu		des nouveaux jeux
	-al		-aux	un vent hivernal		des vents hivernaux	Exceptions: fatal (fatals), final (finals) & naval (navals)

Irregular feminine formation

				Examples
	Masc.	-->	Fem.	Masculine	-->	Feminine	Notes
No change	-e		-e	égoïste, populaire, sociable, timide, énergique, dynamique, sympathique			* When the masc. form ends in an -e, there is no change. * The final consonant is pronounced on the masc. form.
Final Consonant Doubled	-el		-elle	cruel		cruelle	When an adjective has one of these endings, the ending of the feminine form is doubled. There is no change of pronunciation when changing from -el to -elle. -il is pronounced "ee" (as in keen), while -ille is similar, with a final yuh (pronounced like "ee" in keen with a "yuh" on the end: IPA /ij/). -on is pronounced oh(n) and -onne is pronounced ohn. -en is pronounced a(n) and -enne is pronounced ehn. -os is pronounced oh and -osse is pronounced ohs. -as is pronounced ah and -asse is pronounced ahs.
	-il		-ille	gentil		gentille
	-on		-onne	bon breton		bonne bretonne
	-en		-enne	ancien parisien		ancienne parisienne
	-os		-osse	gros		grosse
	-as		-asse	bas		basse
-c change	-c		-che	blanc franc		blanche franche
-eur change	-eur		-euse	accrocheur prometteur		accrocheuse prometteuse
-eux change	-eux		-euse	furieux généreux		furieuse généreuse	-eux is pronounced ew (like dew) and -euse is pronounced ews.
-g change	-g		-gue	long		longue
-if change	-if		-ive	sportif actif		sportive active
er change	-er		-ère	étranger cher		étrangère chère	-er is pronounced ay and -ère is pronounced ehr, though exceptions such as "cher" exist in which both forms are pronounced with ehr.
-et change	-et		-ète	inquiet complet		inquiète complète	-et is pronounced ay and -ète is pronounced eht.
-ou change	-ou / -ol		-olle	fou, fol mou, mol		folle molle	-ol forms occur before a vowel or mute h.

Special rules

Adjectives that precede nouns

List

Adjectives that are used frequently before nouns. These are:

• affreux (affreuse)
• autre
• beau (belle)
• bon(ne) +
• court(e) +
• dernier (dernière) +
• gentil (gentille)
• grand(e) +
• gros(se) +
• haut(e)
• jeune +
• joli(e)
• large
• long(ue)
• mauvais(e)
• méchant(e) +
• meilleur(e)
• nouveau (nouvelle)
• pauvre
• petit(e)
• vieux (vieille)
• vilain(e)

+ sometimes placed after a noun, and may change in meaning

When these adjectives appear before an indefinite plural noun, they will change the article associated with it:

• des garçons courageux / de beaux garçons

Changes in meaning

When "grand" goes before a noun, it means "great". However, when it goes after the noun, it means "tall".

Likewise, when "pauvre" goes before a noun, it means "unfortunate". When it comes after the noun, it means financially "poor".

This rule works most of the time, but be careful, "pauvre" can mean "financially poor" even when used before the nouns.

Beau, nouveau, and vieux

These three adjectives behave differently when placed before a singular masculine noun starting with a vowel or silent h:

	Masc. Sing. Cons.	Masc. Sing Vowel	Masc. Plural	Fem. Sing. (all)	Fem. Plural
Beau	un beau garçon	un bel individu	de beaux garçons	une belle fillette	de belles fillettes
Nouveau	un nouveau camion	un nouvel ordre	de nouveaux ordres	une nouvelle idée	de nouvelles idées
Vieux	un vieux camion	un vieil ordre	de vieux camions	une vieille idée	de vieilles idées

Possessive adjectives

A possessive adjective tells us who owns/possesses something. So, you might say, "my house", "their family" or "his dogs". The same is done in French. However unlike English, in French we use different possessive adjectives dependent not only the person who owns the object (my car vs your car etc.) but also dependent on the gender and number. E.g. If I only have one dog, I would say, "mon chien" but if I have lots of dogs, I would say, "mes chiens".

Furthermore in English, we say "her car" when the owner of the car is a woman and "his car" when the owner is a man. In French, they say "sa voiture" even if the owner is a male. It is not the owner who determines the gender of the possessive adjective but the object owned. The following possessive adjectives are in the order of: masculine object, feminine object, plural (several of the object).

First person singular - mon, ma, mes
Second person singular (informal) - ton, ta, tes
Third person singular - son, sa, ses

First person plural - notre, notre, nos
Second person plural (and polite form) - votre, votre, vos
Third person plural - leur, leur, leurs

Note: Exception. When a feminine noun starts with a vowel or silent 'h', you should utilize "Mon" instead of "Ma". Example:

Mon ami = ok 
Ma amie = error! 
Mon amie = ok.

Demonstrative adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives identifies a specific object relative to the speaker. In English, demonstrative adjectives are words like, "this" and "these".

There are four adjectives that demonstrate a specific object in French:

• Ce garçon (masculine) - this/that boy
• Cet ami (masculine before vowel or silent h) - this/that friend
• Cette fille (feminine) - this/that girl
• Ces enfants (plural) - these/those children

Adverbs

French adverbs, like their English counterparts, are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, and verbs or clauses. They do not display any inflection; that is, their form does not change to reflect their precise role, nor any characteristics of what they modify.

Formation

In French, as in English, most adverbs are derived from adjectives. In most cases, this is done by adding the suffix -ment ("-ly") to the adjective's feminine singular form. For example, the feminine singular form of lent ("slow") is lente, so the corresponding adverb is lentement ("slowly"); similarly, heureux → heureusement ("happy" → "happily").

As in English, however, the adjective stem is sometimes modified to accommodate the suffix:

• If the adjective ends in an i, then -ment is added to the masculine singular (default) form, rather than to the feminine singular form:
  • vrai → vraiment ("real" → "really")
  • poli → poliment ("polite" → "politely")
• If the adjective ends in -ant or -ent, then the corresponding adverb ends in -amment or -emment, respectively:
  • constant → constamment ("constant" → "constantly")
  • récent → récemment ("recent" → "recently")
• Some adjectives make other changes:
  • précis → précisément ("precise" → "precisely")
  • gentil → gentiment ("nice" → "nicely")

Some adverbs are derived from adjectives in completely irregular fashions, not even using the suffix -ment:

• bon → bien ("good" → "well")
• mauvais → mal ("bad" → "badly")
• meilleur → mieux ("better"-adjective → "better"-adverb)
• pire → pire ("worse"-adjective → "worse"-adverb)

And, as in English, many common adverbs are not derived from adjectives at all:

• ainsi ("thus" or "thusly")

Placement

The placement of French adverbs is almost the same as the placement of English adverbs.

An adverb that modifies an adjective or adverb comes before that adjective or adverb:

• complètement vrai ("completely true")
• pas possible ("not possible")
• tellement discrètement ("so discreetly")

An adverb that modifies an Infinitive (verbal noun) generally comes after the infinitive:

• marcher lentement ("to walk slowly")

But negative adverbs, such as pas ("not"), pas plus ("not any more"), and jamais ("never") come before the infinitive:

• ne pas marcher ("not to walk")

An adverb that modifies a main verb or clause comes either after the verb, or before the clause:

• Lentement il commença à marcher or Il commença lentement à marcher ("Slowly, he began to walk" or "He began slowly to walk").

Note that, unlike in English, this is true even of negative adverbs:

• Jamais je n'ai fait cela or Je n'ai jamais fait cela ("Never have I done that" or "I've never done that")

List of common adverbs

Adverb	English	Group	French Example	English Translation
actuellement	currently	time
ainsi	thus, so	manner	ainsi va la vie	so life goes (nothing you can do)
après	afterwards	time	On va au cinéma après	We'll go to the cinema afterwards
assez	enough	quantity	J'en ai eu assez	I've had enough
aussi	also	manner
aussitôt	straight away	time
autant	as many / as much	quantity
autrefois	in the past	time
autrement	differently, otherwise	manner
avant-hier	on the day before yesterday	time
beau, bel, belle	nicely (in expressions)	manner
beaucoup (de)	much, many	quantity	Merci beaucoup	"Thank you very much."
bien	well	manner
bientôt	soon	time	à très bientôt	see you very soon
cependant	however	conjunction
certainement	certainly	affirmation
certes	admittedly, of course	affirmation	leur tâche est certes plus difficile	their task is admittedly more difficult
ci-dessous	below	place	Rédigez votre message ci-dessous	Write your message below
combien (de)	how much, many	interrogative	un succès, ô combien mérité	a success, oh how deserved
comment	how	interrogative
complètement	completely	degree	il se troue complètement	he screws up completely
davantage	more, longer	degree
debout	standing, up	manner
dedans	inside	place	ils se sont rentrés dedans	they crashed into each other
en dehors de	outside, apart from	place
déjà	already	time
au delà de	beyond	place	au delà de 35 ans	over 35 years old
demain	tomorrow	time	demain soir	tomorrow evening
désormais	from now on	time
devant	ahead, in front	place
doucement	gently, quietly	manner
également	also, equally	degree
encore	again, still	time	Ils jouent encore	They are still playing
enfin	at last, finally	time
ensemble	together	manner	on vie ensemble depuis longtemps	we have been living together for a long time
ensuite	then, next	time	Ensuite, cela devenait très compliqué	Then it became very difficult
environ	about	degree	il va être absent environ un mois	he will be off for about a month
facilement	easily	manner
fort	strongly	manner	il a démarré très fort	he started very strongly
heureusement	fortunately	manner
hier	yesterday	time
ici	here, now	place	la course commence ici	the race starts here
là	there	place
là-dedans	in here, in there	place	il n'y a rien de mystère là-dedans	there is no mystery in it
là-dessus	on here, on there	place	on reste là-dessus	we stay where we are
largement	greatly, well	degree
légèrement	lightly, slightly	degree
lentement	slowly	manner	lentement mais sûrement	slowly but surely
loin	far	place	la soirée est loin d'être finie	the evening is far from over
longtemps	a long time	time
lors de	during	time
maintenant	now	time	Et maintenant on fait quoi?	And now, what do we do?
mal	badly, wrongly	manner
malheureusement	unfortunately	manner
même	even	degree
moins	less, least	quantity
néanmoins	nevertheless	manner
parfois	sometimes	time	La vie est parfois cruelle	Life is sometimes cruel
partout	everywhere	place
peu	little	degree	on peut respirer un peu mieux	we can breathe a little easier
peut-être	perhaps	affirmation	la prochaine fois, peut-être	next time, perhaps
plus	more	quantity	nous sommes plus que jamais déterminés	we are more determined than ever
plutôt	rather	degree
pourquoi	why	interrogative
pourtant	yet		Si près, et pourtant si loin !	So near, and yet so far!
près	close	place
presque	almost	degree
puis	then	time
quelque	approximately	quantity	on supporte le parti quelque soit les sondages	we support the party whatever the opinion polls
quelquefois	sometimes	time	je joue quelquefois du piano	I sometimes play the piano
récemment	recently	time
seulement	only	degree
si	yes, so, however, as	affirmation	ils ne méritent pas d'être en si bonne position	they don't deserve to be in as good a position
souvent	often	time
surtout	above all	manner
tant	so much	quantity	un événement tant attendu	a much awaited event
tantôt	sometimes, this afternoon	time
tard	late	time
tellement	so much, so many	degree	la météo est tellement imprévisible	the weather is so unpredictable
tôt	soon, early	time	les billets ont été épuisés plus tôt que prévu	the tickets were sold out earlier than expected
toujours	still, always	time
tout	very, quite	degree	tout à fait justifié	totally justified
très	very	degree
trop	too many, too much	quantity
vite	quickly	manner
vraiment	really, truly	affirmation
y	to it, there	place

Articles

The definite article · L'article défini

The definite article agrees with a specific noun in gender and number. Like other articles (indefinite, partitive) they present a noun. In English, the definite article is always the (the noun). Unlike English, the French definite article is used also in a general sense, a general statement, or feeling about an idea or thing.

In French, the definite article is dependent on the noun's:

1. gender
2. plurality
3. first letter being a vowel

There are three definite articles and an abbreviation. Le is used for masculine nouns, La is used for feminine nouns, Les is used for plural nouns (both masculine or feminine), and L' is used when the noun begins with a vowel or silent h (both masculine or feminine). It is similar to English, where a changes to an before a vowel.

singular	feminine	la	/la/ (lah)	la fille	(lah fee-yuh)	the daughter
	masculine	le	/lə/ (luh)	le fils	(luh fees)	the son
singular, starting with a vowel sound		l’	/l/	l’enfant	(lah(n)-fah(n))	the child
plural		les	/le/ (lay)	les filles	(lay fee-yuh)	the daughters
				les fils	Template:French/Section (''lay fees'')	the sons
				les enfants	(lay-zah(n)-fah(n))	the children

The indefinite article · L'article indéfini

In English, the indefinite articles are a and an. While some is used as a plural article. In French, indefinite articles take on the gender of the noun it precedes if singular, but also has a plural form that is used for either gender.

singular	feminine	une	/yn/ (ewn)	une fille	a daughter
	masculine	un	/œ̃/ (uh(n))	un fils	a son
plural		des	/de/ (day)	des filles	some daughters
				des fils	some sons

Note that des, like les, is used in French before plural nouns when no article is used in English. For example, you are looking at photographs in an album. The English statement "I am looking at photographs." cannot be translated to French as "Je regarde photographies" because an article is required to tell which photographs are being looked at. If it is a set of specific pictures, the French statement should be "Je regarde les photographies." ("I am looking at the photographs.") . On the other hand, if the person is just randomly browsing the album, the French translation is "Je regarde des photographies." ("I am looking at some photographs.")

Partitive article

The partitive article de indicates, among other things, the word some. As for prepositions, de le contracts (combines) into du, and de les contracts into des. Also, de l' is used in front of words starting with vowels.

When speaking about food, the partitive article is used sometimes, while the definite article (le, la, les) is used at other times, and the indefinite article (un, une) in yet another set of situations. In general "de" refers to a part of food (a piece of pie) whereas the definite article (le) refers to a food in general (I like pie (in general)). The indefinite article refers to an entire unit of a food (I would like a (whole) pie).

When speaking about preferences, use the definite article:

J'aime la glace.	I like ice cream.
Nous préférons le steak.	We prefer steak.
Vous aimez les frites	You like French fries.

When speaking about eating or drinking an item, there are specific situations for the use of each article.

Def. art.	specific/whole items
J'ai mangé la tarte.	I ate the (whole) pie.
Ind. art.	known quantity
J'ai mangé une tarte.	I ate a pie.
Part. art.	unknown quantity
J'ai mangé de la tarte.	I ate some pie.
J'ai mangé beaucoup de tarte.	I ate a lot of pie.
Je n'ai pas mangé les tranches de tarte !	I didn't eat the slices of pie!
Part. art.	known quantity
J'ai mangé deux des tartes.	I ate two of the pies.

If the noun taken in a partitive sense happens to be preceded by a qualifying adjective, or a negative verb, then de is used alone.

• un, une, du, de la, des change to de.
• for specific quantities;however, the quantity rather than de is used.

Nous avons mangé une tarte.	We ate a pie.
Nous n'avons pas mangé de tarte.	We did not eat a pie/ We did not eat any pie.
Nous n'avons pas mangé deux tartes.	We did not eat two pies
Nous avons mangé de la tarte.	We ate some pie.
Nous n'avons pas mangé de tarte.	We did not eat some pie/ We did not eat any pie.

Nouns

Gender of nouns · Genre des noms

In French, all nouns have a grammatical gender; that is, they are either masculin (m) or feminin (f).

Most nouns that express people or animals have both a masculine and a feminine form. For example, the two words for "the actor" in French are l'acteur (m) and l'actrice (f). The two words for "the cat" are le chat (m) and la chatte (f).

However, there are some nouns that talk about people or animals whose gender are fixed, regardless of the actual gender of the person or animal. For example, la personne (f) (the person) is always feminine, even when it's talking about your uncle! Le professeur (m) (the professor) is always masculine, even when it's talking about your female professor/teacher!

The nouns that express things without an obvious gender (e.g., objects and abstract concepts) have only one form. This form can be masculine or feminine. For example, la voiture (the car) can only be feminine; le stylo (the pen) can only be masculine.

Examples
Masculine		Common endings used with masculine nouns
le cheval	the horse	-age	le fromage		the cheese
le chien	the dog	-r	le professeur		the teacher
le livre	the book	-t	le chat		the cat
le bruit	the noise	-isme	le capitalisme		capitalism
Feminine		Common endings used with feminine nouns
la colombe	the dove	-ie	la boulangerie		the bakery
la chemise	the shirt	-ion	la nation		the nation
la maison	the house	-ite/-ité	la fraternité		brotherhood
la liberté	liberty	-nce	la balance		the scales
		-lle	la fille		the girl
		-nne	l’indienne		the Indian

Irregularities and exceptions

There are three nouns in French where gender is altered when put in the plural form:

amour (un amour passionné → des amours passionnées)

orgue

délice

There are many exceptions to gender rules in French which can only be learned. There are even words that are spelled the same, but have a different meaning when masculine or feminine; for example, le livre (m) means the book, but la livre (f) means the pound. Some words that appear to be masculine (like le photo, which is actually short for la photographie) are in fact feminine, and vice versa. Then there are some that just don't make sense; la foi is feminine and means a belief, whereas le foie means liver.

Prepositions

Common prepositions

Preposition	Translation	Example	Notes
à	1. to 2. at 3. of 4. in	Je vais à Paris. -- I am going to Paris. Je pars à cinq heures. -- I am leaving at five C'est un ami à moi. -- This is a friend of mine. C'est la voiture à John. -- This is John's car.	-Expresses a report/ratio of place (to), time (at), possession (of or 's), means, manner, price. - Introduced a complement of indirect object or a complement of attribution, a complement of the name or adjective.
à côté de	next to, besides	La salle des fêtes se trouve à côté de l'église. -- The village hall is next to the church.
à l'intérieur de	inside	l'air à l'intérieur de la maison -- the air inside the house	Alternative: dedans (rarely used as a preposition)
afin de	in order to	Il a pressé l’orange afin d’en extraire du jus. He squeezed the orange to extract juice from it.
après	after	On mange après avoir bu. -- We eat after we drink	Also an adverb.
autour de	around	La Lune gravite autour de la Terre. -- The Moon orbits around the Earth.
avant (de)	before, in front	Je préfère de me coucher avant minuit. I prefer to go to bed before midnight.	The usage of de is before infinitives.
avec	with	Ils sont avec leurs familles. They are with their families.
chez	at the home of	Il est allé chez lui. He went home.
contre	against	Le cheval se gratte contre le mur. The horse is scratching against the wall.
dans	in into out of, from	Les livres sont dans la bibliothèque. The books are in the library. Mettre l'argent dans la poche. Put money into one's pocket. Il prend le beurre dans le réfrigérateur. He takes the butter out of the fridge.	Synonym: en IPA: /dɑ̃/
de	1. of, from 2. about 3. some/any	un litre de lait - a litre of milk Je parlais de toi - I was talking about you Il mange de la soupe - He's eating some soup	Also a partitive article. Contractions: du, des IPA: /də/
depuis	for; since	Je joue du piano depuis trois ans. I have played the piano for three years.
derrière	behind	Vos clés sont derrière votre lit. Your keys are behind your bed.
dès	from	Votez dès maintenant pour votre favori ! Vote now for your favorite!
dès que	as soon as	Je veux commencer dès que possible. I want to start as soon as possible.
devant	in front of, ahead of	Garder les yeux sur la route devant vous. Keep your eyes on the road ahead of you.
en	in, by	Ils habitent en ville. They live in (the) town. Nous allons aller en voiture. We will go by car.	Used mostly to indicate distance in time or space. Also a pronoun.
entre	between	On peut lire entre les lignes. We can read between the lines.
hors de	outside, out of	Votre téléphone est hors de portée. Your telephone is out of range.
jusqu'à	until	La salle est disponible jusqu'à la fin de la semaine. The hall is available until the end of the week.
loin de	far from	L'école est loin de la plage. The school is far from the beach.	Without "de", "loin" is an adverb.
malgré	despite	Je vais bien malgré le froid. I am fine in spite of the cold.
par	1. through 2. by, for	J'irai par la fôret. I will go through the forest. Vous pouvez nous contacter par téléphone. You can contact us by telephone.
parmi	among	Paris reste parmi les villes les plus chères au monde. Paris remains among the most expensive cities in the world.
pendant	during, throughout	La lune a brillé pendant trois nuits. The moon shone for three nights.
près de	near	La bibliothèque est près de la mairie. The library is near the town hall.	Without "de", "près" is an adverb.
pour	for	Je l'ai volé pour toi. I stole it for you.	IPA: /pur/
sans	without	Elles veulent avoir une fête sans alcool. They want to have a party without alcohol.
sauf	except	Ouvert tous les jours sauf le dimanche. Open every day except Sunday.
selon	according to	Selon une étude récente... According to a recent study...
sous	under	La Côte d'Azur est sous la neige. The Côte d'Azur is under the snow.
sur	1. on 2. upon 3. on top of 4. above 5. out of	Il y a beaucoup de monde sur la plage. There are lots of people on the beach. sept sur dix seven out of ten	Synonyms: au-dessus de (above) Antonyms: sous (below, under) Antonyms: dessous, au-dessous-de (below) IPA: /syr/ (audio)
vers	1. about, around 2. towards	L'avion devrait décoller vers 9 heures. The plane should take off around 9 o'clock. Un ouragan se dirige vers le Texas. A hurricane is heading towards Texas.
voici	here is/are	Voici ton vrai père ! Here is your real father!
voilà	there is/are	Voilà les escrocs ! There are the swindlers!
en face (de)	across from / face to face	Cette fille est en face de vous. That lady is across from you
au lieu de	instead of	Vous devriez sortir au lieu de rester à la maison. You should go out instead of staying at home.
au fond de	at the bottom of	Il ya beaucoup de poissons au fond de l'étang There are many fish at the bottom of the pond.

Pronouns

Subject pronouns

A pronoun replaces a noun in a sentence. Often used to prevent repeating the noun. French has six different types of subject pronouns: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural.

Grammar Subject Pronouns · Les pronoms soumis
1st person	singular	je	I
	plural	nous	we
2nd person	singular	tu	you
	plural	vous*	you
3rd person	singular	il, elle, on**	he, she, one
	plural	ils, elles***	they (masculine) they (feminine)

Notes:

* When referring to more than one person in the 2nd person, “vous” must be used. When referring to a single person, “vous” or “tu” may be used depending on the situation. Tu is informal and used only with well-known acquaintances. In case of unknown persons you have to use the polite form Vous. A good example, to explain that is the following: If two business acquaintances meet another, they say Vous. If they later fall in love, they say Tu. When unsure, it is better to say "vous." Also, grammatically, even the singular form of "vous" behaves as though it were a plural, so even if you are addressing only one person, you would still use verbal grammar consistent with addressing multiple people, similar to English (as in "you are", "you [all] are", "they are.") Nevertheless, the adjectives or past participles are declined according to the true number of the referring pronoun.

Examples, addressing one person:

• Tu chantes - you sing (informal)
• Vous chantez - you sing (polite) - (also, to address many persons)
• Tu es grand - You are tall (informal)
• Vous êtes grand - You are tall (polite, male)
• Vous êtes grande - You are tall (polite, female)

Examples, addressing many persons:

• Vous êtes grands - You are tall (formal or polite, male, many persons)
• Vous êtes grandes - You are tall (formal or polite, female, many persons)

** - il denotes masculine nouns, elle denotes feminine nouns, and on is for indeterminate subjects (see below).

*** - While the third person plural "they" has no gender in English, the French equivalents "ils" and "elles" do. However, when pronounced, they normally sound the same as "il" and "elle", so distinguishing the difference requires understanding of the various conjugations of the verbs following the pronoun. Ils is used with all-male or mixed groups, elles is only used when all members of the group are female. Examples:

• Jack et Philippe parlent - Jack and Philippe speak
  Ils parlent - They speak (all-male group)
• Jack et Lucy parlent - Jack and Lucy speak
  Ils parlent - They speak (mixed group)
• Lucy et Dina parlent - Lucy and Dina speak
  Elles parlent - They speak (all female group)

The pronoun on

French pronouns carry meanings that do not exist in English pronouns. The French third person "on" has several meanings, but most closely matches the English "one", except that it is not so formal, and is more common. It has a number of uses:

• It is used in the same ways as the English personal pronoun one:
  • It is used in expressing generalities: « C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. » ("It is by blacksmithing that one becomes a blacksmith.")
  • It is the implicit subject for an infinitive that has no other implicit subject: « penser qu'on a raison » ("to think that one is right," i.e. "to think oneself right").
• Because of French's limited passive voice, it is often used as an empty subject when the agent is unknown or unimportant: « On me l'a donné. » ("[On] gave it to me" or "I was given it" or "It was given to me.")
• It is used as a less formal substitute for the subject pronoun nous (we). In this case, note that even though on always takes a third-person singular verb, it takes plural adjectives (« On est américains », "We're American"). Also, note that the other forms of nous (direct object, indirect object, and disjunctive) are not replaced by forms of on unless on is the subject as well. (Hence, « Ils nous l'ont donné », "They gave it to us," but « On se l'est donné », "We gave it to ourselves.")
• It is not the number 1, and therefore is not used to mean "one of them." In French as in English, numbers can be used as pronouns — « Deux sont entrés et un est ressorti », "Two went in and one came back out" — but the number 1 is un(e), not on.

On does not have ordinary direct- and indirect-object pronouns, only the reflexive pronoun se. Similarly, its disjunctive-pronoun form, soi, is only used when on is the subject and soi refers to the same entity. The pronoun quelqu'un ("someone") can fill some of the roles of on, in the same way that one and someone are sometimes interchangeable in English.

Stress Pronouns moi, toi, lui, elle, soi, nous, vous, eux, elles

Meanings

• moi - me
• toi - you
• lui - him
• elle - her
• soi - one
• nous - us
• vous - you (plural/formal)
• eux - them (masculine)
• elles - them (feminine)

Usage

• after avec or chez
  • avec moi - with me
  • avec lui - with him
  • chez soi - at one's place
  • chez eux - at their place

Object Pronouns me, te, se, nous, and vous

Meanings

• me - me, to me
• te - you, to you (singular, informal)
• se - to him/her (or himself/herself/itself - reflexive)
• nous - us, to us
• vous - you, to you (plural, formal)
• se - to them (or themselves - reflexive)

Place in sentences

• These pronouns are placed before the verb that they modify
  • Je te vois. - I see you.
  • Je veux te voir. - I want to see you.
• If a perfect tense is used, these pronouns go before the auxiliary verb.
  • Je t'ai vu. - I saw you.

Direct object replacement

• Il me voit. - He sees me.
• Il te voit. - He sees you.
• Il nous voit. - He sees us.
• Il vous voit. - He sees you.

Indirect Object Replacement

• Il m'appelle. - He calls me.
• Il te le lance. - He throws it to you.
• Il nous le lance. - He throws it to us.
• Il vous le lance. - He throws it to you.

l', le, la, and les

l', le, la, and les are pronouns which are used as direct objects and hence are called direct object pronouns. A direct object is a noun that receives the action of a verb.

• Il lance la balle. - He throws the ball.

In the above sentence la balle is the direct object.

You have learned earlier that names and regular nouns can be replaced by the subject pronouns (je, tu...). Similarly, direct objects, such as "la balle", can be replaced by pronouns.

• le - replaces a masculine singular direct object
• la - replaces a feminine singular direct object
• l' - replaces le and la if they come before a vowel
• les - replaces plural direct objects, both masculine and feminine

The direct object pronouns come before the verb they are linked to.

• Il la lance. - He throws it.
• Il les lance. - He throws them.

Note

When direct object pronouns are being used with the passé composé tense with verbs that do not represent movement (i.e. use the auxiliary AVOIR in a conjugated form before the past participle), some endings are added to the past participle.

Object	Endings
Masculine Singular	None
Feminine Singular	e
Masculine Plural	s
Feminine Plural	es

Examples: J'ai lu ces livres - I read these books -> Je les ai "lus"

lui and leur

Indirect objects are prepositional phrases with the object of the preposition. An indirect object is a noun that receives the action of a verb.

• Il lance la balle à Jacques. - He throws the ball to Jack.
• Il lance la balle à Marie. - He throws the ball to Mary.
• Il lance la balle à Jacques et Marie. - He throws the ball to Jack and Mary.

Lui and leur are indirect object pronouns. They replace nouns referring to people and mean to him/her and to them respectively.

• lui - replaces a singular masculine or feminine indirect object referring to a person
• leur - replaces a plural masculine or feminine indirect object referring to a person

An example follows:

• Il lui lance la balle. - He throws the ball to him.
• Il lui lance la balle. - He throws the ball to her.
• Il leur lance la balle. - He throws the ball to them.

Whether lui means to him or to her is given by context.

In English, "He throws him the ball" is also said, and means the same thing.

When used with the direct object pronouns le, la, and les, lui and leur come after those pronouns.

• Il la lui lance. - He throws it to him.

Note that while le, la, and les are used to replace people or inanimate objects, lui and leur are not used to replace innanimate objects and things.

Also note that unlike le and la, which are shortened to l' when followed by a vowel, lui is never shortened

y

Indirect object pronoun - to it, to them

The French pronoun y is used to replace an object of a prepositional phrase introduced by à.

• Je réponds aux questions. - I respond to the questions.
• J'y réponds. - I respond to them.

Note that lui and leur, and not y, are used when the object refers to a person or persons.

Replacement of places - there

The French pronoun y replaces a prepositional phrase referring to a place that begins with any preposition except de (for which en is used). ie, 'going' to a place.

• Mes parents vont en France. - My parents go to France.
• Mes parents y vont. - My parents go there.

Note that en, and not y is used when the object is of the preposition de.

Idioms

• Ça y est! - It's done!
• J'y suis! - I'm there!

en

Replacement of a partitive construction

• The pronoun en replaces a noun with a partitive article (l'article partitif: du, de la, de, des) at the front. In this case En goes always with the singular, even if there are many items addressed.
  • Je veux du pain. => J'en veux. - I want some bread. => I want some.

Replacement of quantified nouns

If the quantity of the object is specified, "en" is used for the replacement of the noun.

Example: Il a acheté deux pommes. => Il en a acheté deux.

Note that no agreement is needed between the past participle (le participe passé) and the object (complément d'objet direct).

Replacement of phrases with de

• The pronoun en replaces prepositional phrases beginning with de if the object of the preposition is referring to a thing or place, ie. coming 'from' a place.
  • Je viens de Paris. - I come from Paris.
  • J' en viens. - I come from it.
• Note that stress pronouns, and not en are used if the object refers to a person or persons.

Pronoun order

Order chart

If a sentence uses no infinitive, the pronouns are embedded as follows:

Subject Pronoun (or noun)	Neg	Direct or Indirect	Direct Obj Pronouns	Indirect Objects				Neg
je tu il (elle) nous vous ils (elles)	ne	me te nous vous se (reflexive)	le la l' les	lui leur	y	en	conjugated verb	pas plus etc...	past participle

If a sentence uses an infinitive, the pronouns are embedded as follows:

Subject Pronoun (or noun)	Neg		Neg		Direct or Indirect	Direct Obj Pronouns	Indirect Objects
je tu il (elle) nous vous ils (elles)	ne	conjugated verb	pas plus etc...	past participle	me te nous vous se (reflexive)	le la l' les	lui leur	y	en	infinitive

Order rules

• When a sentence uses the indirect object pronouns me, te, nous, and vous with the direct object pronouns le, la, and les, me, te, nous, and vous go first.
  • Il me le donne. - He gives it to me.
• When a sentence uses the indirect object pronouns lui and leur with the direct object pronouns le, la, and l', le, la, and les go first.
  • Il le lui donne. - He gives it to him/her.
• When y is used in the same sentence as other pronouns, y goes after all of them with the exception of en.
  • Il m'emmène à Paris. - He takes me to Paris.
  • Il m'y emmène. - He takes me there.
• Y in conjunction with en is only used in a few cases.
  • Il y en a. - There exist several ones.
  • Est-ce qu'il y a des pommes? (Oui,) il y en a. (Non,) il n'y en a (pas/plus). - Are there any apples (left)? Yes, there are. No, there aren't.
• When there are two pronouns in a sentence, en always goes last.

L'impératif

When expressing positive commands, there are several rules one must remember when using object pronouns. These are:

• The pronouns are attached to the verb with a hyphen.
  • Retrouve-la. - Find it.
• Me and Te become moi and toi.
  • Donnez-moi les clés. - Give me the keys.
• Le, la, and les precede all other object pronouns.
  • Donnez-le-moi. - Give it to me.
• For the second person singular form, an "s" is added if the object (in the pronoun form) begins with a vowel or "y".
  • Va au tableau. - Go to the blackboard. BUT Vas-y. - Go (there).
  • Vas-y. - Come on.
  • Achète des pommes. - Buy some apples. BUT Achètes-en. - Buy some.

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace possessive article + noun sets.

Grammar (upload audio) Possessive Pronouns · Les pronoms possesifs
mon copain my friend	ton copain your friend	son copain his/her friend	notre copain our friend	votre copain your friend	leur copain their friend
le mien mine	le tien yours	le sien his/hers	le nôtre ours	le vôtre yours	le leur theirs
mes copains my friends	tes copains your friends	ses copains his/her friends	nos copains our friends	vos copains your friends	leurs copains their friends
les miens mine	les tiens yours	les siens his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs
ma copine my friend	ta copine your friend	sa copine his/her friend	notre copine our friend	votre copine your friend	leur copine their friend
la mienne mine	la tienne yours	la sienne his/hers	la nôtre ours	la vôtre yours	la leur theirs
mes copines my friends	tes copines your friends	ses copines his/her friends	nos copines our friends	vos copines your friends	leurs copines their friends
les miennes mine	les tiennes yours	les siennes his/hers	les nôtres ours	les vôtres yours	les leurs theirs

• Vous avez votre voiture? - You have your car?
• Oui, nous avons la nôtre. - Yes, we have ours.

À + a stress pronoun is used when the noun replaced is also the subject of the sentence. This usually occurs in sentences with être.

• Elle est à toi cette voiture? - Is this car yours?
• Oui, elle est à moi. - Yes, it is mine.

Sentences

In the introduction of the book the description of a sentence, versus a phrase was outlined. A phrase does not contain a subject + verb, while a sentence includes a subject (what or whom) and a predicate (tells us about the subject). A sentence, and not a phrase, is a grammatical unit, which may have nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Like English, a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark.

In the introduction we highlighted the types of sentences, and these are:

• Declarative (statements)
• Interrogative (questions)
• Exclamatory (exclamations)
• Commanding (commands)

Declarative

A simple declarative sentence is subject + verb + object noun. This word order is pretty much the same as English. "Henry got a car." You may have heard that there are some English sentences that cannot be translated to French. While this is true in the literal sense, it doesn't mean you can't get the point across in another way. The French declarative sentence with direct and indirect object nouns must be in this order: subject + verb + direct object + indirect object.

For example, I can say "Peter bought a car for his son Henry" in French, but I can't say "Peter bought his son Henry a car." In the first example Peter is the subject, bought is the verb, a car is the direct object, and for his son Henry is the indirect object. In the second example you will see that the direct object and indirect object have been swapped. In order to translate an English statement like this, you would have to slide the indirect object to its proper place.

Henri obtenu une voiture. (Simple declarative)

Pierre a acheté une voiture pour son fils Henri. (With direct + indirect object)

Pierre a acheté pour son fils Henri une voiture. (With indirect + direct object - wrong)

Interrogative

Formation

Intonation

As in English, raising the tone at the end of a sentence can turn it into a question.

Example:

Il aime les bonbons. He likes sweets.
Il aime les bonbons? Does he like sweets?

Est-ce que...

"Est-ce que" (ehs kuh) by itself does not mean anything. Like the upside-down question mark in Spanish '¿', it merely indicates the sentence is an informal question. To form a question, attach "Est-ce que..." at the beginning of the sentence. Sometimes "que" has to be modified to "qu'" for elision. Est-ce is actually the inversion of c'est ("it is"). Like all inversions a '-' dash is required.

These questions in this form are typically mean't to elicit a "Oui" or "Non" answer. If you want more than that, you must precede it with an interrogative: Quand est-ce que, Qui est-ce que, or Quel est-ce que, for example.

Some of these later examples can more easily be said by just leaving the inversion off. For example "Quel est le problème ?" is preferred to "Quel est-ce que le problèm ?"

If the question is negative, then the form is: n'est-ce pas, as in: N'est-ce pas qu'il fait beau temps ? ou Il fait beau temps; n'est-ce pas ? (It is good weather, is it not?)

Example: Il aime ce film. => Est-ce qu'il aime ce film ?
(He likes this film. => Does he like this film?)

Inversion

This is considered to be the most formal way to ask a question out of the three.
(The indicative form of the following sentences will be placed in parentheses for comparison.)

To ask a question by inversion, simply invert the verb and the subject (the pronoun) and insert a hyphen (un trait d'union) in between.
Example: Do you like apples? (You like apples.)
Aimes-tu les pommes ? (Tu aimes les pommes.)

In the case where the verb ends in a vowel while the subject starts with one, a "t" needs to be inserted to avoid elision.
Example: Did she make the decision already? (She made the decision already.)
A-t-elle déjà pris la décision ? (Elle a déjà pris la décision.)

(Notice that for compound tense [les temps composés], only the avoir or être part is interchanged with the subject.)

For third person plural (verbs ending in "ent"), there is no need to insert the "t".
Example: Are they buying a house? (They are buying a house.)
Achètent-ils une maison ? (Ils achètent une maison.)

If the subject is a noun instead of a pronoun, invert the verb and the pronoun that represents the subject.
Example: Did Marie choose this shirt? (Marie chose this shirt.)
Marie a-t-elle choisi cette chemise ? (Marie a choisi cette chemise.)

For negative such as "ne...pas", the verb should be inserted in between:
Example: Didn't you eat the whole pizza? (You didn't eat the whole pizza.)
N'as-tu pas mangé la pizza entière ? (Tu n'as pas mangé la pizza entière.)

If there is a direct or indirect object (complément d'objet [in]direct), it goes before the verb.
Example: Have you been there? (You have been there.)
Y es-tu allé(e) ? (Tu y es allé(e).)

Question/Interrogative words

• Où ? - Where?
• Quand ? - When?
• Pourquoi ? - Why?
• Comment ? - How?
• Quel/Quels/Quelle/Quelles ? - Which?
• Qui ? - Who?
• Combien ? - How much?
• Quoi ? - What?

If...

Si...

With present tense (le présent):

(1) Si + (le présent), (le futur simple)
Example: If you finish your homework, I'll give you some candies.
Si tu finis tes devoirs, je te donnerai des bonbons.

(2) Si + (le présent), (l'impératif)
Example: If you are cold, close the window.
Si tu as froid, ferme la fenêtre.

With imperfect (l'imparfait) past tense (to express hypothetical situations):

(3) Si + (l'imparfait), (le conditionnel)
Example: If I had a million dollars, I would buy a house.
Si j'avais un million de dollars, j'achèterais une maison.

With "plus-que-parfait" (also to express hypothetical situations):

(4) Si + (le plus-que-parfait), (le conditionnel passé)
Example: If I had known (or "had I known") computers were so useful, I would have taken a computer course.
Si j'avais su que les ordinateurs étaient si utiles, j'aurais suivi un cours de l'informatique.

Verbs

Pronominal verbs

Pronominal verbs are verbs that include pronouns. These pronouns are me, te, se, nous, and vous and are used as either direct objects or indirect objects, depending on the verb that they modify. When pronominal verbs are conjugated in perfect tenses, être is used as the auxiliary verb.

The following table shows which reflexive pronoun to use with each form of the verb:

Subject	Reflexive pronoun
je	me
tu	te
il, elle, on	se
nous	nous
vous	vous
ils, elles	se

Reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs reflect the action on the subject.

• Je me lave. - I wash myself.
• Nous nous lavons. - We wash ourselves.
• Ils se lavent. - They wash themselves.

Reflexive verbs can also be used as infinitives.

• Je vais me laver. - I'm going to wash myself.

Either the conjugated verb or the infinitive can be negated each with slightly different meanings.

• Je ne vais pas me laver. - I'm not going to wash myself.
• Je vais ne pas me laver. - I'm going to not wash myself (for some period of time, e.g.).

In perfect tenses, the past participles agree with the direct object pronoun, but not the indirect object pronoun, in gender and plurality. Therefore it would only agree when the reflexive pronoun is the direct object. Also remember that the past participle does not agree with the direct object if it goes after the verb.

• Elle s'est lavée. - She washed herself.
• Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s. - We washed ourselves.
• Elle s'est lavé les mains. - She washed her hands.
• Nous nous sommes lavé les mains. - We washed our hands.

Here is an example conjugation of a reflexive verb:

Se coucher - to go to bed
Present	Passé composé	Futur proche
Je me couche	Je me suis couché(e)	Je vais me coucher
Tu te couches	Tu t'es couché(e)	Tu vas te coucher
Il se couche	Il s'est couché	Il va se coucher
Elle se couche	Elle s'est couchée	Elle va se coucher
On se couche	On s'est couché	On va se coucher
Nous nous couchons	Nous nous sommes couché(e)s	Nous allons nous coucher
Vous vous couchez	Vous vous êtes couché(e)(s)	Vous allez vous coucher
Ils se couchent	Ils se sont couchés	Ils vont se coucher
Elles se couchent	Elles se sont couchées	Elles vont se coucher

^ 1. The futur simple, passé simple, imperfect, conditional and subjunctive are all conjugated with the reflexive pronoun in the same position as in the present.

^ 2. All reflexive verbs take être in the passé composé and therefore have an e added to the past participle for females and an s for plural.

^ 3. When a reflexive verb is put as an infinitive behind any other verb (e.g. vouloir, pouvoir, aller...) it still takes the appropriate reflexive pronoun.

Reciprocal verbs

With reciprocal verbs, people perform actions to each other.

Nous nous aimons. - We like each other.

Like reflexive verbs, the past participle of reciprocal verbs agrees in number and gender with the direct object if it goes before the verb. It therefore agrees with all reciprocal pronouns that function as direct objects.

Nous nous sommes aimé(e)s. - We liked each other.

The reciprocal pronoun can also function as an indirect object without a direct object pronoun.

Nous nous sommes parlé. - We spoke to each other.

Elles se sont téléphoné. - They telephoned one another.

Vous vous êtes écrit souvent? - You wrote to each other often?

Naturally pronominal verbs

Some verbs are pronominal without performing a reflexive or reciprocal action.

Tu te souviens? - Do you remember?

In perfect tenses, these verbs agree with the direct object if it goes before the verb. Otherwise, the past participle agrees with the subject.

Elle s'est souvenue. - She remembered.

Some verbs have different meanings as pronominal verbs.

• rendre - to return, to give back
• se rendre (à) - to go (to)

Negation

ne..pas

• Simple negation is done by wrapping ne...pas around the verb.
  • Je ne vole pas. - I do not steal.
• In a perfect tense, ne...pas wraps around the auxiliary verb, not the participle.
  • Je n'ai pas volé. - I haven't stolen.
• When an infinitive and conjugated verb are together, ne...pas usually wraps around the conjugated verb.
  • Je ne veux pas voler. - I do not want to steal.
• ne pas can also go directly in front of the infinitive for a different meaning.
  • Je veux ne pas voler. - I want not to steal.
• ne goes before any pronoun relating to the verb it affects.
  • Je ne l'ai pas volé. - I did not steal it.
  • Nous ne nous aimons pas. - We do not love each other.

Other negative expressions

ne...aucun(e)	not any, none, no
ne...jamais	never
ne...ni...ni	neither...nor
ne...pas du tout	not at all
ne...nullement	in no way
ne...pas encore	not yet
ne...personne	nobody
ne...plus	no longer
ne...guère	hardly
ne...que	only
ne...rien	nothing

• ne...personne wraps around the entire verb set.
  • Je ne l'ai donné à personne. - I did not give it to anyone.
  • Je ne veux le donner à personne. - I do not want to give it to anybody.
• ne...ni...ni requires two objects, either direct or indirect, and comes before them.
  • Je ne l'ai donné ni à mon frère, ni à ma sœur. - I gave it neither to my brother nor my sister.
  • Je ne peux voir ni mon frère ni ma sœur. - I am able to see neither my brother nor my sister.
• In ne...aucun(e), aucun(e) goes before an object.
  • Il n'a aucun ami. Aucun. - He has no friend. None.
  • Il n'a aucune feuille de papier. Aucune. - He has no sheet of paper. None.
• Il n'a qu'une feuille de papier. - He has only one piece of paper.
• Je ne peux guère voir mon frère et ma sœur - I can hardly see my brother and sister.

Spoken French

Now, the 'ne' sometimes disappears when one speaks. However, it is always used in written French and for formal conversations.

• Je ne l'ai donné à personne -> Je l'ai donné à personne (I didn't give it to anyone)
• Je ne sais pas -> Je sais pas (I don't know)

Summary

To say not, never, or other negative verbs, you have to 'sandwich' the negative words around a verb.

Example:

• Il n'y a pas de cinéma. (meaning: "There is no cinema")
• On ne peut jamais aller en boîte. (meaning: "You can never go partying")
• Il n' y a rien à faire ici. (meaning: "There is nothing to do here")

If " ne " is before a vowel then it changes to " n' ".

Conjugations

French conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a French verb from its principal parts by inflection. French verbs are conventionally divided into three conjugations (conjugaisons) with the following grouping:

• 1st group: verbs ending in -er.
• 2nd group: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -issant.
• 3rd group:
  • 1st section: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -ant.
  • 2nd section: verbs ending in -oir.
  • 3rd section: verbs ending in -re.

The first two groups follow a regular conjugation, whereas the third group follows an irregular one. The third group is considered a closed-class conjugation form, meaning that most new verbs introduced to the French language are of the first group (téléviser, atomiser, radiographier), with the remaining ones being of the second group.

It is noteworthy that the verb aller is the only verb ending in -er belonging to the third group.

Auxiliary verbs

There are two auxiliary verbs in French: avoir (to have) and être (to be), used to conjugate compound tenses according to these rules:

• Transitive verbs (direct or indirect) in the active voice are conjugated with the verb avoir.
• Intransitive verbs are conjugated with either avoir or être.
• Reflexive verbs (or "pronominal verbs") are conjugated with être.
• Verbs in the passive voice are conjugated with être.

Compound tenses are conjugated with an auxiliary followed by the past participle, ex: j'ai fait (I did), je suis tombé (I fell). When être is used, the participle is inflected according to the gender and number of the subject. The participle is inflected with the use of the verb avoir according to the direct object, but only if the direct object precedes the participle, ex:

• il a marché, elle a marché, nous avons marché (he walked, she walked, we walked)
• il est tombé, elle est tombée, nous sommes tombés, elles sont tombées (he fell, she fell, we fell, they (fem.) fell)
• Il a acheté une voiture. Voilà la voiture qu'il a achetée. (He bought a car. Here is the car he bought)

As stand-alone verbs, the conjugation of the two auxiliaries is listed in the table below:

Avoir

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are imperfect av- /av/; present subjunctive ai- /ɛ/; future and conditional aur- /ɔʁ/; simple past and past subjunctive e- (not pronounced: eus, eusse are pronounced as bare inflections /y, ys/). Although the stem changes, the inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb.

However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Avoir "to have"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
j'	ai /ɛ/	eus /y/	avais /avɛ/	aurai /ɔʀe/	aie /ɛ/	eusse /ys/	aurais /ɔʀɛ/
tu	as /a/	eus	avais	auras	aies	eusses	aurais	aie*
il/elle	a /a/	eut	avait	aura	ait	eût	aurait
nous	avons /avɔ̃/	eûmes	avions	aurons	ayons	eussions	aurions	ayons*
vous	avez /ave/	eûtes	aviez	aurez	ayez	eussiez	auriez	ayez*
ils/elles	ont /ɔ̃/	eurent	avaient	auront	aient	eussent	auraient

* Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: avoir /avwaʁ/
• Present participle: ayant /ejɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en ayant /an ejɑ̃/
• Verbal adjective: ayant(s) /ejɑ̃/, ayante(s) /ejɑ̃t/
• Past participle: eu(e)(s) /y/

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Expressing age

Avoir is also used to express age.

Quel age as-tu ?	How old are you?	lit: What age do you have?
J'ai trente ans.	I'm thirty (years old)	lit: I have thirty years.

Interrogatives

Besides using avoir affirmatively, you can also use it interrogatively. A small complication arises, in that without some help, the result does not sound very good. The use of an euphonic (pleasing to the ear) is used with vowels before the pronoun. Thus, the letter -t- is placed between the verb and the pronoun:

Ai-je? (Have I?)
As-tu? (Have you?) informal
A-t-il? (Has he?)
A-t-elle? (Has she?)
Avons nous? (Have we?)
Avez vous? (Have you?) formal
Ont ils? (Have they?) masculine
Ont elles? (Have they?) feminine

The use of liaison fulfils the euphonic for ""ont".

Être

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: imperfect ét- /et/; present subjunctive soi- /swa/; future and conditional ser- /s(ə)ʀ/; simple past and past subjunctive in f- /f/. The inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb (that is, as an -re verb but with the vowel u /y/ in the f- forms). For example, subjunctive soyons, soyez is pronounced with the y sound (/swajɔ̃, swaje/) of other -re and -oir verbs.

However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Être "to be"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	suis /sɥi/	fus /fy/	étais /etɛ/	serai /s(ə)ʀe/	sois /swa/	fusse /fys/	serais /s(ə)ʀɛ/
tu	es /ɛ/	fus	étais	seras	sois	fusses	serais	sois*
il/elle	est /ɛ/	fut	était	sera	soit	fût	serait
nous	sommes /sɔm/	fûmes	étions	serons	soyons	fussions	serions	soyons*
vous	êtes /ɛt/	fûtes	étiez	serez	soyez	fussiez	seriez	soyez*
ils/elles	sont /sɔ̃/	furent	étaient	seront	soient	fussent	seraient

* Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

The non-finite forms use the stem êt- /ɛt/ (before a consonant)/ét- /ɛt/ (before a vowel):

• Infinitive: être
• Present participle: étant
• Gerundive: en étant
• Verbal adjective: étant(e)(s)
• Past participle: été(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

First group verbs (-er verbs)

French verbs ending in -er, which comprise the largest class, inflect somewhat differently than other verbs. Between the stem and the inflectional endings that are common across most verbs, there may be a vowel, which in the case of the -er verbs is a silent -e- (in the simple present singular), -é or -ai /e/ (in the past participle and the je form of the simple past), and -a- /a/ (in the rest of simple past singular and in the past subjunctive). In addition, the orthographic -t found in the -ir and -re verbs in the singular verb of the simple present and past is not found in this conjugation, so that the final consonants are -, -s,e - rather than -s, -s, -t.

Parler

The verb parler "to speak", in French orthography and IPA transcription

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Simple Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	parle /paʀl/	parlai /paʀle/	parlais /paʀlɛ/	parlerai /paʀləʀe/	parle /paʀl/	parlasse /paʀlas/	parlerais /paʀləʀɛ/
tu	parles /paʀl/	parlas /paʀla/	parlais /paʀlɛ/	parleras /paʀləʀa/	parles /paʀl/	parlasses /paʀlas/	parlerais /paʀləʀɛ/	parle /paʀl/
il	parle /paʀl/	parla /paʀla/	parlait /paʀlɛ/	parlera /paʀləʀa/	parle /paʀl/	parlât /paʀlɑ/	parlerait /paʀləʀɛ/
nous	parlons /paʀlɔ̃/	parlâmes /paʀlɑm/	parlions /paʀljɔ̃/	parlerons /paʀləʀɔ̃/	parlions /paʀljɔ̃/	parlassions /paʀlasjɔ̃/	parlerions /paʀləʀjɔ̃/	parlons /paʀlɔ̃/
vous	parlez /paʀle/	parlâtes /paʀlɑt/	parliez /paʀlje/	parlerez /paʀləʀe/	parliez /paʀlje/	parlassiez /paʀlasje/	parleriez /paʀləʀje/	parlez /paʀle/
ils	parlent /paʀl/	parlèrent /paʀlɛːʀ/	parlaient /paʀlɛ/	parleront /paʀləʀɔ̃/	parlent /paʀl/	parlassent /paʀlas/	parleraient /paʀləʀɛ/

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: parler /paʀle/
• Present participle: parlant /paʀlɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en parlant /ɑ̃ paʀlɑ̃/
• Verbal adjective: parlant(s) /paʀlɑ̃/, parlante(s) /paʀlɑ̃t/
• Past participle: parlé(e)(s) /paʀle/

Auxiliary verb: avoir (arriver, entrer, monter, passer, rester, rentrer, retourner, and tomber use être)

Exceptional contexts:

• When the first-person singular present tense form of the indicative or subjunctive is found in inversion, the writer must change the final e to either é or è, in order to link the two words : « Parlé-je ? », /paʀlɛʒ/, "Am I speaking?" (This is a very rare construction, however.)
• When the second-person singular form of the imperative is followed by its object y or en, a final s is added: « Parles-en ! », [paʀlzɑ̃], "Talk about it!"

Exceptional verbs:

• The verb aller, though it ends in -er is completely irregular and belongs to the third group.
• In -cer verbs, the c becomes a ç before endings that start with a or o, to indicate that it is still pronounced /s/; similarly, in -ger verbs, the g becomes ge before such endings, to indicate that it is pronounced /ʒ/.
• In -oyer and -uyer verbs, the y becomes an i before endings that start with a silent e; in -ayer verbs, the writer may or may not change the y to an i before such endings. Additionally, the future and conditional forms of envoyer start with enverr- rather than envoyer-; and similarly with renvoyer.
• In -é.er verbs, the é becomes an è before silent endings, and optionally in the future and conditional tenses.
• In -e.er verbs other than most -eler and -eter verbs, the e becomes an è before endings that start with a silent e (including the future and conditional endings).
• In most -eler and -eter verbs, the writer must either change the e to an è before endings that start with a silent e, or change the l or t to ll or tt. In the rest of these verbs, only one or the other form is allowed.
• The verbal adjective of following verbs is irregular: adhérer - adhérent(e)(s); coïncider - coïncident(e)(s); confluer - confluent(e)(s); affluer - affluent(e)(s); converger - convergent(e)(s); déterger - détergent(e)(s); différer - différent(e)(s); exceller - excellent(e)(s); diverger - divergent(e)(s); négliger, négligent(e)(s); précéder - précédent(e)(s); violer - violent(e)(s); influer - influent(e)(s); communiquer - communicant(e)(s); suffoquer - suffocant(e)(s); provoquer - provocant(e)(s); naviguer - navigant(e)(s); déléguer - délégant(e)(s); fatiguer - fatigant(e)(s); intriguer - intrigant(e)(s).

Second group verbs (-ir verbs / gerund ending in -issant)

The -ir verbs differ from the -er verbs in the following points:

• The vowel of the inflections is always -i-, for example -isse in the past subjunctive rather than the -asse of the -er verbs.
• A few of the singular inflections themselves change, though this is purely orthographic and does not affect the pronunciation: in the simple present and past, these are -s, -s, -t rather than -, -s, -. (The change in pronunciation is due to the change of vowel from e, ai, a to -i-.)
• In the simple present, imperfect, the present subjunctive, and the gerund, a suffix -iss- /is/ appears between the root and the inflectional endings. In the simple present singular, this suffix has disappeared and the endings are -is, -is, -it.

Choisir

The verb choisir "to choose", in French orthography and IPA transcription

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Simple Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	choisis /ʃwazi/	choisis /ʃwazi/	choisissais /ʃwazisɛ/	choisirai /ʃwaziʀe/	choisisse /ʃwazis/	choisisse /ʃwazis/	choisirais /ʃwaziʀɛ/
tu	choisis /ʃwazi/	choisis /ʃwazi/	choisissais /ʃwazisɛ/	choisiras /ʃwaziʀa/	choisisses /ʃwazis/	choisisses /ʃwazis/	choisirais /ʃwaziʀɛ/	choisis /ʃwazi/
il	choisit /ʃwazi/	choisit /ʃwazi/	choisissait /ʃwazisɛ/	choisira /ʃwaziʀa/	choisisse /ʃwazis/	choisît /ʃwazi/	choisirait /ʃwaziʀɛ/
nous	choisissons /ʃwazisɔ̃/	choisîmes /ʃwazim/	choisissions /ʃwazisjɔ̃/	choisirons /ʃwaziʀɔ̃/	choisissions /ʃwazisjɔ̃/	choisissions /ʃwazisjɔ̃/	choisirions /ʃwaziʀjɔ̃/	choisissons /ʃwazisɔ̃/
vous	choisissez /ʃwazise/	choisîtes /ʃwazit/	choisissiez /ʃwazisje/	choisirez /ʃwaziʀe/	choisissiez /ʃwazisje/	choisissiez /ʃwazisje/	choisiriez /ʃwaziʀje/	choisissez /ʃwazise/
ils	choisissent /ʃwazis/	choisirent /ʃwaziʀ/	choisissaient /ʃwazisɛ/	choisiront /ʃwaziʀɔ̃/	choisissent /ʃwazis/	choisissent /ʃwazis/	choisiraient /ʃwaziʀɛ/

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: choisir /ʃwaziʀ/
• Present participle: choisissant /ʃwazisɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en choisissant /ɑ̃ ʃwazisɑ̃/
• Verbal adjective: choisissant(s) /ʃwazisɑ̃/, choisissante(s) /ʃwazisɑ̃t/
• Past participle: choisi(e)(s) /ʃwazi/

Auxiliary verb: avoir (partir uses être)

haïr

The verb haïr loses its dieresis in the singular of the simple present tense (the i loses its trema, reflecting the pronunciation of the initial syllable as a single vowel /ɛ/ rather than the hiatus /ai/): je hais, tu hais, il hait but nous haïssons, vous haïssez, ils haïssent /ʒə ɛ, ty ɛ, il ɛ, nu aisɔ̃, vu aise, il ais/. Hais is as usual used for the imperative. In all other forms, the root is /ai/ (imperfect and present & past subjunctive /ais/-, future and conditional /aiʀ/-).

Third Group

First Section (-ir verbs / gerund ending in -ant)

dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir

The verbs dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir and their derivatives do not take the -iss- infix. The effect of this is that they conjugate as -re verbs rather than -ir verbs, apart from the past participle which is still -i. Sortir and its derivatives are similar in their usual meanings of "to go out" etc., though in their legal senses they conjugate regularly as -ir verbs: les lois sortissent leurs effets (laws produce their effects); ce qui ressortit à… (what is under the jurisdiction of…). Partir serves as an example:

Partir

Partir "to leave"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Simple Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	pars /paʀ/	partis /paʀti/	partais /paʀtɛ/	partirai /paʀtiʀe/	parte /paʀt/	partisse /paʀtis/	partirais /paʀtiʀɛ/
tu	pars	partis	partais	partiras	partes	partisses	partirais	pars
il	part	partit	partait	partira	parte	partît	partirait
nous	partons	partîmes	partions	partirons	partions	partissions	partirions	partons
vous	partez	partîtes	partiez	partirez	partiez	partissiez	partiriez	partez
ils	partent	partirent	partaient	partiront	partent	partissent	partiraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: partir
• Present participle: partant
• Gerundive: en partant
• Verbal adjective: partant(e)(s)
• Past participle: parti(e)(s)

Similarly, dormir, mentir, sortir, sentir, servir are je dors, mens, sors, sens, sers /ʒ(ə) dɔʀ, mɑ̃, sɔʀ, sɑ̃, sɛʀ/ etc.

couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir

The verbs couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir and their derivatives are similar, but orthographically they differ slightly: they take the simple present endings of the -er verbs. In addition, their past participles end in -ert. Ouvrir will serve as an example:

Ouvrir

Ouvrir "to open"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	ouvre /uvʀ/	ouvris	ouvrais	ouvrirai	ouvre	ouvrisse	ouvrirais
tu	ouvres	ouvris	ouvrais	ouvriras	ouvres	ouvrisses	ouvrirais	ouvre
il	ouvre	ouvrit	ouvrait	ouvrira	ouvre	ouvrît	ouvrirait
nous	ouvrons	ouvrîmes	ouvrions	ouvrirons	ouvrions	ouvrissions	ouvririons	ouvrons
vous	ouvrez	ouvrîtes	ouvriez	ouvrirez	ouvriez	ouvrissiez	ouvririez	ouvrez
ils	ouvrent	ouvrirent	ouvraient	ouvriront	ouvrent	ouvrissent	ouvriraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: ouvrir
• Present participle: ouvrant
• Gerundive: en ouvrant
• Verbal adjective: ouvrant(e)(s)
• Past participle: ouvert(s) /uvɛʀ/, ouverte(s) /uvɛʀt/

Venir

venir, tenir

The common verbs venir "to come" and tenir "to hold", as well as their derivatives, change their stem vowel to a diphthong or nasal in much of their conjugations. Venir will serve as an example; for tenir, simply change the v to a t.

Venir "to come"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	viens /vjɛ̃/	vins /vɛ̃/	venais /v(ə)nɛ/	viendrai /vjɛ̃dʀe/	vienne /vjɛn/	vinsse /vɛ̃s/	viendrais /vjɛ̃dʀɛ/
tu	viens /vjɛ̃/	vins /vɛ̃/	venais /v(ə)nɛ/	viendras /vjɛ̃dʀa/	viennes /vjɛn/	vinsses /vɛ̃s/	viendrais /vjɛ̃dʀɛ/	viens /vjɛ̃/
il	vient /vjɛ̃/	vint /vɛ̃/	venait /v(ə)nɛ/	viendra /vjɛ̃dʀa/	vienne /vjɛn/	vînt /vɛ̃/	viendrait /vjɛ̃dʀɛ/
nous	venons /v(ə)nɔ̃/	vînmes /vɛ̃m/	venions /v(ə)njɔ̃/	viendrons /vjɛ̃dʀɔ̃/	venions /v(ə)njɔ̃/	vinssions /vjɛ̃sjɔ̃/	viendrions /vjɛ̃dʀijɔ̃/	venons /v(ə)nɔ̃/
vous	venez /v(ə)ne/	vîntes /vɛ̃t/	veniez /v(ə)nje/	viendrez /vjɛ̃dʀe/	veniez /v(ə)nje/	vinssiez /vjɛ̃sje/	viendriez /vjɛ̃dʀije/	venez /v(ə)ne/
ils	viennent /vjɛn/	vinrent /vɛ̃ʀ/	venaient /v(ə)nɛ/	viendront /vjɛ̃dʀɔ̃/	viennent /vjɛn/	vinssent /vɛ̃s/	viendraient /vjɛ̃dʀɛ/

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: venir /v(ə)niʀ/
• Present participle: venant /v(ə)nɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en venant
• Verbal adjective: venant(e)(s)
• Past participle: venu(e)(s) /v(ə)ny/

Auxiliary verb: être

acquérir, cueillir, saillir

Second section (-oir verbs)

Verbs ending in -oir tend to have stem changes, which makes them more irregular than the other conjugations. Many have stems ending in -v, which drops before a consonant or the vowel u. Others have stems ending in -l, which undergoes changes similar to the plural of French nouns ending in -l. In addition, the vowel of the stem tends to become oi /wa/ or eu /ø, œ/ when there is no vowel in the inflectional ending (much of the simple present and present subjunctive). They also differ from other verbs in that the vowel of both the simple past and the past participle is -u /y/.

The verbs voir "to see" and seoir "to suit" and their derivatives (prévoir, asseoir) inflect as -ir verbs, not as -oir verbs, as they have the vowel -i- in the past simple and subjunctive: je vis, j'assis, etc.

Pouvoir

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	peux, puis*	pus	pouvais	pourrai	puisse	pusse	pourrais
tu	peux	pus	pouvais	pourras	puisses	pusses	pourrais	peux
il	peut	put	pouvait	pourra	puisse	pût	pourrait
nous	pouvons	pûmes	pouvions	pourrons	puissions	pussions	pourrions	pouvons
vous	pouvez	pûtes	pouviez	pourrez	puissiez	pussiez	pourriez	pouvez
ils	peuvent	purent	pouvaient	pourront	puissent	pussent	pourraient

^*In case of questions puis is used exclusively: puis-je venir? Can I come? The usage of puis in other cases is mannered.

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: pouvoir
• Present participle: pouvant
• Gerundive: en pouvant
• Verbal adjective: pouvant(e)(s)
• Past participle: pu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Recevoir

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	reçois	reçus	recevais	recevrai	reçoive	reçusse	recevrais
tu	reçois	reçus	recevais	recevras	reçoives	reçusses	recevrais	reçois
il	reçoit	reçut	recevait	recevra	reçoive	reçût	recevrait
nous	recevons	reçûmes	recevions	recevrons	recevions	reçussions	recevrions	recevons
vous	recevez	reçûtes	receviez	recevrez	receviez	reçussiez	recevriez	recevez
ils	reçoivent	reçurent	recevaient	recevront	reçoivent	reçussent	recevraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: recevoir
• Present participle: recevant
• Gerundive: en recevant
• Verbal adjective: recevant(e)(s)
• Past participle: reçu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

• Other verbs conjugated along the same model: concevoir, décevoir, percevoir, apercevoir.

Savoir

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	sais	sus	savais	saurai	sache	susse	saurais
tu	sais	sus	savais	sauras	saches	susses	saurais	sache*
il	sait	sut	savait	saura	sache	sût	saurait
nous	savons	sûmes	savions	saurons	sachions	sussions	saurions	sachons*
vous	savez	sûtes	saviez	saurez	sachiez	sussiez	sauriez	sachez*
ils	savent	surent	savaient	sauront	sachent	sussent	sauraient

* Notice that the imperative form uses the present subjunctive stem.

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: savoir
• Present participle: sachant
• Gerundive: en sachant
• Verbal adjective: sachant(e)(s)
• Past participle: su(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Vouloir

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	veux	voulus	voulais	voudrai	veuille	voulusse	voudrais
tu	veux	voulus	voulais	voudras	veuilles	voulusses	voudrais	veuille
il	veut	voulut	voulait	voudra	veuille	voulût	voudrait
nous	voulons	voulûmes	voulions	voudrons	voulions	voulussions	voudrions	veuillons
vous	voulez	voulûtes	vouliez	voudrez	vouliez	voulussiez	voudriez	veuillez
ils	veulent	voulurent	voulaient	voudront	veuillent	voulussent	voudraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: vouloir
• Present participle: voulant
• Gerundive: en voulant
• Verbal adjective: voulant(e)(s)
• Past participle: voulu(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Third Section (-re verbs)

Orthographically, the -re verbs have the inflectional endings of the -ir verbs (singular -s, -s, -t in the simple present and past). However, unlike the -ir verbs, there is no suffix -iss- between the root and the inflection, except in the past subjunctive, which is identical to the -ir verbs. In addition, the vowel of the past participle is -u /y/ rather than -i.

Attendre

Means "to wait".

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
j’	attends /atɑ̃/	attendis /atɑ̃di/	attendais /atɑ̃dɛ/	attendrai /atɑ̃dʀe/	attende /atɑ̃d/	attendisse /atɑ̃dis/	attendrais /atɑ̃dʀɛ/
tu	attends /atɑ̃/	attendis /atɑ̃di/	attendais /atɑ̃dɛ/	attendras /atɑ̃dʀa/	attendes /atɑ̃d/	attendisses /atɑ̃dis/	attendrais /atɑ̃dʀɛ/	attends /atɑ̃/
il	attend /atɑ̃/	attendit /atɑ̃di/	attendait /atɑ̃dɛ/	attendra /atɑ̃dʀa/	attende /atɑ̃d/	attendît /atɑ̃di/	attendrait /atɑ̃dʀɛ/
nous	attendons /atɑ̃dɔ̃/	attendîmes /atɑ̃dim/	attendions /atɑ̃djɔ̃/	attendrons /atɑ̃dʀɔ̃/	attendions /atɑ̃djɔ̃/	attendissions /atɑ̃disjɔ̃/	attendrions /atɑ̃dʀijɔ̃/	attendons /atɑ̃dɔ̃/
vous	attendez /atɑ̃de/	attendîtes /atɑ̃dit/	attendiez /atɑ̃dje/	attendrez /atɑ̃dʀe/	attendiez /atɑ̃dje/	attendissiez /atɑ̃disje/	attendriez /atɑ̃dʀije/	attendez /atɑ̃de/
ils	attendent /atɑ̃d/	attendirent /atɑ̃diʀ/	attendaient /atɑ̃dɛ/	attendront /atɑ̃dʀɔ̃/	attendent /atɑ̃d/	attendissent /atɑ̃dis/	attendraient /atɑ̃dʀɛ/

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: attendre /atɑ̃dʀ/
• Present participle: attendant /atɑ̃dɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en attendant /an atɑ̃dɑ̃/
• Verbal adjective: attendant(s) /atɑ̃dɑ̃/, attendante(s) /atɑ̃dɑ̃t/
• Past participle: attendu(e)(s) /atɑ̃dy/

Auxiliary verb: avoir (descendre uses être)

• If the verb stem ends with a t or d (as in attend or bat), the -t inflection of the third person simple present drops, as here. However, elsewhere it is retained: rompre → il rompt.
• Battre, mettre and all verbs on -aindre or -eindre are irregular

Dire

to say, talk

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	dis	dis	disais	dirai	dise	disse	dirais
tu	dis	dis	disais	diras	dises	disses	dirais	dis
il	dit	dit	disait	dira	dise	dît	dirait
nous	disons	dîmes	disions	dirons	disions	dissions	dirions	disons
vous	dites	dîtes	disiez	direz	disiez	dissiez	diriez	dites
ils	disent	dirent	disaient	diront	disent	dissent	diraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: dire
• Present participle: disant
• Gerundive: en disant
• Verbal adjective: disant(e)(s)
• Past participle: dit(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Prendre

to take

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	prends	pris	prenais	prendrai	prenne	prisse	prendrais
tu	prends	pris	prenais	prendras	prennes	prisses	prendrais	prends
il	prend	prit	prenait	prendra	prenne	prît	prendrait
nous	prenons	prîmes	prenions	prendrons	prenions	prissions	prendrions	prenons
vous	prenez	prîtes	preniez	prendrez	preniez	prissiez	prendriez	prenez
ils	prennent	prirent	prenaient	prendront	prennent	prissent	prendraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: prendre
• Present participle: prenant
• Gerundive: en prenant
• Verbal adjective: prenant(e)(s)
• Past participle: pris(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

• apprendre, comprendre, entreprendre, reprendre, and surprendre follow the same pattern

Faire

to do, make

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	fais	fis	faisais	ferai	fasse	fisse	ferais
tu	fais	fis	faisais	feras	fasses	fisses	ferais	fais
il	fait	fit	faisait	fera	fasse	fît	ferait
nous	faisons	fîmes	faisions	ferons	fassions	fissions	ferions	faisons
vous	faites	fîtes	faisiez	ferez	fassiez	fissiez	feriez	faites
ils	font	firent	faisaient	feront	fassent	fissent	feraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: faire
• Present participle: faisant
• Gerundive: en faisant
• Verbal adjective: faisant(e)(s)
• Past participle: fait(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: avoir

• défaire, refaire, and satisfaire follow the same pattern.

Naître

to be born

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	nais	naquis	naissais	naîtrai	naisse	naquisse	naîtrais
tu	nais	naquis	naissais	naîtras	naisses	naquisses	naîtrais	nais
il	naît	naquit	naissait	naîtra	naisse	naquît	naîtrait
nous	naissons	naquîmes	naissions	naîtrons	naissions	naquissions	naîtrions	naissons
vous	naissez	naquîtes	naissiez	naîtrez	naissiez	naquissiez	naîtriez	naissez
ils	naissent	naquirent	naissaient	naîtront	naissent	naquissent	naîtraient

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: naître
• Present participle: naissant
• Gerundive: en naissant
• Verbal adjective: naisant(e)(s)
• Past participle: né(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être

Aller

The verb aller "to go" has the unique quality of having a first group ending with an irregular conjugation. It belongs to none of the three sections of the third group, and is often categorized on its own. The verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: past all- /al/ (simple past, imperfect, past subjunctive); present subjunctive aill- /aj/; conditional and future ir- /iʀ/. The inflections of these tenses are completely regular, and pronounced as in any other -er verb. However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Aller "to go"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	vais /vɛ/	allai /ale/	allais /alɛ/	irai /iʀe/	aille /aj/	allasse /alas/	irais /iʀɛ/
tu	vas /va/	allas	allais	iras	ailles	allasses	irais	va
il	va /va/	alla	allait	ira	aille	allât	irait
nous	allons /alɔ̃/	allâmes	allions	irons	allions	allassions	irions	allons
vous	allez /ale/	allâtes	alliez	irez	alliez	allassiez	iriez	allez
ils	vont /vɔ̃/	allèrent	allaient	iront	aillent	allassent	iraient

The non-finite forms are all based on all- /al/:

• Infinitive: aller
• Present participle: allant
• Gerundive: en allant
• Verbal adjective: allant(e)(s)
• Past participle: allé(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être

Inflectional endings of the three verb groups

	1st group	2nd group	3rd group			1st group	2nd group	3rd group
	Indicatif (Présent)					Subjonctif (Présent)
je	e1	is	s (x3)	e5		e	isse	e
tu	es	is	s (x3)	es5		es	isses	es
il	e	it	t (d4)	e5		e	isse	e
nous	ons	issons	ons	ons		ions	issions	ions
vous	ez	issez	ez	ez		iez	issiez	iez
ils	ent	issent	ent (nt2)	ent		ent	issent	ent
	Indicatif (Imparfait)					Subjonctif (Imparfait)
je	ais	issais	ais			asse	isse6	isse6	usse6
tu	ais	issais	ais			asses	isses	isses	usses
il	ait	issait	ait			ât	ît	ît	ût
nous	ions	issions	ions			assions	issions	issions	ussions
vous	iez	issiez	iez			assiez	issiez	issiez	ussiez
ils	aient	issaient	aient			assent	issent	issent	ussent
	Indicatif (Passé simple)					Impératif (Présent)
je	ai	is	is6	us6
tu	as	is	is	us		e	is	s	e5
il	a	it	it	ut
nous	âmes	îmes	îmes	ûmes		ons	issons	ons	ons
vous	âtes	îtes	îtes	ûtes		ez	issez	ez	ez
ils	èrent	irent	irent	urent
	Indicatif (Futur simple)					Conditionnel (Présent)
je	erai	irai	rai			erais	irais	rais
tu	eras	iras	ras			erais	irais	rais
il	era	ira	ra			erait	irait	rait
nous	erons	irons	rons			erions	irions	rions
vous	erez	irez	rez			eriez	iriez	riez
ils	eront	iront	ront			eraient	iraient	raient

1. In an interrogative sentence, the final e is written é, and is pronounced as an open è [ɛ]. Additionally, the e in je becomes silent. For example: je marche [ʒə maʁʃ] (I walk), marché-je? [maʁʃɛːʒ] (do I walk?)
2. The following verbs have the ending -ont: ils sont (they are), ils ont (they have), ils font (they do), ils vont (they go).
3. only in je/tu peux (I/you can), je/tu veux (I/you want), and je/tu vaux (I am/you are 'worth').
4. Verbs in -dre have a final d for the 3rd singular person, except for those ending in -indre and -soudre which take a final t.
5. The only verbs having this ending are: assaillir (assail), couvrir (cover), cueillir (pluck), défaillir (default), offrir (offer), ouvrir (open), souffrir (suffer), tressaillir (shiver), and in the imperative only, avoir (have), savoir (know), and vouloir (want).
6. Except for je vins (I came), je tins (I held), etc..., que je vinsse (that I come), que je tinsse (that I hold), etc...

References

• Larousse de la conjugaison, 1980.
• Sample french verb conjugation whole-translated in english for all tenses

Verb tenses sorted by type

Usage of the Present

When you want to talk about something that's happening now.

Formation of the Present

To form the present tense, there are seven categories of verbs that you need to know about, sorted by their endings, and if they are regular (follow the rules) or irregular (have their own rules).

They are:

• -er verbs
• -ir verbs
• -re verbs

and

• irregular -er verbs
• irregular -ir verbs
• irregular -re verbs
• really really irregular verbs

Regular Verbs

Regular -er Verbs

• For non stem-changing regular -er verbs, the stem is determined by removing the final -er.
• After determining the stem, conjugate by adding the appropriate endings.

Subject	Ending
je	-e
tu	-es
il	-e
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils	-ent

Conjugation of Regular -ir Verbs

• For regular -ir verbs, the stem is determined by removing the final -ir.
• After determining the stem, conjugate by adding the appropriate endings.

Subject	Ending
je	-is
tu	-is
il	-it
nous	-issons
vous	-issez
ils	-issent

Conjugation of Regular -re Verbs

• For regular -re verbs, the stem is determined by removing the final -re.
• After determining the stem, conjugate by adding the appropriate endings.

Subject	Ending
je	-s
tu	-s
il	-
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils	-ent

Irregular Conjugations

• Several verbs are irregularly conjugated in the present.
• Some verbs can be categorized by the general pattern they follow, while others are completely irregular.
• Irregular verbs are too numerous to be entirely provided here. Only some common irregular verbs will be shown.

Stem Changing -er Verbs

• Several French verbs are stem-changing; the endings for conjugation basically remain the same, but slight changes occur with the stem.
• One may divide the category of stem-changing verbs into two subcategories: verbs whose stems change only in the nous form and verbs whose stems change only in the je, tu, il, and ils forms.

-cer Verbs

• To conjugate a -cer verb in the nous form, change the c to a ç.
• Conjugations in the je, tu, il, vous, and ils forms remain unaffected.

-ger Verbs

• To conjugate a -ger verb in the nous form, add an e between the final g and the ending ons.
• Conjugations in the je, tu, il, vous, and ils forms remain unaffected.

-ayer, -oyer, and -uyer Verbs

• To conjugate an -ayer, -oyer, or -uyer verb in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, change the y to i.
• Conjugations in the nous and vous forms remain unaffected.

-eler Verbs

• To conjugate an -eler verb in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, change the l to ll.
• Conjugations in the nous and vous forms remain unaffected.

-eter Verbs

• To conjugate an -eter verb in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, change the t to tt.
• Conjugations in the nous and vous forms remain unaffected.

Verbs with e in the second to last syllable

• To conjugate a verb with an e in the second to last syllable in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, change the e to è.
• Conjugations in the nous and vous forms remain unaffected.

Verbs with é in the second to last syllable

• To conjugate a verb with an é in the second to last syllable in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, change the é to è.
• Conjugations in the nous and vous forms remain unaffected.

Irregular -ir Verb Patterns

Couvrir

• The verbs couvrir, cueillir, offrir, ouvrir, and souffrir, follow this pattern.
• The stem is determined by removing the final -ir.
• Although the verbs are -ir verbs, they are treated like regular -er verbs for the purpose of conjugation. Thus, they utilize the regular endings for -er verbs.

Dormir

• The verbs dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, and sortir follow this pattern.
• For conjugating the plural forms (nous, vous, ils), the stem is determined by removing the final -ir.
• For conjugating the singular forms (je, tu, il), the stem is the same as the plural stem, except that the last letter of the plural stem is removed in addition to the -ir.
• The verb ending pattern for these verbs is as follows:

Subject	Ending
je	-s
tu	-s
il	-t
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils	-ent

Irregular -re Verb Patterns

-aindre, -eindre, and -oindre Verbs

• Verbs ending with -aindre, -eindre, and -oindre follow this pattern.
• For conjugating the singular forms (je, tu, il), the stem is determined by removing the final -dre.
• For conjugating the plural forms (nous, vous, ils), the stem is the same as the singular stem, except that a g is immediately after the final i and before the final n.
• The verb ending pattern for these verbs is as follows:

Subject	Ending
je	-s
tu	-s
il	-t
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils	-ent

Completely Irregular Verbs

Aller - To Go

Subject	Conjugation
je	vais
tu	vas
il	va
nous	allons
vous	allez
ils	vont

S'asseoir - To Sit

Subject	Conjugation
je m'	assieds
tu t'	assieds
il s'	assied
nous nous	asseyons
vous vous	asseyez
ils s'	asseyent

Avoir - To Have

Subject	Conjugation
j'	ai
tu	as
il	a
nous	avons
vous	avez
ils	ont

Boire - To Drink

Subject	Conjugation
je	bois
tu	bois
il	boit
nous	buvons
vous	buvez
ils	boivent

Conduire - To Drive

Subject	Conjugation
je	conduis
tu	conduis
il	conduit
nous	conduisons
vous	conduisez
ils	conduisent

Connaître - To Know (A person)

Subject	Conjugation
je	connais
tu	connais
il	connaît
nous	connaissons
vous	connaissez
ils	connaissent

Croire - To Believe

Subject	Conjugation
je	crois
tu	crois
il	croit
nous	croyons
vous	croyez
ils	croient

Devoir - To Have To

Subject	Conjugation
je	dois
tu	dois
il	doit
nous	devons
vous	devez
ils	doivent

Dire - To Say/To Tell

Subject	Conjugation
je	dis
tu	dis
il	dit
nous	disons
vous	dites
ils	disent

Écrire - TO Write

Subject	Conjugation
j'	écris
tu	écris
il	écrit
nous	écrivons
vous	écrivez
ils	écrivent

Être - To Be

Subject	Conjugation
je	suis
tu	es
il	est
nous	sommes
vous	êtes
ils	sont

Faillir - To Almost Do

Subject	Conjugation
je	faillis / faux
tu	faillis / faux
il	faillit / faut
nous	faillissons / faillons
vous	faillissez / faillez
ils	faillissent / faillent

Faire - To Do/To Make

Subject	Conjugation
je	fais
tu	fais
il	fait
nous	faisons
vous	faites
ils	font

Falloir - To Have To/To Need (This verb can only be used in the impersonnal form)

Subject	Conjugation
il	faut

Lire - To Read

Subject	Conjugation
je	lis
tu	lis
il	lit
nous	lisons
vous	lisez
ils	lisent

Mettre - To Put/To Place

Subject	Conjugation
je	mets
tu	mets
il	met
nous	mettons
vous	mettez
ils	mettent

Mourir - To Die

Subject	Conjugation
je	meure
tu	meures
il	meurt
nous	mourons
vous	mourez
ils	meurent

Naître - To Be Born

Subject	Conjugation
je	nais
tu	nais
il	naît
nous	naissons
vous	naissez
ils	naissent

Prendre - To Take

Subject	Conjugation
je	prends
tu	prends
il	prend
nous	prenons
vous	prenez
ils	prennent

Rire - To Laugh

Subject	Conjugation
je	ris
tu	ris
il	rit
nous	rions
vous	riez
ils	rient

Savoir - To Know (a fact)

Subject	Conjugation
je	sais
tu	sais
il	sait
nous	savons
vous	savez
ils	savent

Sortir - To Go Out

Subject	Conjugation
je	sors
tu	sors
il	sort
nous	sortons
vous	sortez
ils	sortent

Venir - To Come

Subject	Conjugation
je	viens
tu	viens
il	vient
nous	venons
vous	venez
ils	viennent

Vivre - To Live

Subject	Conjugation
je	vis
tu	vis
il	vit
nous	vivons
vous	vivez
ils	vivent

Voir - To See

Subject	Conjugation
je	vois
tu	vois
il	voit
nous	voyons
vous	voyez
ils	voient

Vouloir - To Want

Subject	Conjugation
je	veux
tu	veux
il	veut
nous	voulons
vous	voulez
ils	veulent

Imperfect

Imparfait in French

Usage of the Imperfect

The imperfect is used in French under several different circumstances. The imperfect is used:

• To refer to previously ongoing and repeated events that are now completely finished.

• To express an action that happened often in the past, such as a habit that one has grown out of. For example, "I used to eat a kiwi while watching the news." is in French, "Je mangeais un kiwi en regardant les informations."

• In describing the past, including things such as: time, location, weather, age, physical appearance, physical and emotional conditions or states, attitudes and desires and other mental experiences.

• Actions that occurred while something else was happening.

• To compare and contrast events in the present with events in the past.

• To talk about the emotions or abstract qualities of a person/thing in the past or to discuss an irritating quality or subject.

• To suggest or ask certain "forceful" questions such as, "Si on faisait une promenade?"

• When phrases like I used to do... and I would do... are used in English.

Formation of the Imperfect

Imperfect Stem

• For all verbs except for être, the imperfect stem is determined by removing the -ons from the nous form of the present indicative of the verb.
• Certain verbs (-cer and -ger verbs) are stem-changing in the nous form of the present indicative; these are stem-changing the imperfect also. The stem change that applies in the present indicative is retained when conjugating the je, tu, il, and ils forms of the imperfect. That stem change is reversed when conjugating the nous and vous forms of the imperfect.
• For être, the imperfect stem is ét-.

Imperfect Ending

• To conjugate in the imperfect, add the appropriate ending to the imperfect stem.

Subject	Ending
je	-ais
tu	-ais
il	-ait
nous	-ions
vous	-iez
ils	-aient

Examples

Aller

Subject	Ending
j'	allais
tu	allais
il	allait
nous	allions
vous	alliez
ils	allaient

Être

Subject	Ending
j'	étais
tu	étais
il	était
nous	étions
vous	étiez
ils	étaient

Exceptions

Manger

Subject	Ending
je	mangeais
tu	mangeais
il	mangeait
nous	mangions
vous	mangiez
ils	mangeaient

Commencer

Subject	Ending
je	commençais
tu	commençais
il	commençait
nous	commencions
vous	commenciez
ils	commençaient

Exercises

Translate the following sentences into English: -Je jouais au foot quand j'avais douze ans, mais maintenant je nage parfois. Quand j'avais douze ans j'étais en forme. Une fois, le douze décembre, je me suis cassé la jambe, et je ne jouais plus au foot. Quelle tristesse! -Quand j'avais dix ans, je mangeais beaucoup de frites.

Usage of the Simple Past (Past Historic, Past Definite)

The simple past is mostly a literary tense, used in fairy tales, and perhaps newspapers. It is one that native French students are expected to recognize but not use.

Formation of the Simple Past

To conjugate in this tense, one finds the stem and appends the following, as according to the table:

Subject	Add ending	Conjugated verb
je	-ai	dansai
tu	-as	dansas
il / elle / on	-a	dansa
nous	-âmes	dansâmes
vous	-âtes	dansâtes
ils / elles	-èrent	dansèrent

It should be noted that être, along with a few other verbs are consistent in their irregularities in the passé simple as well.

Simple Past Stems

• For normal verbs (not irregular);

-er, changes it to é (manger = mangé)
-ir, take off the r (choisir = choisi)
-re, take off the re and add a u

• Certain verbs (-cer and -ger verbs) are stem-changing in the nous form of the present indicative; these are stem-changing the simple past also. The stem change that applies in the present indicative is retained when conjugating the je, tu, il, nous, and vous forms of the simple past. That stem change is reversed when conjugating the ils form of the simple past.
• For irregular verbs whose past participle end in -u, (but not for regular -re verbs, whose past participle also end in -u), that past participle is also the simple past stem.
• Some verbs have irregular simple past stems.

Irregular stems

Verb	Simple past stem
s'asseoir	s'ass-
conduire	conduis-
dire	d-
écrire	écriv-
faire	f-
joindre	joign-
mettre	m-
naître	naqu-
peindre	peign-
prendre	pr-
rire	r-
voir	v-

Simple Past Endings

• To conjugate in the past tense, add the appropriate ending to the past participle. There is one set of endings for irregular verbs whose past participles end in -u ("irregular endings"), and another set for all other verbs ("regular endings").

Regular endings

Subject	Ending
je	-ai
tu	-as
il	-a
nous	-âmes
vous	-âtes
ils	-èrent

Irregular endings

Subject	Ending
je	-s
tu	-s
il	-t
nous	-^mes
vous	-^tes
ils	-rent

Irregular Conjugations

• The conjugations for être, mourir, and venir are entirely irregular, and are not based on past simple stems or endings.

Être

Subject	Conjugation
je	fus
tu	fus
il	fut
nous	fûmes
vous	fûtes
ils	furent

Mourir

Subject	Conjugation
je	mourus
tu	mourus
il	mourut
nous	mourûmes
vous	mourûtes
ils	moururent

Venir

Subject	Conjugation
je	vins
tu	vins
il	vint
nous	vînmes
vous	vîntes
ils	vinrent

Usage of the Future

One uses the future tense when referring to an action, certain to occur, in the future. In a time ahead of now.

One may also use aller in the present tense in conjunction with aller or another verb in infinitive form, to refer to the future. However it is not the future tense.

For example, Il va aller à l'école or Je vais dormir

Holds generally the same meaning as:

Il ira à l'école or Je dormirai

However, the former is not in the future tense. (It is in the Near Future tense.) Also, the usage of "aller" generally signifies an action to occur in the very near future, where as future tense refers to any time in the future.

Formation of the Future

Future Stems

• For (regular and irregular) -er or -ir verbs, the infinitive is the future stem.
• For (regular and irregular) -re verbs, the infinitive minus the final e is the future stem.
• Exception: Verbs that are stem-changing in the present are stem-changing in the future also.
• Exception: Certain irregular verbs have irregular future stems. (Not all irregular verbs have irregular future stems).

Stem Changes (Infinitif)

Verb	Change From	Change To
-ler verbs	ler	ller
-ter verbs	ter	tter
-yer verbs	yer	ier
verbs with an e in the penultimate syllable	e in penultimate syllable	è
verbs with é in the penultimate syllable	é in penultimate syllable	è

Exceptions to the Rule (Irrégulier)

verb	future stem
aller	ir-
avoir	aur-
devoir	devr-
envoyer	enverr-
être	ser-
faire	fer-
pleuvoir	pleuvr-
pouvoir	pourr-
savoir	saur-
venir	viendr-
voir	verr-
vouloir	voudr-

Future Endings

To conjugate a verb in the futur simple, one takes the infinitive and appends the following, as according to the table: Here, danser is used.

Subject	Ending	Conjugated verb
je	-ai	danserai
tu	-as	danseras
il/elle	-a	dansera
nous	-ons	danserons
vous	-ez	danserez
ils	-ont	danseront

Usage of the conditional (present)

The conditional tense is used when:

• a hypothetical situation is described. In which case the structure "Si + l'imparfait, le conditionnel" is used.

e.g. If I saw (or If I were to see) her, I would not recognize her. - Si je la voyais, je ne la reconnaîtrais pas.

• a polite request needs to be made:

e.g. I would like a small salad, please. - Je voudrais (or J'aimerais) une petite salade, s'il vous plaît.

• an event that had not happened was described:

e.g. He said Marie would come. - Il a dit que Marie viendrait.

Formation of the conditional

Conditional stems

• For (regular and irregular) -er or -ir verbs, the infinitive is the conditional stem.
• For (regular and irregular) -re verbs, the infinitive minus the final e is the conditional stem.
• Exception: verbs that are stem-changing in the present are stem-changing in the conditional also.
• Exception: certain irregular verbs (but not all) have irregular conditional stems.
• Note: in a word, the conditional stem is the same with the future one.

Stem changes

Verb	Change from	Change to
-ler verbs	ler	ller
ier verbs	ier	ier
-yer verbs	yer	ier
verbs with an e in the penultimate syllable	e in penultimate syllable	è
verbs with é in the penultimate syllable	é in penultimate syllable	è

Irregular stems

Verb	Future stem
aller	ir-
avoir	aur-
devoir	devr-
envoyer	enverr-
être	ser-
faire	fer-
pleuvoir	pleuvr-
pouvoir	pourr-
savoir	saur-
venir	viendr-
voir	verr-
vouloir	voudr-

Conditional endings

• To conjugate in the conditional, add the appropriate ending to the future stem.

Subject	Ending	Example with parler
je	-ais	parlerais
tu	-ais	parlerais
il	-ait	parlerait
nous	-ions	parlerions
vous	-iez	parleriez
ils	-aient	parleraient

Present subjunctive

The subjunctive in French is used to express doubt, desire, surprise, judgment, necessity, possibility, opinions, and emotions. It usually follows the word "que." The conjugations for the subjunctive mood for regular verbs are as follows:

Take the ils form of the verb, at the present time tense drop the -ent and add the following:

je - e

tu - es

il - e

nous - use the "imparfait" time tense

vous - use the "imparfait" time tense

ils - ent

Some irregular verb conjugations:

infinitive	que je/j'	que tu	qu'il	que nous	que vous	qu'ils
avoir	aie	aies	ait	ayons	ayez	aient
être	sois	sois	soit	soyons	soyez	soient

Irregular 1-stem conjugations:

infinitive	que je/j'	que nous
conduire	conduise	conduisions
connaître	connaisse	connassions
courir	coure	courions
couvrir	couvre	couvrions
dire	dise	disions
dormir	dorme	dormions
écrire	écrive	écrivions
faire	fasse	fassions
lire	lise	lisions
mettre	mette	mettions
offrir	offre	offrions
ouvrir	ouvre	ouvrions
partir	parte	partions
savoir	sache	sachions
servir	serve	servions
sortir	sorte	sortions
tenir	tienne	tenions
traduire	tranduise	tranduisions
valoir	vaille	vaillions

2-stem Conjugations:

infinitive	que je/j'	que nous
acheter	achète	achetions
appeler	appelle	appelions
boire	boive	buvions
comprendre	comprenne	comprenions
croire	croie	croyions
devoir	doive	devions
employer	emploie	employions
ennuyer	ennuie	ennuyons
envoyer	envoie	envoyions
espérer	espère	espérions
jeter	jettent	jetions
payer	paie	payions
pouvoir	puisse	puisse/pouvions
préférer	préfère	préfèrions
prendre	prenne	prenions
recevoir	reçoive	recevions
répéter	répète	répétions
rire	rie	riions
tenir	tienne	tenions
venir	vienne	venions
voir	voie	voyions
vouloir	veuille	voulions

Impersonal verbs

infinitive	qu'il
falloir	faille
pleuvoir	pleuve

Usage of the Imperfect Subjunctive

The subjunctive imperfect is very rarely employed in French; generally it only appears in literature and is viewed as archaic. It can in all instances be replaced by the subjunctive present. The subjunctive imperfect is employed in any instance in which the subjunctive is required, provided the trigger verb is in a past tense. In the example "Il fallait que le garçon allât à l'école", the subjunctive trigger verb "falloir" is in the imperfect, thus "aller" has been conjugated in the subjunctive imperfect. French speakers would normally express this as "Il fallait que le garçon aille à l'école", where "aller" has been conjugated in the present subjunctive.

Formation of the Imperfect Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive Stems

• For regular -er verbs, the imperfect subjunctive stem is the conjugation of the verb in the 3rd person singular form of the simple past
• For regular -ir verbs, regular -re verbs and irregular verbs, the imperfect subjunctive stem is the conjugation of the verb in the 3rd person singular form of the simple past with the final "t" removed.

Imperfect Subjunctive Endings

• To conjugate the imperfect subjunctive, add the appropriate ending to the imperfect subjunctive stem.

Imperfect Subjunctive Endings

Subject	Ending
je	-sse
tu	-sses
il	-^t
nous	-ssions
vous	-ssiez
ils	-ssent

Irregular Conjugations

• The verb venir is only irregular in the 3rd person singular.

Imperfect Subjunctive of Venir

Subject	Ending
je	vinsse
tu	vinsses
il	vînt
nous	vinssions
vous	vinssiez
ils	vinssent

Perfect tenses

Present perfect

The passé composé is a perfect tense, and is therefore composed of an auxiliary verb and a past participle. With most verbs, that auxililary verb is avoir.

Meaning

Verbs in French conjugated in the passé composé can most simply be translated to English as eg "has / have ____ed". While there is a simple past tense in French, it is mostly used in formal narrative writing, so verbs conjugated in the passé composé can also be used to mean the English simple tense.

• For example, the passé composé form of parler (to speak), [avoir] parlé, literally means has/have spoken, but also means spoke. In French, the passé composé covers "I ate", "I did eat" and "I have eaten" - J'ai mangé.

When to use

You use the passé composé when you want to express that:

1. Something has been completed in the past.
2. Something was done a certain amount of times in the past. (if the something was ongoing, the imparfait should be used)
3. A series of somethings was completed in the past.

Formation

Introduction

To conjugate a verb in the passé composé, the auxiliary (or helping) verb, usually avoir, is conjugated in the present indicative and the past participle is then added. It is important to remember that there is only *one* verb in the passé composé. While the past participle looks like a verb, it is not - it functions more like an adjective. This is important to remember because when you negate in the passé composé, you negate the only verb, which is the auxiliary verb (ex. "Je n'ai pas mangé"; "I have not eaten"). This works exactly the same way in English - the only verb is the auxiliary verb, which is also the only thing negated in English ("I have not eaten").

Formation Summary

The compound past is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb ("helper verb") and the past participle of the verb one seeks to use in this tense.

To form the passé composé, you need to take the auxiliary verb - either avoir or être, then conjugate it according to the subject of the sentence, like in the present indicative tense. We then take the past participle of the verb, and stick that on the end. Every verb has one past participle that does not change (there are some exceptions, as one will learn later). To find the past participle, the stem of the infinitive must be determined or the irregularity must be known.

If we want to make the statement negative, for example if we didn't do something in the past, we must always put the negative structure such as ne ... pas around the auxiliary verb, immediately before the past participle. For example, "Je ne peux pas",.

Also, reflexive or pronomial verbs must be conjugated with être under most circumstances. For example, the verb "se réflechir" is conjugated in the first person singular by "Je me suis réflechi(e),".

Auxiliary Verb Formation

• The auxiliary verb is always either avoir or être.
  • In the passé composé, for example, the auxiliary verb is conjugated in the present indicative.
    • With Avoir: J'ai fini. - I have finished or I finished.
    • With Être: Je suis allé. - I went.

Auxiliary Verb - Avoir

Conjugate avoir in the present indicative.

j'ai	nous avons
tu as	vous avez
il/elle/on a	ils/elles ont

Auxiliary Verb - Être

Conjugate être in the present indicative.

je suis	nous sommes
tu es	vous êtes
il/elle/on est	ils/elles sont

Past Participle Formation

• -er verbs - replace -er with é
• -ir verbs - replace -ir with i
• -re verbs - replace -re with u
• irregular verbs - must be memorized

Formation of the Past Participle
Verb Group	Infinitive	Stem	Past Participle
-er verbs	jouer	jou	joué
-ir verbs	finir	fin	fini
-re verbs	répondre	répond	répondu

Avoir + Past Participle

J'ai joué.	I have played	Nous avons joué.	We have played.
Tu as joué.	You have played.	Vous avez joué.	You have played.
Il/Elle/On a joué.	He has played.	Ils/Elles ont joué.	They have played.

Être + Past Participle

Je suis allé(e).	I went.	Nous sommes allé(e)s.	we went
Tu es allé(e).	You went.	Vous êtes allé(e)(s).*	you (all) went
Il/On est allé.	He went.	Ils sont allés.	they went
Elle est allée.	She went.	Elles sont allées.	they went

• Note that for the starred vous form, the S (which is always added for nous and ils/elles) is not added if the vous is simply denoting the singular, formal you.

Past Participle Agreement with Preceding Direct Objects

The past participle must agree with the direct object of a clause in gender and plurality if the direct object goes before the verb.

• the direct object is masculine singular - no change
  • J'ai fini le jeu. - I have finished the game.
  • Je l'ai fini. - I have finished it.
• the direct object is feminine singular - add an e to the past participle
  • J'ai fini la tâche. - I have finished the task.
  • Je l'ai finie. - I have finished it.
• the direct object is masculine plural - add an s to the past participle.
  • J'ai fini les jeux. - I have finished the games.
  • Je les ai finis. - I have finished them.
• the direct object is feminine plural - add an es to the past participle.
  • J'ai fini les tâches. - I have finished the tasks.
  • Je les ai finies. - I have finished them.

Avoir ou Être?

In most circumstances, the auxiliary verb is avoir. However, with certain verbs, the auxiliary verb is être. This occurs under two different circumstances:

1. Reflexive verbs always take être.

This distinguishes them from verbs with preceding objects pronouns.

Reflexive Verbs vs. Verbs with Preceding Object Pronouns
Je me suis parlé.	I spoke to myself.
Il m'a parlé.	He spoke to me.

2. The House of Être: Most verbs form the passé composé with avoir, however there are a small number of verbs that are always conjugated with être. Seventeen special intransitive verbs take être (four of which can also take avoir, as explained below).

Verbs that take ÊTRE in the Passé Composé
Devenir	To become	Je suis devenu(e) normalien(ne).	I became an Ivy League student.
Revenir	To come back	Je suis revenu(e) dans cette salle pour chercher mon cahier.	I came back to this classroom to find my notebook.
Mourir	To die	Je suis mort(e) à cause des examens. Il est mort en 1917.	I died because of my exams. He died in 1917.
Rentrer	To re-enter or go home	Je suis rentré(e) de l'école. Il est rentré tôt de l'école.	I came home from school. He came back early from school.
Sortir*	To go out	Je suis sorti(e) avec des amis.	I went out with some friends.
Décéder	To die/be deceased	Elle est décédée en octobre.	She died in October/was deceased as of October.
Passer (par)*	To pass (by)	Je suis passé par la bibliothèque. Il est passé devant la maison.	I passed by the library. It happened in front of the house.
Venir	To come	Je suis venu(e) vous parler. Je suis venu(e) en France.	I came to speak to you. I came to France.
Aller	To go	Je suis allé(e) à la cantine. Je suis allé(e) au cinéma.	I went to the cafeteria. I went to the cinema.
Naître	To be born (*not* a passive verb in French)	Je suis né(e) le 1 janvier. Je suis né(e) en octobre.	I was born on January 1. I was born in October.
Descendre*	To go/take down	Je suis descendu(e) du vélo. Il est descendu du train.	I got down from the bike. He got out of the train.
Entrer	To enter	Je suis entré(e) par la porte. Je suis entré(e) dans ma chambre.	I came in by the door. I entered in my (bed)room.
Retourner	To return	Je suis retourné(e) au café le lendemain. Il est retourné au restaurant.	I went back to the café the next day. He returned to the restaurant.
Tomber	To fall	Je suis tombé(e) de ma chaise. Je suis tombé(e) dans la piscine.	I fell out of my seat. I fell into the pool.
Rester	To stay (*not* to rest)	Je suis resté(e) chez moi samedi soir. Je suis resté(e) à la maison.	I stayed home on Saturday night. I stayed home.
Arriver	To arrive	Je suis arrivé(e) en cours à l'heure. Le train est arrivé.	I arrived in class on time. The train has arrived.
Monter*	To mount, to put up, to go up, to get on	Je suis monté dans la car de l'école.	I got on the school bus.
Partir	To leave	Je suis parti(e) pour étudier en France. Elle est partie travailler.	I left to go study in France. She left to go to work.

A useful mnemonic to help you remember these is "DR.MRS.VANDERTRAMPP". Because all of these verbs except mourir, naître and rester are also verbs of movement (but be careful! not all movement verbs take être!), many also find it useful to draw a house with the verbs being acted out ("The House of Être").

2.a. Exceptions Note that there are four verbs above that are followed by a star (sortir, descendre, monter, passer). When a direct object is used with these verbs, the auxiliary verb becomes avoir.

Être Verbs that take Avoir when they are followed by a Direct Object
SORTIR (être)	Je suis sorti(e) hier soir.	I went out last night.
SORTIR (avoir)	J'ai sorti le lit de ma chambre.	I took the bed out of my room.
DESCENDRE (être)	Je suis descendu(e) dans l'ascenseur.	I came down in the elevator.
DESCENDRE (avoir)	J'ai descendu le criminel.	I brought down the criminal.
DESCENDRE (avoir)	J'ai descendu le tableau du mur.	I took down the painting from the wall.
MONTER (être)	Je suis monté par l'escalier.	I came up by the stairs.
MONTER (avoir)	Mon chien a monté un autre chien, le cochon. Je suis monté(e) au sommet.	My dog mounted the other dog, the pig. I climbed to the top.
PASSER (être)	Je suis passé par la Tour Eiffel quand je me baladais dans le parc.	I passed by the Eiffel Tower when I was walking in the park.
PASSER (avoir)	J'ai passé mon examen de maths.	I took my math test. (NB: to pass an exam is réussir; to take an exam, use passer)

Pluperfect of the indicative

In French the pluperfect is called le plus-que-parfait. In English, it is also called the more than perfect.

Formation

• The pluperfect is a compound tense - it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the verb one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the imperfect.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, immediately before the past participle.
• All past participle agreement rules that apply to composed tenses apply to the pluperfect.

Usage

The pluperfect is used to describe a past action that occurred before a second past action that is in the passé composé or imparfait.

• Elle était vieille, mais elle avait été jeune. - She was old, but she had been young.
• Je l'aurais aidé si j'avais su. - I would've helped him if I had known.
• J'étais parti(e) quand tu m'as téléphoné. - I had already left when you called (me).

Usage of the Pluperfect Subjunctive

The French pluperfect subjunctive is the least common literary tense - it's the literary equivalent of the past subjunctive.

Like all literary tenses, the pluperfect subjunctive is used only in literature, historical writings, and other very formal writing, so it is important to be able to recognize it but chances are that you will never in your life need to conjugate it.

Formation of the Pluperfect Subjunctive

• The pluperfect subjunctive is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the verb one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the imperfect subjunctive.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, immediately before the past participle.

Usage of the Past Anterior

• The past anterior is used for actions completely terminated before the main past action. It translates as to have done something (before doing something else). Ex: I had gone to the store before I picked him up.

Formation of the Past Anterior

• The past anterior is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the passé simple.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, not the past participle.

Usage

This is used in a sentence when there is something in a future tense, but this action is also in the future, but before the other future. This is called the "futur anterieur" in French.

Formation

• The future anterior is a compound tense—it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the future indicative.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, not the past participle.

Usage of the Past Conditional

Past conditional is used to refer to an event that could have taken place in the past. Eg. "If he had not got hungry, we would have gone further."

Formation of the Past Conditional

• The past conditional is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the present conditional.
• The past participle is placed immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, not the past participle.

Formation of the Past Subjunctive

• The past subjunctive is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the present subjunctive.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, not the past participle.

Perfect tense components

Formation

Replace the -ons ending of a verb conjugated in the first person plural in the present indicative with -ant. There are three verbs with the present participle forming irregularly: avoir, être, and savoir.

Grammar (upload audio) Present Participle Formation · Formation De Participe Présent
Regular Formation
infinitive	Nous form of the present indicative	Stem	Ending	Present Participle
parler	nous parlons	parl	ant	parlant
finir	nous finissons	finiss		finissant
attendre	nous attendons	attend		attendant
prendre	nous prenons	pren		prenant
Irregular Formation
avoir		ayant
être		étant
savoir		sachant

Forms and Usage Summary

Grammar (upload audio) Present Participle Usage · Utilisation De Participe Présent
Form	Formation	Formation Example	Usage	Usage Detail
Simple Present Participle	[present participle]	étant - being disant - saying	cause reason	expresses the reason why something has occurred
Composed Present Participle	[étant or ayant] + [past participle]	ayant fini - having finished étant allé(e)(s) - having gone	anteriority	expresses that one action occurred before the action of the main verb
Le gérondif	en + [present participle]	en chantant - while singing en courant - while running	simultinaity	expresses that one action is occurring at the same time as a second

• NOTE: The present progressive tense does not exist in French. The present indicative is used instead.
  • To say I am going., you would say Je vais. You would NOT say Je suis allant.

Simple Present Participle Usage

The present participle is used to express the reason why something has occurred.

• La table étant trop lourde, ils ne pouvaient pas la soulever. - The table being too heavy, they were not able to lift it.

Composed Present Participle

Formation

To form the composed present participle, conjugate être or avoir in the present participle (étant and ayant) and add the past participle.

• ayant parlé - having spoken
• étant allé(e)(s) - having gone.

Note that both avoir and être translate to having in English. This is the same in all composed tenses.

The past participle may have an -e or -s added in order to agree with other parts of the sentence. All standard agreement rules that composed tenses follow apply to the composed present participle as well.

Usage

The composed present participle is used to express that one action occurred before the action of the main verb

• Ayant fini, je suis parti(e). - Having finished, I left.
• Je suis parti(e) ayant entendu la fille. - I left having heard the girl.

The composed present participle is not used after a preposition. To express a similar idea using a preposition, the past infinitive is used.

• Je suis parti(e) sans avoir entendu la fille. - I left without having heard the girl.
• Je suis parti(e) après avoir entendu la fille. - I left after having heard the girl.

Le gérondif

Formation

en + present participle

• en chantant - (while) singing
• en courant - (while) running

Usage

Le gérondif is used to express that one action is occurring at the same time as a second.

• Ils se sont promenés en chantant. - They walked while singing.
• Elle est arrivée en courant. - She arrived running.

Usage

This is added after an auxiliary verb for all the composed tenses:

• Indicatif passé composé
• Indicatif plus-que-parfait
• Indicatif passé antérieur
• Indicatif futur antérieur
• Subjonctif passé
• Subjonctif plus-que-parfait
• Conditionnel passé

Formation

• For a regular -er verb, the past participle is determined by replacing the -er with é.
• For a regular -ir verb, the past participle is determined by removing the final r.
• For a regular -re verb, the past participle is determined by replacing the -re with u.
• Irregular verbs have irregular past participles, as shown by the table.
• For verbs with the auxiliary verb être, the past participle must agree with the subject. For verbs with the auxiliary avoir, the participle never agree with the subject, but with a possible direct complement, if it is written before the verb. For example, in the sentence elles sont arrivées au café, since the subject is both feminine and plural, the participle arrive has an "e" and an "s" to agree with the subject elles, because it's written before the verb, but in the sentence elle a bu le café, the participle bu does not agree with elle.

The table below shows additions to the normal past participle that must be made based on the gender and number of the subject.

Irregular past participles
Verb	Past participle
atteindre	atteint
avoir	eu
boire	bu
conduire	conduit
connaître	connu
construire	construit
courir	couru
couvrir	couvert
craindre	craint
croire	cru
devoir	dû
dire	dit
écrire	écrit
être	été
faire	fait
falloir	fallu
instruire	instruit
joindre	joint
lire	lu
mettre	mis
mourir	mort
offrir	offert
ouvrir	ouvert
naître	né
paraître	paru
peindre	peint
pleuvoir	plu
pouvoir	pu
prendre	pris
produire	produit
recevoir	reçu
savoir	su
souffrir	souffert
suivre	suivi
tenir	tenu
venir	venu
vivre	vécu
voir	vu
vouloir	voulu

Past participle agreement
Gender	Number	Add
masculine	singular	-
masculine	plural	-s
feminine	singular	-e
feminine	plural	-es

Avoir or être

• For the verbs aller, arriver, descendre, entrer, monter, mourir, naître, passer, partir, rentrer, rester, retourner, sortir, tomber, décéder, and venir, the auxiliary verb is être (eg: je suis allé à Paris).
• For pronominal verbs (verbs indicating that the subject performs the action upon itself) être is the auxiliary verb (eg: je me suis mis à écrire).
• For all other verbs, avoir is the auxiliary verb (eg: j'ai mis de l'encre dans l'imprimante).
• When some verbs that are normally conjugated with être are used transitively (along with a direct object), avoir is the auxiliary verb (eg: j'ai monté un meuble en kit).
• When the subject of a pronominal verb becomes an object, avoir becomes the auxiliary verb (eg: les deux chefs se sont rencontrés -> un chef a rencontré un autre chef).

Other tenses

Recent past

The Passé Récent is the tense which represents doing something.

e.g. I just returned.

However, in French you say that you come from doing something rather than having just done it, so that sentence would be: e.g. Je viens de revenir

If we break it down into its parts it looks like this:

(pronoun) (conjugated form of venir) de (infinitive verb)

Here are some more examples:

We have just finished = Nous venons de finir

She has just arrived = Elle vient d'arriver

They have just eaten = Ils viennent de manger

Near future

Futur Proche in French

Usage of Near Future

This tense is used to speak about something happening in the very near future, as an alternative to either the future anterior (le futur antérieur) or the simple future (le futur simple).

Formation of the Near Future

This tense uses a combination of the verb to go (aller) in its present indicative form appropriate to the subject followed by the infinitive of the verb that will be done.

• Je vais faire du shopping. I will go shopping, I am going shopping. (I am going to do the shopping.)

• Nous allons jouer au foot. We will play football.

Usage of the Imperative

This tense is used to give commands, express requests or make suggestions.

Formation of the Imperative

The imperative is used in tu, nous and vous forms; the nous and vous forms are the same as the indicative in both regular and irregular verbs (except the 3 irregulars shown below). The tu form is also the same unless it comes from an infinitive that ends in -er, in which case the tu form would drop the 's' (e.g.: parles -> parle).

You could also drop the 's' when an -ir verb has the same endings as an er verb.

The infinitive can also be used as the imperative, but only for impersonal commands, e.g.: mettre la ceinture.

Regular Conjugations

• danser, perdre & finir are regular verbs that can be used in the imperative.

Danser

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	danse
(Nous)	dansons
(Vous)	dansez

Perdre

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	perds
(Nous)	perdons
(Vous)	perdez

finir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	finis
(Nous)	finissons
(Vous)	finissez

Irregular Verbs in their Imperative Conjugations

• faire, aller, venir, sortir, and partir

Faire

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	fais
(Nous)	faisons
(Vous)	faites

Aller

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	va
(Nous)	allons
(Vous)	allez

Venir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	viens
(Nous)	venons
(Vous)	venez

Sortir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	sors
(Nous)	sortons
(Vous)	sortez

Irregular Conjugations

• Être, Avoir, Savoir, & Vouloir are the only verbs that are irregular in the imperative.

Être

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	sois
(nous)	soyons
(vous)	soyez

Avoir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	aie
(nous)	ayons
(vous)	ayez

Savoir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	sache
(nous)	sachons
(vous)	sachez

Vouloir

Subject	Ending
(Tu)	veuille
(nous)	veuillons
(vous)	veuillez

Usage of the Past Imperative

The past imperative is only ever used for giving commands one would like to have done - this is a rare literary mood as the present imperative is used more frequently. Chances are that you'll never need to know this mood in your life, let alone use direct, indirect pronouns and negations with this!

1) Aie écrit ce rapport demain - Have this report written tomorrow.
2) Soyez partis à midi - Leave / be gone by noon.
3) Ayons fini les devoirs à 7h00 - Let's have our homework finished by 7h00.
4) N'aie jamais mangé tes légumes - Never have your vegetables eaten.
5) Ne l'aie pas déclarée coupable - Have her not found guilty.

Formation of the Past Imperative

• The impératif passé is a compound tense- it consists of two verbs, the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the verb one seeks to use in this tense.
• The auxiliary verb is conjugated as if it were being used in the present imperative.
• The past participle is added immediately after the auxiliary verb.
• A negative structure such as ne ... pas is always placed around the auxiliary verb, immediately before the past participle.

Verb moods

Indicative=

Use	Example	English
Actions (see note)	Il fait du shopping.	He does the shopping.

Note: The indicative indicates certainty about an action. The subjunctive indicates a doubt or subjectivity. The conditional indicates that an action will occur or occurred based on the fulfillment of certain conditions.

Usage

Use	Example	English
Requests	Repondez, s'il vous plaît.	Please respond.
Orders and Commands	Parle français!	Speak French!
Desires	Mangeons de la glace.	Let us eat some ice cream.

Usage of the Conditional Mood

Use	Example	English
Events dependent on conditions	Si elle avait faim, elle mangerait.	If she were hungry, she would eat.
Polite use of vouloir	Je voudrais aller au musée.	I would like to go to the museum.

Usage of the Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood is used to express subjectivity, as opposed to objectivity.

Use	Example	English
Wills, wishes, or advice	Il faut que nous parlions.	It is necessary that we speak.
Emotions regarding something	Nous sommes tristes que vous ne reussissiez à l'examen.	We are sad that you did not pass the test.
Doubts, opinions, or probabilities	Il est impossible que je sois incorrect.	It is impossible that I am wrong.
Commands or wishes in the third person	Que Dieu nous bénisse.	May God bless us.

The subjunctive usually appears with que, which means that.