Verb of the 2nd group
Verbs in the second group in the present tense of the indicative are formed by taking the root and adding the endings -s, -s, -t, -ssons, -ssez and -ssent.
The only exception to the second group is the verb haïr (o hate) which keeps an umlaut in its plural conjugation: je hais, tu hais, il hait, nous haïssons, vous haïssez and ils haïssent.
Verbs of the 3rd group in -ir
Verbs in -ir of the 3rd group are conjugated as a verb of the 1st group: offrir, cueillir, découvrir, ouvrir...
| Ouvrir | Offrir |
|---|---|
| j'ouvre tu ouvres il ouvre nous ouvrons vous ouvrez ils ouvrent |
j'offre tu offres il offre nous offrons vous offrez ils offrent |
Verbs in -dre
Verbs in -dre keep their d in their conjugation: je prends, il prend.
Except for the verbs in -indre and -soudre, which lose it: je résous, il craint.
Let's note:
- that "craindre" (to fear) makes its plural form in -gn- to keep the sound as well as to join: nous joignons.
- that "solve" (to solve) for a plural with -olv-: nous résolvons
| Prendre | craindre | joindre |
|---|---|---|
| je prends tu prends il prend nous prenons vous prenez ils prennent |
je crains tu crains il craint nous craignons vous craignez ils craignent |
je joins tu joins il joint nous joignons vous joignez ils joignent |
Verbs in -tre and en -pre
Verbs in -tre and -pre keep their t and p in their conjugation: je mets, je romps.
For the verbs in -tre, the plural forms double the t: nous battons.
For verbs in -dre, we get a strange form with it since the p and the t go together: il rompt.
| battre | mettre | rompre |
|---|---|---|
| je bats tu bats il bat nous battons vous battez ils battent |
je mets tu mets il met nous mettons vous mettez ils mettent |
je romps tu romps il rompt nous rompons vous rompez ils rompent |
Particular verbs
Vouloir, pouvoir et valoir
The particularity of the verbs will, power and value is to take an -x in their ending. This is the rare case where an x appears with tu. Otherwise you always have an s.
| vouloir | pouvoir | valoir |
|---|---|---|
| je veux tu veux il veut nous voulons vous voulez ils veulent |
je peux tu peux il peut nous pouvons vous pouvez ils peuvent |
je vaux tu vaux il vaut nous valons vous valez ils valent |
Verb aller
The verb to go is completely irregular in its conjugation and you have to know it by heart: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez et ils vont.
Verbs dire and redire
The particularity of the verb to say is to make its form with you in "vous dites", also "vous redites".
The derivatives of "dire" (to say) as contradict or prohibit do not follow the model of "dire": vous contredisez and vous interdisez.
Verb vaincre
The particularity of the verb to overcome is to keep a c in its conjugation in the singular. In the plural, the c changes to -qu to keep the sound.
| Vaincre |
|---|
| je vaincs tu vaincs il vainc nous vainquons vous vainquez ils vainquent |
Verb asseoir
The particularity of the verb "asseoir" (to sit) is that it has two forms of conjugation. It should be noted that since the 1990 spelling reform, it is possible to delete the e and write "assoir".
| Form 1 | Form 2 |
|---|---|
| j'assois tu assois il assoit nous assoyons vous assoyez ils assoient |
j'assieds tu assieds il assied nous asseyons vous asseyez ils asseyent |
Verbes croire and croître
The verb "croire" (to believe) takes a y with us and you in its conjugation: nous croyons.
The difficulty with verb "croître" (to grow) is not to confuse it with verb "croire" (to believe) and to keep its circumflex accent in its conjugation.
| Croire | Croître |
|---|---|
| je crois tu crois il croit nous croyons vous croyez ils croient |
je croîs tu croîs il croît nous croissons vous croissez ils croissent |
- Verbs of the 2nd group have their endings in s, s, t, ssons, ssez, ssent.
- Verbs of the 3rd group are strongly irregular but follow an ending in:
- s, s, t, ons, ez, ent
- e, es, e, ons, ez, ent
- x, x, t, ons, ez, ent