Present Tense: Regular -ir and -re Verbs

📌 Note de grammaire

Regular -ir verbs (often called second-group verbs) share a consistent conjugation pattern in the present tense. To conjugate them, remove the infinitive ending (-ir) to find the stem, then add the standard present tense endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

📌 Note de grammaire

For the singular pronouns (je, tu, il, elle, on), remove the -ir and add -is for 'je', -is for 'tu', and -it for 'il/elle/on'. Note that the pronunciations of the final consonants for 'je' and 'tu' are silent, while 'il' ends in a hard 't' sound.

📌 Note de grammaire

For the plural pronouns, the stem incorporates a distinctive '-iss-' sound before the personal endings: -ons for nous, -ez for vous, and -ent for ils/elles. Thus, the endings are -issons, -issez, and -issent.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Finir' is the model verb for the regular -ir group. Its present tense conjugation is: je finis, tu finis, il/elle/on finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent. Use it whenever expressing the completion of an action.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Choisir' follows the exact same regular -ir pattern as 'finir'. It is essential for everyday shopping, food ordering, and decision-making at an A1 level.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Grandir' is a regular -ir verb used to describe physical growth or development. It conjugates identically to 'finir' and 'choisir'.

📌 Note de grammaire

Regular -re verbs (third-group verbs) drop the infinitive ending (-re) to establish the stem. The standard present tense endings are: -s, -s, [no ending], -ons, -ez, -ent. Notice that the third-person singular (il/elle/on) has no ending added to the stem.

📌 Note de grammaire

For singular pronouns, remove the -re: add -s for 'je', -s for 'tu', and add nothing (zero ending) for 'il/elle/on'. For example, from 'vendre' (to sell), the stem is 'vend-', giving: je vends, tu vends, il vend.

📌 Note de grammaire

For plural pronouns, remove the -re and apply standard plural endings directly to the bare stem: -ons for nous, -ez for vous, and -ent for ils/elles. For example: nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Attendre' is a high-frequency regular -re verb. Conjugation: j'attends, tu attends, il/elle/on attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils/elles attendent. Note that in French, 'attendre' takes a direct object without a preposition.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Répondre' is a regular -re verb. It follows the standard pattern: je réponds, tu réponds, il répond, nous répondons, vous répondez, ils répondent. It typically takes the preposition 'à' before an indirect object (e.g., répondre à une question).

📌 Note de grammaire

'Vendre' is a standard regular -re verb used for commerce and everyday transactions at A1. Conjugation: je vends, tu vends, il vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent.