-RE Verbs in French
French verbs fall into three categories: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. These three categories correspond to different conjugation patterns. This article focuses on regular -re verbs in French, how to conjugate them in the present tense, and some rules that apply only to -re verbs in other tenses.
Questions This Article Answers
What are regular -re verbs in French?
How do you conjugate regular -re verbs in the present tense in French?
What are some common -re verbs used in everyday French?
How do you form the past participle of an -re verb in French?
What special rule applies to regular -re verbs in the future and conditional in French?
What Are Regular -RE Verbs in French?
In French, there are three categories of verbs: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. The letters come from the end of the infinitive form of the verb, which is how a verb looks when it's not conjugated. While irregular verbs typically each have their own unique verb conjugation patterns, regular French verbs that share the same infinitive ending also share the same present tense verb endings when they're conjugated.
In French, verbs that end in -re belong to a larger group of verbs called verbes du troisième groupe(third-group verbs). You're likely to encounter them fairly often, so it's good to know all about them!
Conjugating Regular -RE Verbs in the Present Tense in French
To conjugate a regular -re verb in the present tense in French, drop the -re ending from the infinitive and add the present tense verb ending. Each conjugation has a particular regular present tense ending based on the subject used, as you'll see in the table below. We'll use the verb attendre(to wait) as an example.
Conjugation of the Verb Attendre in the Present Tense in French
Note! We didn't forget about the third-person singular ending for -re verbs! There just isn't one. Nothing needs to be added for the il, elle, on subjects. Simply remove the -re ending: il attend, elle attend, on attend.
Learn more about subject pronouns and the uses of the present tense in French by checking out these articles!
What Are Some Common -RE Verbs in French?
There are quite a few regular -re verbs in French! Here are some you might use in everyday situations. Remember, these all follow the same conjugation pattern as attendre!
Ten Useful Regular -RE Verbs in French
| Infinitive | English |
|---|---|
| correspondre | to correspond |
| défendre | to defend |
| descendre | to go down |
| entendre | to listen |
| mordre | to bite |
| pendre | to hang |
| perdre | to lose |
| rendre | to give back |
| répondre | to answer |
| vendre | to sell |
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Pronominal -RE Verbs in French
Many French pronominal verbs are also regular -re verbs! They take the same present tense endings as other regular -re verbs. The only difference in the present tense is that there is a reflexive pronoun that comes after the subject and before the conjugated verb. Here are a few you might find in everyday conversation!
| Infinitive | English |
|---|---|
| s'entendre | to get along |
| se détendre | to relax |
| se perdre | to get lost |
| se rendre compte | to realize |
Irregular French Verbs That End in -RE
Attention !(Watch out!) There are quite a few irregular verbs that end in -re in French! Irregular verbs typically have their own unique conjugation pattern in the present tense and irregular forms in some of the other tenses as well. Here are a few irregular verbs that happen to end in -re: apprendre(to learn), boire(to drink), comprendre(to understand), mettre(to put), prendre(to take), and promettre(to promise). You can find each of their irregular conjugation patterns using our online French Verb Conjugation Tool!
How To Form the Past Participle of -RE Verbs in French
All regular -re verbs follow the same rule for the formation of the participe passé(past participle). The -re is dropped from the infinitive and replaced with -u. For example, the past participle of vendre(to sell) is vendu(sold).
Past participles are used in compound tenses like the passé composé(compound past).
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Learn more about French past participles and their uses by checking out these articles!
A Fun Fact About Swiss Fondue!
La fondue(fondue) is a traditional Swiss dish made by melting a main ingredient—often cheese or chocolate—in a pot. Everyone at the table has dippers that they plunge into the melty goodness. The word fondue comes from the regular -re verb fondre(to melt), whose past participle is fondu(melted)!
Rule for Using Regular -RE Verbs in the Future and the Present Conditional in French
When forming le futur(the future tense) and le présent du conditionnel(the present conditional), there is a special rule for regular -re verbs. Typically, the future and present conditional verb endings are added directly on to the infinitive of regular verbs. With -re verbs, the only slight difference is that the final -e is dropped from the infinitive before adding the conjugated endings. For example, attendre is j’attendrai(I will wait) in the future tense for the first-person singular and j’attendrais(I would wait) in the present conditional.
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Note: The first example sentence is in the future tense, and the second is in the present conditional.
Learn more about using the future and the conditional in French with these articles!
Conjugating -RE Verbs in Other Tenses
Regular -re verbs can be conjugated in any verb tense or mood in French!
Luckily, you won't need to memorize separate conjugation patterns for -re verbs in too many other tenses. The only tenses where different conjugation patterns apply are the present tense (as seen in this article) and the passé simple(past historic) (a past tense that's no longer used in everyday speech in French). In other frequently used tenses, like the imparfait(imperfect), all verb categories (-er, -ir, -re) will use the same endings.
To learn about other conjugations, check out the language guide articles suggested below or try out our cool online French Verb Conjugation Tool to see all the possible conjugations of your favorite -re verbs in French!
Need Some Practice?
Try conjugating -re verbs in the present tense with our Conjugation Drill!
Take a deeper dive into learning how to conjugate -re verbs in other tenses and moods in French with these articles!
