Your Essential Guide to Conjugating French -er and -ir Verbs

For many French language beginners, one of the first hurdles to overcome is mastering verb conjugations. Among the most frequently encountered verbs are those that end in -er and -ir, which make up a significant portion of the language. Understanding how to conjugate these verbs correctly is essential for forming sentences in French, regardless of the tense.

In this guide, we will walk you through the conjugation of French -er verbs and -ir verbs, providing you with a solid foundation to communicate effectively in French.

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Understanding the Basics of Verb Conjugation

Before diving into the conjugation patterns, it’s important to grasp what verb conjugation entails. In French, verbs change their endings based on the subject (who or what is performing the action) and the tense (when the action is happening). The verb endings in French vary depending on whether the verb belongs to the -er or -ir group, or one of the other less common categories, such as -re verbs.

For now, we’ll focus on the two categories: -er and -ir verbs. These are the most common types of French verbs, and they’re used all the time in conversation, French texting and phone calls. Let’s explore each one in detail.

Conjugation of French -er Verbs

The majority of verbs in French belong to the -er group. These verbs follow a regular pattern, which means that once you learn these French endings, you can apply them to nearly all verbs in this category. An example of a regular -er verb is travailler (to work).

How do you conjugate French -er verbs in the present tense?

In the present tense, regular -er verbs are conjugated by removing the -er from the infinitive form and adding specific endings. Here’s how travailler is conjugated:

• Je travaille (I work)
• Tu travailles (You work)
• Il/Elle/On travaille (He/She/One works)
• Nous travaillons (We work)
• Vous travaillez (You work, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles travaillent (They work)

The stem of the verb travailler is travaill-, and the endings are consistent across all regular -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. The pronunciation stays mostly the same for the singular forms, while the plural forms are pronounced with more emphasis on the endings.

How do you conjugate French -er verbs in the past tense?

In the past tense, regular -er verbs use the verb avoir (to have) as an auxiliary verb to form the compound tense. The auxiliary verb is conjugated based on the subject, while the main verb (travailler in this case) takes a specific form called the past participle. For regular -er verbs, the past participle is formed by removing the -er ending and replacing it with -é.

Here’s how you would say “worked” using travailler:

• J’ai travaillé (I worked)
• Tu as travaillé (You worked)
• Il/Elle/On a travaillé (He/She/One worked)
• Nous avons travaillé (We worked)
• Vous avez travaillé (You worked, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles ont travaillé (They worked)

In this tense, the past participle travaillé stays the same for all subjects, while the auxiliary verb avoir changes according to who is performing the action.

How do you conjugate French -er verbs in the future tense?

The future tense of regular -er verbs is easy to form. Just keep the infinitive of the verb and add the following endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. For example, travailler becomes:

• Je travaillerai (I will work)
• Tu travailleras (You will work)
• Il/Elle/On travaillera (He/She/One will work)
• Nous travaillerons (We will work)
• Vous travaillerez (You will work, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles travailleront (They will work)

This pattern applies to all regular -er verbs, making it straightforward once you get the hang of it.

Conjugation of French -ir Verbs

Regular -ir verbs follow a different conjugation pattern than -er verbs, but they are also consistent, which means that learning their endings will allow you to conjugate a wide range of verbs with ease. One common example of a regular -ir verb is réfléchir (to think).

How do you conjugate French -ir verbs in the present tense?

In the present tense, regular -ir verbs are conjugated by removing the -ir and adding specific endings:

• Je réfléchis (I think)
• Tu réfléchis (You think)
• Il/Elle/On réfléchit (He/She/One thinks)
• Nous réfléchissons (We think)
• Vous réfléchissez (You think, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles réfléchissent (They think)

As can be seen above, the stem of the verb réfléchir is réfléch-, and the endings are -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. Notice how the plural endings for nous, vous, and ils/elles involve an extra -s sound, which is important to pronounce.

How do you conjugate French -ir verbs in the past tense?

Just like -er verbs, regular -ir verbs form the past tense by using avoir as the auxiliary verb. However, the past participle is formed by replacing the -ir ending with -i. Here’s how you conjugate réfléchir in the past tense:

• J’ai réfléchi (I thought)
• Tu as réfléchi (You thought)
• Il/Elle/On a réfléchi (He/She/One thought)
• Nous avons réfléchi (We thought)
• Vous avez réfléchi (You thought, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles ont réfléchi (They thought)

The conjugation of French -ir verbs in the past tense follows the same rules across regular verbs in this group.

How do you conjugate regular -ir verbs in the future tense?

For the future tense, regular -ir verbs keep the infinitive form and add the same future endings as -er verbs: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Using réfléchir as an example:

• Je réfléchirai (I will think)
• Tu réfléchiras (You will think)
• Il/Elle/On réfléchira (He/She/One will think)
• Nous réfléchirons (We will think)
• Vous réfléchirez (You will think, formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles réfléchiront (They will think)

Why is it important to master French verb endings?

Mastering the conjugation of French -er verbs and -ir verbs is crucial for building a strong foundation in the language because these verbs are essential to everyday communication. Whether you’re ordering food at a restaurant (je commande une salade – “I order a salad”) or talking about your daily routine (je finis mon travail à cinq heures – “I finish my work at five o’clock”), regular -er and -ir verbs make up the backbone of many conversations in French. Knowing how to correctly conjugate these verbs helps ensure that you can express yourself accurately and confidently in a wide range of situations.

For instance, when discussing what you do on a typical day, regular -er verbs like parler (to speak) and manger (to eat) are essential for communicating simple actions. Imagine trying to explain your hobbies: “I speak French and eat at French cafés” becomes je parle français et je mange dans des cafés français—without the correct verb endings, your sentence might not make sense to a native speaker.

Similarly, -ir verbs like choisir (to choose) and réfléchir (to think) are indispensable when expressing preferences or decisions. Whether you’re shopping in France or making plans with friends, you’ll need to say things like je choisis ce livre (I choose this book) or nous réfléchissons à notre voyage (We’re thinking about our trip). Mastering these French endings allows you to speak with clarity and precision.

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