The present - regulars
1 -er
verbs Some
verbs
conjugate
in a predictable fashion, and these are called
regular verbs. The majority of
these are verbs ending -er , also known as first group verbs. For them the present
tense is formed by removing the -er and adding
the following endings: -e , -es ,
-e , -ons , -ez ,
-ent :
Table 5.1a: -er verbs
aimer to like
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j’ aime tu aimes il / elle aime nous aimons vous aimez ils / elles aiment
Tu aimes les feuilletons?
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Do you like soap operas?
Nous habitons ici depuis plus
de cinq ans
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We've lived here for over five years
Vous fermez à quelle heure?
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What time do you close?
Ils regardent beaucoup la télévision
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They watch TV a lot
En France les magasins ferment souvent entre midi et deux heures.
In France the shops often close between midday and two o’clock.
Nous écoutons beaucoup la radio.
We listen to the radio a lot.
Est-ce que tu joues au tennis aujourd’hui?
Are you playing tennis today?
Le soleil brille, nous pouvons nous asseoir dans le jardin.
The sun’s shining, we can sit out in the garden.
Ils restent à la maison ce week-end.
They’re staying at home this weekend.
2 -ir
verbs There is also a smaller group of regular
verbs
ending -ir (these are also known as second group verbs). For regular -ir verbs, remove the -ir
and add -is , -is , -it ,
-issons , -issez , -issent :
Table 5.2a: -ir verbs
finir to finish
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je
finis tu
finis il / elle
finit nous
finissons vous finissez ils / elles finissent
Elle réussit tout ce qu'elle
entreprend
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She succeeds in everything she does
Nous finissons le travail à
cinq heures trente
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We finish work at 5.30
Ils garantissent la qualité
de ce produit
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They guarantee the quality of this product
Les entreprises subissent les effets de la récession maintenant.
Companies are suffering the effects of the recession now.
Nous les fournissons en papeterie.
We supply them with stationery.
Le musée enrichit sa collection.
The museum is adding to its collection.
Ils obéissent toujours à leur mère.
They always obey their mother.
En été les touristes envahissent la ville.
In the summer tourists invade the town.
Note Note that not all verbs ending -ir are regular. Many verbs ending -ir and -oir have irregular endings, e.g. ouvrir - j'ouvre , recevoir - je reçois .
Elle reçois une bourse d'étude
She receives a student grant
3 -re
verbs For most
verbs
ending in -dre remove the -re
and add -s , -s , -, -ons ,
-ez , -ent :
Table 5.3a: -re verbs
rendre to give back
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je
rends tu
rends il / elle
rend nous
rendons vous
rendez ils / elles
rendent
J'attends Pierre depuis une
demi-heure
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I've been waiting for Pierre for half an hour
Cette entreprise vend une grande
gamme de produits
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This company sells a large selection of products
Nous perdons du temps à attendre
ici
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We're wasting time waiting here
Je confonds toujours ces deux mots.
I always get these two words mixed up.
Elle bat tous les records avec cet album.
She’s breaking all the records with this album.
Quand tu lui demandes il répond qu’il n’a pas faim.
When you ask him he replies that he’s not hungry.
Nous attendons leur réponse depuis trois semaines.
We’ve been waiting for their reply for three weeks.
Elle attend un bébé en octobre.
She’s expecting a baby in October.
