French verbs are mainly sorted into three regular families based on their infinitive endings: -er, -ir, and -re. Each family follows a consistent pattern for dropping the infinitive ending and adding new endings to match the subject and tense.
- -er verbs: Most common; remove -er and add endings like -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for present tense.
- -ir verbs: Remove -ir and use endings like -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent for classic regular -ir verbs.
- -re verbs: Remove -re and apply -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent for present tense.
-er, -ir, and -re
-er
-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
Examples
| Verb Type | Example Verb | Infinitive | Stem | Present Tense Endings | Example: 'to speak / finir / vendre' |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -er | Parler | -er | Parl | -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent | Je parle, tu parles, il parle... |
| -ir | Finir | -ir | Fin | -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent | Je finis, tu finis, il finit... |
| -re | Vendre | -re | Vend | -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent | Je vends, tu vends, il vend... |
-is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
Remove -re from the infinitive
Conclusion
French regular verbs fall into three main families, each with its own conjugation pattern. Mastering these patterns unlocks the ability to conjugate hundreds of verbs correctly.
- Main families: -er, -ir, -re
- Each family uses a specific set of endings for each tense
- Knowing the pattern for one regular verb means you can do many others