French conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a French verb from its principal parts by inflection. In French, a verb is inflected to reflect its mood and tense, as well as to agree with its subject in person and number. French verbs are conventionally divided into three conjugations (conjugaisons) with the following grouping:
- First group verbs: verbs ending in -er (except aller)
- Second group verbs: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -issant
- Third group verbs: verbs ending in -re (with the exception of irregular verbs)
- 1st section: verbs ending in -ir, with the gerund ending in -ant
- 2nd section: verbs ending in -oir
- 3rd section: verbs ending in -re
- The verb aller
The first two groups follow a regular conjugation, whereas the third group follows an irregular one. The third group is considered a closed-class conjugation form, meaning that most new verbs introduced to the French language are of the first group (téléviser, atomiser, radiographier), with the remaining ones being of the second group (alunir).
The verb aller is the only verb ending in -er belonging to the third group.
Our french conjugation engine at
FrenchConjugation.com conjugates almost 10 000 french verbs in all moods, all tenses and all forms.
Stems and endings
French verbs have a large number of simple (one-word) forms. These are composed of two distinct parts: the stem (or root, or radix), which indicates which verb it is, and the ending (inflection), which indicates the verb's tense and mood and its subject's person and number, though many endings can correspond to multiple tense-mood-subject combinations. In certain parts of the second conjugation there is also a suffix
-iss- between the stem and the ending, which derives historically from an inchoative suffix.
Examples:
In
parlaient, the stem
parl- indicates that the verb is
parler (to speak) and the ending
-aient marks the third-person plural imperfect indicative.
In
finissons, the stem
fin- indicates that the verb is
finir (to finish), the suffix
-iss- follows it, and the inflection
-ons marks the first-person plural present indicative or imperative.
Note that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the stem from the ending, especially in irregular verbs such as avoir, aller, dire, être, faire, pouvoir, savoir, valoir, and vouloir.
There are seven different moods in French conjugation: indicative (indicatif), subjunctive (subjonctif), conditional (conditionnel), imperative (impératif), infinitive (infinitif), participle (participe), and gerund (gérondif). The infinitive, participle, and gerundive are not verbal moods.
Conjugations for the different French verb tenses can be divided into two categories: simple and compound. Simple tenses have only one part (
je suis) whereas compound tenses have two: an auxiliary verb and the past participle (
j'ai été). The auxiliary verb is always either
avoir or
être.
There are 8 compound tenses based on the conjugation of the auxiliaries in the 8 simple tenses added to the past participle. Below you will find the list of the french tenses. Tenses are described under the mood to which they belong, and they are grouped as follows. Other compound tenses are constructed through the use of an auxiliary verb:
-
Indicative (Indicatif)
-
Subjunctive (Subjonctif)
-
Conditional (Conditionnel)
-
Imperative (Impératif)
-
Infinitive (Infinitif)
- Present (présent)
- Past (passé): formed with an auxiliary verb in the present infinitive
-
Participle (Participe)
- Present (présent)
- Past (passé)
-
Gerund (Gérondif): (constructed by preceding the present participle with the preposition en)
In French, a verb is inflected to reflect its mood and tense, as well as to agree with its subject in person and number. Following the tradition of Latin grammar, the set of inflected forms of a French verb is called the verb's conjugation.
More than 10 000 French verbs exist, but only 2 000 of them are frequently used.
Auxiliaries of the french conjugation
Conjugations for the different French verb tenses can be divided into two categories: simple and compound. Simple tenses have only one part (
je suis) whereas compound tenses have two: an auxiliary verb and the past participle (
j'ai été).
The auxiliary verb is always either
avoir or
être.
First group verbs
The french first group verbs are the verbs ending in
-er. This is the largest class (90% of french verbs). French verbs ending in
-er inflect somewhat differently from other verbs. Between the stem and the inflectional endings that are common across most verbs, there may be a vowel, which in the case of the
-er verbs is a silent
-e- (in the simple present singular),
-é or
-ai /e/ (in the past participle and the je form of the simple past), and
-a- /a/ (in the rest of simple past singular and in the past subjunctive). In addition, the orthographic
-t found in the
-ir and
-re verbs in the singular of the simple present and past is not found in this conjugation, so that the final consonants are
-Ø, -s, -Ø rather than
-s, -s, -t.
The conjugation table of the first group follow the conjugation of the verb
aimer. The endings for the conjugation of the french first group verbs are regular (even if the stems are not always regular).
Endings for the conjugation of the french first group verbs
- INFINITIVE : -er
-
INDICATIVE
- Present :-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
- Imperfect : -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
- Simple Future : -erai, -eras, -era, -erons, -erez, -eront
- Simple Past : -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent
-
SUBJUNCTIVE
- Present : -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
- Imperfect : -asse, -asses, -ât, -assions, -assiez, -assent
-
CONDITIONAL
- Present : -erais, -erais, -erait, -erions, -eriez, -eraient
-
IMPERATIVE
-
PARTICIPLE
- Present : -ant
- Past : -é, -és, -ée, ées
Compound tenses
Conjugations for the different French verb tenses can be divided into two categories: simple and compound. Simple tenses have only one part (
je suis) whereas compound tenses have two: an auxiliary verb and the past participle (
j'ai été). The auxiliary verb is always either
avoir or
être.
There are 8 compound tenses based on the conjugation of the auxiliaries in the 8 simple tenses added to the past participle:
- auxiliary in present indicative + past participle of main verb = present perfect indicative (passé composé de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in imperfect indicative + past participle of main verb = pluperfect indicative (plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple past indicative + past participle of main verb = past perfect indicative (passé antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple future indicative + past participle of main verb = future perfect indicative (futur antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in present subjunctive + past participle of main verb = past subjunctive (passé du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in imperfect subjunctive + past participle of main verb = pluperfect subjunctive (plus-que-parfait du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in present conditional + past participle of main verb = past conditional (conditionnel passé)
- auxiliary in present imperative + past participle of main verb = past imperative (impératif passé)
Second group verbs
The french second group verbs are the verbs ending in
-ir. The conjugation table of the secound group follow the conjugation of the verb
finir. The
-ir verbs differ from the
-er verbs in the following points:
The vowel of the inflections is always
-i-, for example
-isse in the past subjunctive rather than the
-asse of the
-er verbs.
A few of the singular inflections themselves change, though this is purely orthographic and does not affect the pronunciation: in the simple present and past, these are -s, -s, -t rather than -Ø, -s, -Ø. (The change in pronunciation is due to the change of vowel from e, ai, a to -i-.)
In the simple present, imperfect, the present subjunctive, and the gerund, a suffix
-iss- /is/ appears between the root and the inflectional endings. In the simple present singular, this suffix has disappeared and the endings are
-is, -is, -it.
The stem of the second group verbs is regular except for the verbs
fleurir and
haïr.
The endings for the conjugation of the french secound group verbs are regular.
Endings for the conjugation of the french second group verbs
- INFINITIVE : -ir
-
INDICATIVE
- Present : -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
- Imperfect : -issais, -issais, -issait, -issions, -issiez, -issaient
- Simple future : -irai, -iras, -ira, -irons, -irez, -iront
- Simple past : -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent
-
SUBJUNCTIVE
- Present : -isse, -isses, -isse, -issions, -issiez, -issent
- Imperfect : -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
-
CONDITIONAL
- Present : -irais, -irais, -irait, -irions, -iriez, -iraient
-
IMPERATIVE
- Present : -is, -issons, -issez
-
PARTICIPLE
- Present : -issant
- Past : -i
Compound tenses
Conjugations for the different French verb tenses can be divided into two categories: simple and compound. Simple tenses have only one part (
je suis) whereas compound tenses have two: an auxiliary verb and the past participle (
j'ai été). The auxiliary verb is always either
avoir or
être.
There are 8 compound tenses based on the conjugation of the auxiliaries in the 8 simple tenses added to the past participle:
- auxiliary in present indicative + past participle of main verb = present perfect indicative (passé composé de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in imperfect indicative + past participle of main verb = pluperfect indicative (plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple past indicative + past participle of main verb = past perfect indicative (passé antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple future indicative + past participle of main verb = future perfect indicative (futur antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in present subjunctive + past participle of main verb = past subjunctive (passé du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in imperfect subjunctive + past participle of main verb = pluperfect subjunctive (plus-que-parfait du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in present conditional + past participle of main verb = past conditional (conditionnel passé)
- auxiliary in present imperative + past participle of main verb = past imperative (impératif passé)
Third group verbs
The first two groups follow a regular conjugation, whereas the third group follows an irregular one. The third group is considered a closed-class conjugation form, meaning that most new verbs introduced to the French language are of the first group (
téléviser,
atomiser,
radiographier, verbs in
-er), with the remaining ones being of the second group (verbs in
-ir). The verb
aller is the only verb ending in
-er belonging to the third group. Some verbs of the third group are totally irregulars:
dire,
faire,
pouvoir,
savoir,
valoir,
vouloir.
Below you will find the endings of the third group verbs for each tense.
Endings
Present indicative
There are two types of endings in present indicative :
First type of endings for the verbs:
assaillir,
couvrir,
cueillir,
défaillir,
offrir,
ouvrir,
souffrir,
tressaillir and other similars verbs :
-e,
-es,
-e,
-ons,
-ez,
-ent
Second type of endings for the others verbs:
-s -ds ou
-x,
-s -ds ou
-x,
-t ou
-d,
-ons,
-ez,
-ent
Simple past indicative
There are four types of endings in simple past indicative :
-a, in
-i, in
-u or in
-in :
Endings in
-a only for the verb aller:
-ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent :
J'allai, tu allas, il alla, nous allâmes, vous allâtes, ils allèrent.
Endings in
-i for the
-ir verbs and
-re verbs :
-is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
Je descendis, tu descendis, il descendit, nous descendîmes, vous descendîtes, ils descendirent.
Endings in
-u for the verbs:
courir,
boire,
émouvoir,
lire,
moudre,
pouvoir,
taire,
vivre... :
-us, -us, -ut, -ûmes, -ûtes, -urent.
Je courus, tu courus, il courut, nous courûmes, vous courûtes, ils coururent.
Endings in
-in for the verbs
tenir,
venir and other similars verbs :
-ins, -ins, -int, -înmes, -întes, -inrent :
Je tins, tu tins, il tint, nous tînmes, vous tîntes, ils tinrent.
Simple future indicative
In simple future, endings are always
-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
Je partirai, tu partiras, il partira, nous partirons, vous partirez, ils partiront
Only the stem changes for a few verbs :
For the
-re verbs, the final
-e is removed:
Je descendrai ; je prendrai ; je répandrai ; je boirai
For the verbs:
acquérir,
courir,
mourir,
pouvoir,
voir, and similars verbs, another
r is added to the stem :
J'acquerrai ; je courrai ; je mourrai ; je pourrai ; je verrai
Le future stem of verb
cueillir and similars verbs is
cueiller- :
Tu cueilleras, nous accueillerons, ils recueilleraient
Totally irregulars verbs :
Aller => j'irai, Avoir => j'aurai, Etre => je serai
Present conditional
In present conditional the endings are the following :
-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
Je partirais, tu partirais, il partirait, nous partirions, vous partiriez, ils partiraient
Le stem is the same as simple futur:
je boirai / je boirais ; tu pourras / tu pourrais ; il cueillera / il cueillerait ; nous irons /nous irions
Present subjunctive
The stem in present subjunctive is usually derived from that of the third person plural in present indicative except for the verbs
aller,
avoir,
être,
faire,
falloir,
pouvoir,
savoir,
traire,
valoir,
vouloir :
Verb
suivre, in present indicative :
je suis, tu suis, il suit, nous suivons, vous suivez, ils suivent.
Verb
suivre, in present subjunctive:
(que) je suive, tu suives, il suive, nous suivions, vous suiviez, ils suivent.
Verb
vouloir, in present indicative :
je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent.
Verb
vouloir, in present subjunctive:
(que) je veuille, tu veuilles, il veuille, nous voulions, vous vouliez, ils veuillent.
When the stem of the first and second person plural in present indicative is not the same as the four other persons, the stem of the first and second person plural in present indicative is used for the first and second person plural in present subjunctive :
Verbe
devoir, in present indicative :
je dois, tu dois, il doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils doivent.
Verbe
devoir, in present subjunctive:
(que) je doive, tu doives, il doive, nous devions, vous deviez, ils doivent.
Endings are the followings except for
être and
avoir :
-e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
que je sorte, que tu sortes, qu'il sorte, que nous sortions, que vous sortiez, qu'ils sortent
Imperfect subjonctive
The stem in imperfect subjunctive is derived from that of the secund person singular in simple past indicative (except for the secund person singular where the
s is replace by the accent
^ on the preceding vowel). There are four type of endings in imperfect subjonctive:
-se, -ses, -^t, -sions, -siez, -sent :
Endings in
-a (only for the verb aller):
(Il fallait) que j'allasse, que tu allasses, qu'il allât, que nous allassions, que vous allassiez, qu'ils allassent
Endings in
-i:
(Il fallait) que je prisse, que tu prisses, qu'il prît, que nous prissions, que vous prissiez, qu'ils prissent
Endings in
-u:
(Il fallait) que je pusse, que tu pusses, qu'il pût, que nous pussions, que vous pussiez, qu'ils pussent
Endings in
-in:
(Il fallait) que je vinsse, que tu vinsses, qu'il vînt, que nous vinssions, que vous vinssiez, qu'ils vinssent
Imperative
The conjugation in present subjunctive is usually derived from that of the conjugation in present indicative.:
Bois, buvons, buvez
Exceptions:
avoir , être, savoir, vouloir, assaillir, couvrir, cueillir, défaillir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir, tressaillir and derived verbs.
Aie, ayons, ayez
Sois, soyons, soyez
Sache, sachons, sachez
Veuille, veuillons, veuillez
Cueille, ouvre, va, aie, sache, veuille
Past participle
Past participle in
-é for verbs:
aller, être, naître, naitre :
Allé, été, né
Past participle in
-i for verbs:
rire, suivre, luire, suffire, nuire and for verbs in
-ir (except for the verbs
courir, couvrir, férir, mourir, offrir, ouvrir, quérir, souffrir, tenir, venir, vêtir and similar verbs) :
Parti, souri, sorti, suivi, suffi, lui, nui, ri
Past participle in
-u for verbs in
-oir (except
asseoir and similar verbs) for verbs in
-ir (
courir, férir, tenir, venir, vêtir and similar verbs) and for verbs in
-re (except
absoudre, clore, dissoudre, éclore, inclure, mettre, prendre and similar verbs) :
Pu, voulu, vu, bu, descendu, tordu, couru, tenu, venu, vêtu
Past participle in
-s (
-is,
-os ou
-us) for verbs:
absoudre, acquérir, asseoir ou assoir, circoncire, clore, conquérir, dissoudre, enquérir, inclure, mettre, occire, prendre and similar verbs.
Acquis, conquis, enquis, requis, circoncis, mis, occis, pris, sis, clos, absous, dissous, inclus
Past participle in
-t (
-ait, -int, -it, -ort, -ert):
- for verbs in -ir (couvrir, offrir, mourir, ouvrir, souffrir): Couvert, offert, mort, ouvert, souffert
- for verbs in -indre and in -uire (except for luire and nuire): Craint, joint, peint, bruit, cuit
- for verbs in -re (confire, dire, écrire, frire, faire, traire): Confit, dit, écrit, frit, fait, trait
Compound tenses
Conjugations for the different French verb tenses can be divided into two categories: simple and compound. Simple tenses have only one part (
je suis) whereas compound tenses have two: an auxiliary verb and the past participle (
j'ai été). The auxiliary verb is always either
avoir or
être.
There are 8 compound tenses based on the conjugation of the auxiliaries in the 8 simple tenses added to the past participle:
- auxiliary in present indicative + past participle of main verb = present perfect indicative (passé composé de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in imperfect indicative + past participle of main verb = pluperfect indicative (plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple past indicative + past participle of main verb = past perfect indicative (passé antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in simple future indicative + past participle of main verb = future perfect indicative (futur antérieur de l'indicatif)
- auxiliary in present subjunctive + past participle of main verb = past subjunctive (passé du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in imperfect subjunctive + past participle of main verb = pluperfect subjunctive (plus-que-parfait du subjonctif)
- auxiliary in present conditional + past participle of main verb = past conditional (conditionnel passé)
- auxiliary in present imperative + past participle of main verb = past imperative (impératif passé)
