French conjugation

For broader coverage of this topic, see French verbs.

Conjugation is the variation in the endings of verbs (inflections) depending on the person (I, you, we, etc), tense (present, future, etc.) and mood (indicative, imperative, subjunctive, etc.). Most French verbs are regular and their inflections can be entirely determined by their infinitive form. If not regular, a verb may incur changes its stem, changes in the endings or spelling adjustments for the sake of keeping correct pronunciation.

French verbs are conventionally divided into three groups. Various official and respectable French language sites explain this. The first two are the highly regular -er and -ir conjugations (conjugaisons) so defined to admit of almost no exceptions. The third group is simply all the remaining verbs and is as a result rich in patterns and exceptions. This article follows the classification verb by verb of the Dictionary of the Academie Francaise ^[1] though better descriptions of the three group system are to be found on the site of Le Figaro ^[2] , in a short article published by the Academy of Montpellier ^[3] or on the Quebec government page ^[4]

The third group is a closed class ^[5] , meaning that no new verbs of this group may be introduced to the French language. Most new words are of the first group (téléviser, atomiser, radiographier), with some in the second group (alunir).

In summary the groups are:

• 1st conjugation: verbs ending in -er (except aller. There are about 6000 verbs in this group ^[2] .

• 2nd conjugation: verbs ending in -ir, with the present participle ending in -issant. There are about 300 verbs in this group ^[2] .

• 3rd group: All other verbs: verbs with infinitives in -re, -oir, -ir with the present participle ending in -ant, the verb aller.

Verb forms

The verb forms of French are the finite forms which are combinations of grammatical moods in various tenses and the non-finite forms. The moods are: indicative (indicatif), subjunctive (subjonctif), conditional (conditionnel) and imperative (impératif). There are simple (one-word) tenses and those constructed with an auxiliary verb. It is the simple tenses that are subject to conjugation rules, since in the others it is the auxiliary verb that is conjugated as a simple verb. The finite forms are:

• Indicative
  • Present (présent) which is simple
  • Present perfect ( passé composé ): literally "compound past", formed with an auxiliary verb in the present
  • Imperfect (imparfait), simple
  • Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait): literally "more than perfect", formed with an auxiliary verb in the imperfect
  • Simple past ( passé simple ) Conventionally used only in written language (especially in literature) or in extremely formal speech.
  • Past perfect (passé antérieur): formed with an auxiliary verb in the simple past. It is somewhat rare.
  • Simple future (futur simple)
  • Future perfect (futur antérieur): formed with an auxiliary verb in the simple future
• Subjunctive
  • Present, simple
  • Past (passé): formed with an auxiliary verb in the subjunctive present
  • Imperfect, simple. Somewhat rare.
  • Pluperfect: formed with an auxiliary verb in the subjunctive imperfect. Somewhat rare.
• Imperative
  • Present, simple
  • Past: formed with an auxiliary verb in the present imperative. Very rarely used in contemporary French.
• Conditional
  • Present
  • Past (form 1): formed with an auxiliary verb in the present conditional
  • Past (form 2): formed with an auxiliary verb in the imperfect subjunctive. Rarely used.

The non-finite forms are:

• Past participle
• Present participle
• Gerundive: (constructed by preceding the present participle with the preposition en)

Both participles may be used as adjectives in which case they are inflected as adjectives. Used as an adjective the present participle is known as the verbal adjective. There are some cases where a form similar but not identical to the present participle is used for the verbal adjective.

Auxiliary verbs

There are two auxiliary verbs in French: avoir (to have) and être (to be), used to conjugate compound tenses according to these rules:

• Transitive verbs (direct or indirect) in the active voice are conjugated with the verb avoir.
• Intransitive verbs are conjugated with either avoir or être (see French verbs#Temporal auxiliary verbs).
• Reflexive verbs (or "pronominal verbs") are conjugated with être.
• être is used to form the passive voice. Être is itself conjugated according to the tense and mood, and this may require the use of avoir as an additional auxiliary verb, e.g. Il a été mangé (It was eaten).

Compound tenses are conjugated with an auxiliary followed by the past participle, ex: j'ai fait (I did), je suis tombé (I fell). When être is used, the participle is inflected according to the gender and number of the subject. The participle is inflected with the use of the verb avoir according to the direct object, but only if the direct object precedes the participle, ex:

• il a marché, elle a marché, nous avons marché (he walked, she walked, we walked)
• il est tombé, elle est tombée, nous sommes tombés, elles sont tombées (he fell, she fell, we fell, they (fem.) fell)
• Il a acheté une voiture. Voilà la voiture qu'il a achetée. (He bought a car. Here is the car he bought)

As stand-alone verbs, the conjugation of the two auxiliaries is listed in the appendix at the end of the article.

First group verbs (-er verbs)

French verbs ending in -er, which constitute the largest class, 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 (in the past participle and the je form of the simple past), and -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.

Parler is a suitable paradigm for the first conjugation.

Infinitive: parl-er "to speak"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	parl-e	parl-ai	parl-ais	parler-ai	parl-e	parl-ass-e	parler-ais
tu	parl-es	parl-as		parler-as	parl-es	parl-ass-es		parl-e
il/elle	parl-e	parl-a	parl-ait	parler-a	parl-e	parl-ât	parler-ait
nous	parl-ons	parl-âmes	parl-ions	parler-ons	parl-ions	parl-ass-ions	parler-ions	parl-ons
vous	parl-ez	parl-âtes	parl-iez	parler-ez	parl-iez	parl-ass-iez	parler-iez	parl-ez
ils/elles	parl-ent	parl-èrent	parl-aient	parler-ont	parl-ent	parl-ass-ent	parler-aient

Present participle: parl-ant
Past participle: parl-é
Auxiliary verb: avoir (arriver, entrer, monter, passer, rester, rentrer, retourner, and tomber use être)

Spelling rules:

• In -cer verbs, the c becomes a ç before endings that start with a or o, to indicate that it is still pronounced /s/ (je déplac-e - nous déplaç-ons); similarly, in -ger verbs, the g becomes ge before such endings, to indicate that it is pronounced /ʒ/ (je mang-e - nous mange-ons).
• In -oyer and -uyer verbs, the y becomes an i before endings that start with a silent e (nous envoy-ons - j'envoi-e); in -ayer verbs, the writer may or may not change the y to an i before such endings (je pa-ye - je pa-ie). Additionally, the future and conditional forms of envoyer start with enverr- rather than envoyer-; and similarly with renvoyer.
• In -é.er verbs, the é becomes an è before silent endings, and optionally in the future and conditional tenses.
• In -e.er verbs other than most -eler and -eter verbs, the e becomes an è before endings that start with a silent e (including the future and conditional endings). For example: peler (to peel) -> je p-èle (present) / je p-èlerai (futur) / je p-èlerais (conditional).
• In most -eler and -eter verbs, the writer must either change the e to an è before endings that start with a silent e, or change the l or t to ll or tt. In the rest of these verbs, only one or the other form is allowed. For example: appeler (to call) -> j'appel-le (present) / j'appel-lerai (futur) / j'appel-lerais (conditional).
• The verbal adjective of following verbs is irregular: adhérer - adhérent; coïncider - coïncident; confluer - confluent; affluer - affluent; converger - convergent; déterger - détergent; différer - différent; exceller - excellent; diverger - divergent; négliger - négligent; précéder - précédent; violer - violent; influer - influent; communiquer - communicant; suffoquer - suffocant; provoquer - provocant; naviguer - navigant; déléguer - délégant; fatiguer - fatigant; intriguer - intrigant.

Exceptional contexts:

• When the first-person singular present tense form of the indicative or subjunctive is found in inversion, the writer must change the final e to either é (traditional usage) or è (rectified modern usage), in order to link the two words : « Parlè-je ? », , "Am I speaking?" (This is a very rare construction, however.)
• When the second-person singular form of the imperative is followed by its object y or en, a final s is added: « Parles-en ! », , "Talk about it!"

Irregular verbs:

• envoyer is an irregular in the future and conditional stem - j'enverr-ai etc, j'enverr-ais etc. Similarly: renvoyer "resend"
• aller, though it ends in -er, belongs to the third group.

Second group verbs (-ir verbs / present participle ending in -issant)

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 present participle, a suffix -iss- appears between the root and the inflectional endings. In the simple present singular, this suffix has disappeared and the endings are -is, -is, -it.

Infinitive : choisir "to choose"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	chois-is		chois-iss-ais	choisir-ai	chois-iss-e		choisir-ais
tu				choisir-as	chois-iss-es			chois-is
il/elle	chois-it		chois-iss-ait	choisir-a	chois-iss-e	chois-ît	choisir-ait
nous	chois-iss-ons	chois-îmes	chois-iss-ions	choisir-ons	chois-iss-ions		choisir-ions	chois-iss-ons
vous	chois-iss-ez	chois-îtes	chois-iss-iez	choisir-ez	chois-iss-iez		choisir-iez	chois-iss-ez
ils/elles	chois-iss-ent	chois-irent	chois-iss-aient	choisir-ont	chois-iss-ent		choisir-aient

Present participle: chois-iss-ant
Past participle: chois-i
Auxiliary verb: avoir (partir uses être)

Third group verbs

Verbs of the third group have infintive endings -

• 1st section: -ir, with the present participle ending in -ant
• 2nd section: -oir
• 3rd section: -re
• aller is included in the third group.

More bluntly, the third group is all verbs outside of the first and second group. Whereas the first and second group have very few irregular members there is a great deal of variation in the third group, so much that it is almost synonymous with the irregular verbs in their entirety.

The first source of variation in irregular verbs is stem changes. Stem changes can occur in six places. Equivalently it can be said that the verbs have seven principal parts, the first being the infinitive itself. No verb has separate stems for all seven parts; instead, rather they tend to "inherit" the same stem as another part.

Principal part	How to get the stem	"Inherited" (regular) value of stem	Key
infinitive	Remove ending -er, -ir, -oir, -re	—	INF
First singular present indicative	Remove ending -s, -e	Infinitive stem (INF)	1S
First plural present indicative	Remove ending -ons	Infinitive stem (INF)	1P
Third plural present indicative	Remove ending -ent	First plural present stem (1P)	3P
(First singular) future	Remove ending -ai	Full infinitive, minus any -e	FUT
(Masculine singular) past participle	Full word	Infinitive stem (INF), plus -u for -re ending else plus -i	PP
(First singular) simple past	Remove ending -s, -ai	Past participle (PP), minus any -s or -t	PAST

The following table shows a conjugation scheme that allows for stem changes. As presented, the table accommodates not only third group verbs but also second group verbs, both having basically the same endings. A regular second group verb would appear with a stem change in the 1P position and would require a little attention to the 1S stem. The verb choisir is included to represent regular second verbs and haïr is listed as an irregular second group verb. First group verbs would have different endings in some cases but no stem change.

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	1S+s	PAST+s	1P+ais	FUT+ai	3P+e	PAST+sse	FUT+ais
tu				FUT+as	3P+es	PAST+sses		1S+s / 1S+t2
il/elle	1S+t1	PAST+t	1P+ait	FUT+a	3P+e	PAST+ˆt	FUT+ait
nous	1P+ons	PAST+ˆmes	1P+ions	FUT+ons	1P+ions	PAST+ssions	FUT+ions	1P+ons
vous	1P+ez	PAST+ˆtes	1P+iez	FUT+ez	1P+iez	PAST+ssiez	FUT+iez	1P+ez
ils/elles	3P+ent	PAST+rent	1P+aient	FUT+ont	3P+ent	PAST+ssent	FUT+aient

¹ A spelling rule applies here.
² +t if ends with vowel, else +s.
Present participle: 1P-ant
Past participle: PP

Spelling rules

• In the indicative present third person singular the -t is regularly dropped when directly following a d or t (e.g. il vend "he sells", not *il vendt).

The following table gives the stem changes or principal parts for a number of irregular verbs. Stems that are irregular in the sense of being unpredictable by the above rules are given in boldface.

Occasionally endings depart from the norm - this is the second source of irregularity. Still with both a regular stem and ending there are issues of spelling to be accounted for such that the inflected word should have the right pronunciation. Thus arise minor exceptions particularly in the present indicative singular.

Such cases are listed in the table following, again with the irregular occurrences highlighted in bold. (The table also includes for convenience the effects of a spelling rule. Not considered an irregularity as such the relevant entry is not in bold.)

Stem changes (principal parts) of French verbs

7	INF	Meaning	FUT	Present Indicative			PP	PAST
				1S	1P	3P
G2	chois-ir4	choose	choisir-ai	choisi-s	choisiss-ons	choisiss-ent	choisi	choisi-s	5
	ha-ïr	hate	haïr-ai	hai-s / haï-s1	haïss-ons	haïss-ent	haï	haï-s	5
G3	part-ir4	leave	partir-ai	par-s	part-ons	part-ent	parti	parti-s	5
	vêt-ir4	dress	vêtir-ai	vêt-s*	vêt-ons	vêt-ent	vêtu	vêti-s	5
	requér-ir	require, demand	requerr-ai	requier-s	requér-ons	requièr-ent	requis	requi-s
	ven-ir4	come	viendr-ai	vien-s	ven-ons	vienn-ent	venu	vin-s	5
	mour-ir	die	mourr-ai	meur-s	mour-ons	meur-ent	mort	mouru-s
	cour-ir	run	courr-ai	cour-s	cour-ons	cour-ent	couru	couru-s
	ouvr-ir4	open	ouvrir-ai	ouvr-e*	ouvr-ons	ouvr-ent	ouvert	ouvri-s	5
	cueill-ir	gather	cueiller-ai	cueill-e*	cueill-ons	cueill-ent	cueilli	cueilli-s	5
	asse-oir (1)	sit	assiér-ai	assied-s	assey-ons	assey-ent	assis	assi-s	5
	asse-oir (2)	sit	assoir-ai	assoi-s	assoy-ons	assoi-ent	assis	assi-s	5
	voir4	see	verr-ai	voi-s	voy-ons	voi-ent3	vu	vi-s
	recev-oir4	receive	recevr-ai	reçoi-s	recev-ons	reçoiv-ent	reçu	reçu-s
	dev-oir	owe, must	devr-ai	doi-s	dev-ons	doiv-ent	dû	du-s
	mouv-oir	move	mouvr-ai	meu-s	mouv-ons	meuv-ent	mû	mu-s
	émouv-oir4	move, affect	émouvr-ai	émeu-s	émouv-ons	émeuv-ent	ému	ému-s
	choir4	fall	choir-ai / cherr-ai	choi-s	choy-ons	choi-ent3	chu	chu-s
	pleuv-oir	rain	pleuvr-a	pleu-t	pleuv-6	pleuv-6	plu	plu-t	5
	vend-re4	sell	vendr-ai	vend-s*	vend-ons	vend-ent	vendu	vendi-s	5
	batt-re	beat	battr-ai	bat-s	batt-ons	batt-ent	battu	batti-s	5
	romp-re	break	rompr-ai	romp-s	romp-ons	romp-ent	rompu	rompi-s	5
	vainc-re4	conquer	vaincr-ai	vainc-s*	vainqu-ons	vainqu-ent	vaincu	vainqui-s	5
	craind-re4	fear	craindr-ai	crain-s	craign-ons	craign-ent	craint	craign-is
	condui-re4	lead	conduir-ai	condui-s	conduis-ons	conduis-ent	conduit	conduisi-s
	trai-re4	milk	trair-ai	trai-s	tray-ons3	trai-ent3	trai-t	tray-ai	5
	prend-re4	take	prendr-ai	prend-s	pren-ons	prenn-ent	pris	pri-s
	mett-re4	put	mettr-ai	met-s	mett-ons	mett-ent	mis	mi-s
	écri-re4	write	écrir-ai	écri-s	écriv-ons	écriv-ent	écrit	écrivi-s
	boi-re	drink	boir-ai	boi-s	buv-ons	boiv-ent	bu	bu-s
	di-re4	say, tell	dir-ai	di-s	dis-ons, dites	dis-ent	dit	di-s
	li-re	read	lir-ai	li-s	lis-ons	lis-ent	lu	lu-s
	suffi-re4	suffice	suffir-ai	suffi-s	suffis-ons	suffis-ent	suffi	suffi-s
	plai-re4	please	plair-ai	plai-s*	plais-ons	plais-ent	plu	plu-s	5
	croi-re	believe	croir-ai	croi-s	croy-ons3	croi-ent3	cru	cru-s
	brui-re	make a low noise	bruir-ai	brui-t	bruiss-6	bruiss-ent	brui	brui-t
	maudi-re	curse	maudir-ai	maudi-t	maudiss-ons	maudiss-ent	maudit	maudi-t	5
	ri-re4	laugh	rir-ai	ri-s	ri-ons	ri-ent	ri	ri-s
	conclu-re4	conclude	conclur-ai	conclu-s	conclu-ons	conclu-ent	conclu	conclu-s
	viv-re4	live	vivr-ai	vi-s	viv-ons	viv-ent	vécu	vécu-s
	suiv-re4	follow	suivr-ai	sui-s	suiv-ons	suiv-ent	suivi	suivi-s
	connaît-re4	know	connaîtr-ai	connai-s*	connaiss-ons	connaiss-ent	connu	connu-s	5
	naît-re	be born	naîtr-ai	nai-s*	naiss-ons	naiss-ent	né	naqui-s	5
	coud-re	sew	coudr-ai	coud-s*	cous-ons	cous-ent	cousu	cousi-s
	moud-re	grind, mill	moudr-ai	moud-s*	moul-ons	moul-ent	moulu	moulu-s
	résoud-re	solve, resolve	résoudr-ai	résou-s	résolv-ons	résolv-ent	résolu	résolu-s
	absoud-re	solve, absolve	absoudr-ai	absou-s	absolv-ons	absolv-ent	absous*	absolu-s	5
	clo-re	close	clor-ai	clo-s*	clos-ons	clos-ent	clos	–	5

^* See following table for exceptions.
¹ Only in Quebec French.
³ Alternation of "-ai-" and -oi- before consonant or unstressed e, "-ay-" and -oy- before other vowels is automatic in all verbs.
⁶ The stem is inferred though the usual rule does not apply.
⁷ Read G2 as a sub-heading meaning that the following two entries are in group 2. G3 indicates that all following entries are in group 3.

Exceptions

vêtir	Indicative present sg.	je vêts, tu vêts, il vêt2
venir	Simple past pl.	nous vînmes, vous vîntes, ils vinrent
ouvrir	Indicative present sg.	j' ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre
cueillir	Indicative present sg.	je cueille, tu cueilles, il cueille
asseoir	Indicative present sg.	j'assieds, tu assieds, il assied2
vendre	Indicative present sg.	je vends, tu vends, il vend2
battre	Indicative present sg.	je bats, tu bats, il bat2
vaincre	Indicative present sg.	je vaincs, tu vaincs, il vainc
prendre	Indicative present sg.	je prends, tu prends, il prend2
mettre	Indicative present sg.	je mets, tu mets, il met2
plaire	Indicative present sg.	je plais, tu plais, il plaît
connaître	Indicative present sg.	je connais, tu connais, il connaît
naître	Indicative present sg.	je nais, tu nais, il naît
coudre	Indicative present sg.	je couds, tu couds, il coud2
moudre	Indicative present sg.	je mouds, tu mouds, il moud2
clore	Indicative present sg.	je clos, tu clos, il clôt
absoudre	Past participle	absous, absoute (fem)

² Case of -t being dropped when directly following a d or t.
⁴ See following table for similar verbs.
⁵ See following table for notes.

choisir	Note: Choisir is a regular 2nd group verb
haïr	Note: Haïr is 2nd group verb with the exception that in Sing. pres. indic. the diaeresis drops out
partir	Note: Sing. pres. indic. stem drops last consonant of basic stem: je pars, dors, mens, sors, sens, sers Similarly conjugated verbs: se départir "divest", repartir "leave again", dormir "sleep", s'endormir "fall asleep", se rendormir "fall back asleep", mentir "lie (tell lies)", démentir "contradict", sentir "feel", consentir "agree", pressentir "foresee", ressentir "feel", servir "serve", desservir "clear away", resservir "serve again", sortir "go out", ressortir "come back"
vêtir	Note: The same as partir, except for the past participle Similar: dévêtir "undress", revêtir "cover"
venir	Similar: revenir "return", devenir "become", se souvenir "remember", parvenir "reach", prévenir "tell beforehand"; tenir "hold", retenir "memorize", contretenir "talk", soutenir "sustain", maintenir "maintain", appartenir "belong", etc.
ouvrir	Note: Sing. pres. indic. uses endings -e -es -e, as with -er verbs Similar: couvrir "cover", découvrir "discover", offrir "offer", souffrir "suffer"
cueillir	Note: Like ouvrir except the future; sing. pres. indic. uses endings -e -es -e, as with -er verbs
asseoir	Asseoir has two possible conjugations
voir	Similar: revoir "see again", prévoir "foresee"
recevoir	Similar: Other verbs in -cevoir, e.g. apercevoir "perceive", concevoir "conceive", décevoir "disappoint"
devoir	Note: Very similar to recevoir, but adds a circumflex to du - due, dus and dues remain unchanged du has had a circumflex since 1694. Who knows how it got it?
mouvoir	Adds a circumflex to mu - mue, mus and mues remain unchanged how mu got the circumflex ...
émouvoir	Similar: promouvoir "promote"
choir	Missing the indicative imperfect and the subjunctive mood (except by chût, in singular 3rd person imperfect subjunctive) Similar: échoir "befall"
pleuvoir	Impersonal (3rd-singular only)
vendre	So-called "regular -re" verbs; all end in -dre, but not -indre Similar: attendre "wait", défendre "defend", descendre "go down", entendre "hear", étendre "extend", fondre "melt", pendre "hang", perdre "lose", prétendre "pretend", rendre "return, give back", répandre "spill", répondre "respond", etc.
battre	Close to vendre
rompre	Very close to vendre
vaincre	Essentially same as vendre, except for c/qu variation Similar: convaincre "convince"
craindre	Similar: All verbs in -aindre, -eindre, -oindre, e.g. contraindre "compel", plaindre "complain"; atteindre "reach", ceindre "gird", empreindre "stamp", éteindre "turn off", étreindre "hug", feindre "pretend", geindre "whine", peindre "paint", restreindre "restrict", teindre "dye"; joindre "join", oindre "anoint", poindre "dawn", rejoindre "rejoin"
conduire	Similar: All verbs in -uire e.g. construire "build", cuire "cook", détruire "destroy", instruire "instruct", réduire "reduce", produire "produce", traduire "translate", etc.
traire	PS is conjugated as in 1st group verbs. Similar: contraire "contract", extraire "extract", soustraire "subtract", retraire "withdraw"
prendre	Similar: comprendre "understand", apprendre "study", reprendre "take again", etc.
mettre	Similar: promettre "promise", permettre "permit", compromettre "compromise, damage", soumettre "submit, subdue", transmettre "transmit"
écrire	Similar: décrire "describe", inscrire "inscribe"
suffire	Similar: confire "pickle", circoncire "circumcise", frire "fry"
plaire	Similar: déplaire "displease"
bruire	Rare outside of third person, conjugated like choisir (regular -ir verbs)
maudire	Very close to bruire
rire	Similar: sourire "smile"
conclure	Similar: Other verbs in -clure
vivre	Similar: revivre "come alive again", survivre "survive"
suivre	Similar: poursuivre "pursue"
connaître	Similar: reconnaître "recognize", paraître "seem", apparaître "appear", reparaître "reappear", disparaître "disappear"
naître	Note the 3rd sg. naît
absoudre	The same as résoudre, except for the past participle. Note the masculine absous and feminine absoute
clore	Missing the subjunctive and indicative imperfect, as well as the simple past tense. Note the 3rd sg. clôt

Example

Infinitive: recevoir "receive"
INF: recev-
1S: reçoi-
1P: recev-
3P: reçoiv-
FUT: recevr-
PP: reçu-
PAST: reçu-

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	reçoi-s	reçu-s	recev-ais	recevr-ai	reçoiv-e	reçu-sse	recevr-ais
tu				recevr-as	reçoiv-es	reçu-sses		reçoi-s
il/elle	reçoi-t	reçu-t	recev-ait	recevr-a	reçoiv-e	reçû-t	recevr-ait
nous	recev-ons	reçû-mes	recev-ions	recevr-ons	recev-ions	reçu-ssions	recevr-ions	recev-ons
vous	recev-ez	reçû-tes	recev-iez	recevr-ez	recev-iez	reçu-ssiez	recevr-iez	recev-ez
ils/elles	reçoiv-ent	reçu-rent	recev-aient	recevr-ont	reçoiv-ent	reçu-ssent	recevr-aient

Present participle: recev-ant
Past participle: reçu

Verbs with irregular subjunctive stem

There are nine verbs which have an irregular subjunctive stem. These verbs are generally the most irregular verbs in French. With them verbs the 3P stem plays no role and the 1S stem is little use in inferring the present indicative inflections. Many of them construct the present indicative (especially the singular) in an idiosyncratic fashion. The verb aller also constructs its past participle and simple past differently, according to the endings for -er verbs.

A feature with these verbs is the competition between the SUBJ stem and the 1P stem to control the first and second plural present subjunctive, the imperative and the present participle, in ways that vary from verb to verb.

The paradigm taking into account the subjunctive stem is shown in the following table. The keys 1S etc are as for the 7 principal part irregular verbs. In addition SUBJ stands for first person singular present subjunctive stem.

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	1S+s	PAST+s	1P+ais	FUT+ai	SUBJ+e	PAST+sse	FUT+ais
tu				FUT+as	SUBJ+es	PAST+sses		1S+s / 1S+t1orSUBJ+e
il/elle	1S+t	PAST+t	1P+ait	FUT+a	SUBJ+e	PAST+ˆt	FUT+ait
nous	1P+ons	PAST+ˆmes	1P+ions	FUT+ons	SUBJ+ions or1P+ions	PAST+ssions	FUT+ions	1P+ons orSUBJ+ons
vous	1P+ez	PAST+ˆtes	1P+iez	FUT+ez	SUBJ+iez or1P+iez	PAST+ssiez	FUT+iez	1P+ez orSUBJ+ez
ils/elles	3P+ent	PAST+rent	1P+aient	FUT+ont	SUBJ+ent	PAST+ssent	FUT+aient

¹ +t if ends with vowel, else +s
Present participle: 1P-ant orSUBJ-ant
Past participle: PP(e)(s)

The following table gives the principal parts of the nine verbs. Stems that are irregular in the sense of being unpredictable by the above rules are shown in boldface. The column headed 1/2 Plural tells whether the subjunctive 1st and 2nd person plural follow the subjunctive stem or the 1P indicative stem. Likewise the Imperative column and the Present Participle column. Still there are irregularities where the inflections depart from the paradigm. These cases are indicated with an asterisk and the exceptional inflections are listed separately.

Table of the highly irregular French verbs

INF	Meaning	FUT	1P	Present Subjunctive		Imperative	Present Participle	PP	PAST
				SUBJ	1/2 Plural
pouv-oir	be able, can	pourr-ai	pouv-ons	puiss-e	SUBJ+...	1P+...	1P+ant2	pu	pu-s
sav-oir	know	saur-ai	sav-ons	sach-e	SUBJ+...	SUBJ+...	SUBJ+ant	su	su-s
voul-oir	want	voudr-ai	voul-ons	veuill-e	1P+...	SUBJ+...	1P+ant	voulu	voulu-s
val-oir	be worth	vaudr-ai	val-ons	vaill-e	1P+...	1P+...*	1P+ant	valu	valu-s
fall-oir	be necessary	faudr-a	fall-6	faill-e	–	–	–	fallu	fallu-t	2
fai-re1	do	fer-ai	fais-ons*	fass-e	SUBJ+...	1P+...	1P+ant	fait	fi-s
av-oir	have	aur-ai	av-ons	ai-e	SUBJ+...*	SUBJ+...	SUBJ+ant	eu	eu-s
êt-re	be	ser-ai	ét-6	soi-6	SUBJ+...*	SUBJ+...*	1P+ant	été	fu-s
all-er	go	ir-ai	all-ons	aill-e	1P+...	1P+...*	1P+ant	allé	all-ai

^* See following table for exceptions.

Exceptions

pouvoir	Indicative present	je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent
savoir	Indicative present	je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils savent
vouloir	Indicative present	je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent
valoir	Indicative present	je vaux, tu vaux, il vaut, nous valons, vous valez, ils valent
valoir	Imperative	vaux! valons! valez!
falloir	Indicative present	il faut
faire	Indicative present	je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font
faire	Imperative	fais! faisons! faites!
avoir	Indicative present	j' ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont
avoir	Subjunctive	j'aie, tu aies, il aie, nous ayons, vous ayez, ils aient
avoir	Imperative	aie! ayons! ayez!
être	Indicative present	je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont
être	Subjunctive	je sois, tu sois, il soit; nous soyons, vous soyez, ils soient
être	Imperative	sois! soyons! soyez!
aller	Indicative present	je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont	3
aller	Imperative	va! allons! allez!	2

¹ See following table for similar verbs.
² See following table for notes.
³ In Classical French and even in certain dialects (like in Cajun and some Quebec dialects) je vas is used.

pouvoir	alternate 1st sing. puis required in questions, use elsewhere is mannered; note that old pres. part. puiss-ant is attested as an adjective "powerful"
falloir	Impersonal (3rd-singular only)
faire	Similarly conjugated verbs: défaire, refaire, satisfaire
aller	2nd. sg. imperat. va, but vas-y "go there"

Appendix. Conjugation of Avoir, Être and Aller

Avoir

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are imperfect av- ; present subjunctive ai- future and conditional aur-; simple past and past subjunctive e-. Although the stem changes, the inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb.

In the present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Avoir "to have"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
j'	ai	eus	avais	aurai	aie	eusse	aurais
tu	as			auras	aies	eusses		aie1
il/elle/on	a	eut	avait	aura	ait	eût	aurait
nous	avons	eûmes	avions	aurons	ayons	eussions	aurions	ayons1
vous	avez	eûtes	aviez	aurez	ayez	eussiez	auriez	ayez1
ils/elles	ont	eurent	avaient	auront	aient	eussent	auraient

¹ Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: avoir
• Present participle: ayant
• Past participle: eu

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Être

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: imperfect ét-; present subjunctive soi-; future and conditional ser-; simple past and past subjunctive in f-. The inflections of these tenses are as a regular -oir verb (that is, as an -re verb but with the vowel u/y/ in the f- forms). For example, subjunctive soyons, soyez is pronounced with the y sound of other -re and -oir verbs.

In the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Être "to be"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	suis	fus	étais	serai	sois	fusse	serais
tu	es			seras		fusses		sois1
il/elle/on	est	fut	était	sera	soit	fût	serait
nous	sommes	fûmes	étions	serons	soyons	fussions	serions	soyons1
vous	êtes	fûtes	étiez	serez	soyez	fussiez	seriez	soyez1
ils/elles	sont	furent	étaient	seront	soient	fussent	seraient

¹ The imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

The non-finite forms use the stem êt-/ɛt/ (before a consonant)/ét-/et/ (before a vowel):

• Infinitive: être
• Present participle: étant
• Past participle: été

Auxiliary verb: avoir

Aller

The verb aller means "to go" and is sufficiently irregular that it merits listing its conjugation in full. It is the only verb with the first group ending "er" to have an irregular conjugation. It belongs to none of the three sections of the third group, and is often categorized on its own. The verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: past all-/al/ (simple past, imperfect, past subjunctive); present subjunctive aill-; conditional and future ir-. The inflections of these tenses are completely regular, and pronounced as in any other -er verb. However, in the simple present, not only are there stem changes, but the inflections are irregular as well:

Aller "to go"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	vais, vas1	allai	allais	irai	aille	allasse	irais
tu	vas	allas		iras	ailles	allasses		va
il/elle/on	va	alla	allait	ira	aille	allât	irait
nous	allons	allâmes	allions	irons	allions	allassions	irions	allons
vous	allez	allâtes	alliez	irez	alliez	allassiez	iriez	allez
ils/elles	vont	allèrent	allaient	iront	aillent	allassent	iraient

The non-finite forms are all based on all- :

• Infinitive: aller
• Present participle: allant
• Past participle: allé

Auxiliary verb: être

¹ In Classical French and even in certain dialects (like in Cajun and some Quebec dialects) je vas is used.

See also

• Bescherelle, a reference book for (usually French) verb conjugation
• Larousse de la conjugaison, 1980.

References

1. https://www.academie-francaise.fr/le-dictionnaire/la-9e-edition
2. https://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/frlesgroupes.php
3. https://pedagogie.ac-montpellier.fr/sites/default/files/ressources/Les%20groupes%20de%20verbes.pdf
4. https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/24654/la-grammaire/le-verbe/conjugaison/les-groupes-de-verbes
5. Le nouveau Bescherelle: L'art de conjuguer, 1972, pp. 10

External links

• Verb2Verbe - French/English verb conjugation with translations
• Language Atlas - overview of all the different types of conjugations
• Le Conjugueur - online conjugation for all French verbs
• Bescherelle - conjugation & conjugation books.
• WordReference - French conjugation (Beta)
• Conjugation-FR - French conjugation
• Open source XML database of French verb conjugation rules.
• French Verbs Aloud - conjugations by speaking and listening
• French verb practice at UT Austin Archived 2021-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
• schoLINGUA - Conjugation trainer - over 12,000 French verbs
• Comment-conjuguer.fr - online conjugation for all French verbs and conjugation rules