Verbs
A verb is a word that indicates an action or thought for a person, animal or thing.
Infinitive
A verb is in the infinitive when it is in a neutral form. This is how it is found in the dictionary : avoir, être, aller, marcher, parler, venir.
Verb during conjugation
It is said that a verb is conjugated when its writing and its pronunciation are adapted according to the subject or the time of the phase. We recognize two parts in a verb:
- The radical is a very big word for the common part in all the conjugation of a verb.
- The ending indicates the part of a verb that adapts to the subject and time during its conjugation.
radical | ending |
---|---|
man- | er |
voul- | oir |
regard- | er |
- For some verbs, radical is identical in all the conjugation : nous pensons.
- For other, more irregular verbs, on the contrary, it changes dramatically with used tense : je vais - nous allons - vous irez - il faut que j'aille.
A verb in its conjugation is always composed of a fixed part and a variable part.