-ER, -IR, and -RE Verbs in French
French verbs fall into three categories: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. These three categories correspond to three different conjugation patterns in the present tense.
Questions This Article Answers
How do you conjugate verbs in the present tense in French?
What are -er verbs in French?
What are -ir verbs in French?
What are -re verbs in French?
Three Categories
When you want to conjugate a verb in the present tense in French, you need to pay attention to the infinitive form, or how the verb ends when it's not conjugated. The ending will generally tell you which conjugation pattern to use. The three endings are -er, -ir, and -re.
There are also irregular verbs that don't always follow a specific pattern! Irregular verbs can end in -er, -ir, or -re. However, because they are irregular, you will not apply the regular patterns to them. Some common irregular verbs in French are avoir(to have), être(to be), faire(to do), aller(to go).
-ER Verbs
To conjugate a regular -er verb in the present tense in French, start with the infinitive form. Then, drop the -er ending from the infinitive and add the following endings. We'll use the verb donner(to give) as an example.
Conjugation of the Verb Donner
| Subject | Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -e | je donne | I give |
| tu | -es | tu donnes | you give |
| il, elle, on | -e | il donne | he gives |
| nous | -ons | nous donnons | we give |
| vous | -ez | vous donnez | you (all) give |
| ils, elles | -ent | ils donnent | they give |
-IR Verbs
To conjugate a regular -ir verb in the present tense in French, start with the infinitive form. Then, drop the -ir ending from the infinitive and add the following endings. We'll use the verb choisir(to choose) as an example.
Conjugation of the Verb Choisir
-RE Verbs
To conjugate a regular -re verb in the present tense in French, start with the infinitive form. Then, drop the -re ending from the infinitive and add the following endings. We'll use the verb attendre(to wait) as an example.
Conjugation of the Verb Attendre
We didn't forget about the third-person singular ending for -re verbs! There just isn't one. Simply remove the -re part, and nothing needs to be added for the il, elle, on subjects: il attend, elle attend, on attend.
Learn all about pronouns in French with these articles!
