Se défendre is a french third group verb. So, this verb is irregular and do not follow a regular conjugation pattern like first or second group verbs. Follow this link to see all the endings of the conjugation of most of the third group verbs :
conjugation rules and endings for the second group verbs.
Most verbs in
-dre:
-andre, -endre, -ondre, -erdre, -ordre conjugate like
rendre (major exceptions are those in
-indre and
-oudre).
Prendre and its compounds, however, have a very different conjugation, where the
d is only kept in the future and conditional.
The verb
se défendre is the reflexive form of verb
défendre. In grammar, a reflexive verb is, loosely, a verb whose direct object is the same as its subject, for example, "I wash myself". More generally, a reflexive verb has the same semantic agent and patient (typically represented syntactically by the subject and the direct object) are the same. For example, the English verb to perjure is reflexive, since one can only perjure oneself. In a wider sense, the term refers to any verb form whose grammatical object is a reflexive pronoun, regardless of semantics; such verbs are also referred to as pronominal verbs, especially in grammars of the Romance languages. A reflexive verb is always conjugated with a reflexive pronoun. Here is the list of the french reflexive pronouns:
« me »,
« te »,
« se »,
« nous »,
« vous »,
« se ».
Se défendre verb is conjugated in negative form. The placement of the negative adverb follow the following rules:
- the adverb
« ne » is placed after the pronoun and before the verb.
- in simple tenses, the adverbs (
« ne ...pas »,
« ne...plus »,
« ne...jamais », etc...) surround the verb
se défendre.
- in compound tenses or in passive voice, the negative adverbs surround the auxiliary.
- With the reflexive verb
se défendre in simple tenses, the negative adverbs surround the reflexive pronoun and the verb.
- With the reflexive verb
se défendre in compound tenses, the negative adverbs surround the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary.
