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
Elle cherche un moyen de le convaincre.
She’s looking for a way to convince him.
Ce soir il l’invite au restaurant.
Tonight he’s taking her to a restaurant.
Ils demandent au gouvernement d’investir dans le projet.
They’re asking the government to invest in the project.
Les états européens suppriment peu à peu les contrôles aux frontières.
European states are gradually getting rid of border controls.
A midi nous déjeunons à la cantine.
At midday we eat in the cantine.
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
Nous réagissons très vite après des incidents de ce genre.
We react very quickly after incidents of this kind.
Depuis quelques années sa vue faiblit.
For some years his sight has been getting worse.
En été les touristes envahissent la ville.
In the summer tourists invade the town.
Il choisit toujours des films d’action.
He always chooses action films.
Ils nourrissent le lapin avec de la laitue.
They feed the rabbit with lettuce.
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
Faites attention à ce chien - il mord.
Beware of the dog - it bites.
Cela me détend de t’écouter jouer du piano.
It relaxes me to hear you play the piano.
Nous attendons leur réponse depuis trois semaines.
We’ve been waiting for their reply for three weeks.
Cela ne correspond pas à ce qu’il m’a dit.
That doesn’t correspond with what he told me.
Elle prétend n’avoir rien vu ni entendu.
She claims she’s neither seen nor heard a thing.
