FRENCH VERBS 
                 
                 
            French verbs are formed by: a stem + an ending (-ER, -IR or –RE). 
                 
                To use the verbs in different tenses, we need to know some rules. 
            These rules are simple and are applied to nearly all verbs. Unfortunately, 
            some verbs do not follow theses rules and it is therefore important to know 
            these IRREGULAR VERBS such as “aller” (to go), “faire” (to do), “avoir” (to 
            have) or “être” (to be).  
             
                Most of the time, the rule is: keep the stem, take away the ending and 
            replace it by another ending depending on the person/subject. 
                 
                                   PRESENT TENSE (e.g.: I play) 
                 
                To write in the present tense, we only change the ending (the stem 
            remains the same). 
                Let’s have a look at the endings: they are different according to the 
            ending of the infinitive: verbs in –ER are different from those in –IR or –RE. 
                 
                            JOUER             FINIR             ATTENDRE 
                     Je      joue              finis              attends 
                    Tu      joues              finis              attends 
             Il/Elle/On      joue              finit               attend 
                  Nous      jouons          finissons           attendons 
                  Vous      jouez            finissez            attendez 
               Ils/Elles    jouent           finissent           attendent 
                 
                Can you think of the verbs you already know? With the help of your 
            neighbours, write them in the appropriate column. 
                 
                -ER verbs       -IR verbs      -RE verbs     Irregular in the present 
                                                                    tense 
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                             
                                                             
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                   PERFECT TENSE (e.g.: I played) 
          
               Two groups 
         There are two groups of verbs for the perfect tense:  
            - the “être” verbs: refer to the MR AND MRS V.TAPE list in your 
          vocabulary book 
            - the “avoir” verbs: all the other verbs 
          
               Three parts 
         The perfect tense is made by 3 parts: 
       subject (I, you...) + “être” or “avoir” in the present + main verb 
          
       We already know how to do être” and “avoir” in the present tense.  
       The ending of the main verb changes in the perfect tense as well. 
          
               The ending 
         For example, “I played” will not be “J’ai jouer” but “J’ai joué”! 
         It is very simple, and you need to make sure you write this ending 
       properly as examiners are very strict on this. 
          
         So, how do we know how to change the endings? EASY! 
         -ER verbs: -er turns into -é (jouer       j’ai joué) 
         -IR verbs: -ir turns into -i (finir            j’ai fini) 
         -RE verbs: -re turns into -u (attendre         j’ai attendu) 
          
         Unfortunately, there are some irregular verbs, and we need to know 
       them. The main ones are: “être”(j’ai été), “avoir” (j’ai eu), “faire” (j’ai fait). 
          
         So all the “avoir” verbs are very easy to form. 
         Now, we need to concentrate on the “être” verbs, as they require a 
       bit more attention. 
          
               The “être” verbs 
         Do you remember what we need to add at the end of the adjectives if 
       they are feminine or plural? Yes, an -s or an -e (or even both). 
         For example, if we are talking about a tall boy, we would say “un 
       grand garcon”, but for a tall girl, we would say “grande”, and for more 
       than one girl, we would say “grandes”. 
         The “être” verbs work the same way: the ending of the main verb will 
       also need an -e or an -s depending on the subject. 
                         2 
                        
                       Let’s take an example: “rester” (to stay). As this is an –ER verb, we 
                 already know the -er will turn into -é. 
                        
                       So, if a boy says “I stayed”, we would say “je suis resté”, but if a girl 
                 says “I stayed”, we would say “je suis restée”. And if a group of boys 
                 says it, we would say “nous sommes restés”, and a group of girls, “nous 
                 sommes restées”. 
                       Note: if we have a group of boys and girls, this will be in the 
                 masculine form (no -e). 
                  
                       Summary: to write in the perfect tense, we need to answer these 
                 questions: 
                               - is it an “être” or “avoir” verb? 
                               - if it is an “être” verb, who is the subject? (Masculine? 
                         Feminine? Plural?)  
                                 Last but not least, never forget the accent on the -e for the –ER 
                     verbs: if you write “j’ai joue” instead of “j’ai joué”, you will not be 
                     awarded any mark! 
                            
                     Your turn now: do you remember “être” and “avoir” in the present 
                     tense? 
                            
                           ÊTRE 
                               Je.............................                     
                                                                                  Nous........................ 
                               Tu.............................                     
                                                                                  Vous......................... 
                               Il/Elle/On..................                        
                         .                                                        Ils/Elles.....................
                                
                               AVOIR 
                               J’..............................                   Nous........................ 
                                                                                   
                               Tu.............................                    Vous......................... 
                                                                                                                  
                               Il/Elle/On..................                       Ils/Elles.....................
                     . 
                                
                                
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                     Now, an “avoir” verb in the perfect tense.TRAVAILLER 
                                                                          
                                J’..............................                    Nous........................ 
                                                                                     
                                Tu.............................                     Vous......................... 
                                                                                     
                                Il/Elle/On..................                        Ils/Elles.....................  
                     . 
                                 
                                 
                                And an “être” verb.ALLER 
                                 
                     Je (m)................................              Vous (m.)………..................  
                                                                          
                     Je (f)..................................            Vous (f.)............................. 
                                                                          
                     Tu (m)................................              Nous (m)............................ 
                                                                          
                     Tu (f)..................................            Nous (f)............................... 
                                                                                     
                     Il........................................          Ils....................................... 
                                                                          
                     Elle.....................................           Elles...................................
                                 
                                                                                     
                                 
                                          THE IMPERFECT TENSE (e.g.: I used to play) 
                                Like for the present and simple future tenses, to do the 
                     imperfect tense, we need to take the ending of the infinitive and 
                     change it into: 
                                 
                                Je                 -ais                             Nous                  -ions 
                                                                                     
                                Tu                -ais                              Vous                 -iez 
                                                                                     
                                Il/Elle/On               -ait                       Ils/Elles               -aient 
                                                                                     
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