Appendix

A. French verb groups

Every French verb belongs to one of three classic groups, set by its infinitive: the regular -er verbs (1st group), the regular -ir verbs with -iss- (2nd group), and everything else (3rd group). LinguaMorpha builds on those three with groups for spelling changes, stem changes, the auxiliary and irregularity. The groups decide what you drill (Self Study → Verbs → Select verb groups) and appear as coloured badges on each verb. A verb can belong to more than one group: manger is in 1st group (-er), Spelling -ger (mangeons) and Auxiliary avoir.

Select verb groups shows the groups below in five sections. Each row shows how many verbs it holds, and the ⓘ button opens an explanation with the verbs in that group. The catalogue holds over 900 verbs.

Basic

1st group (-er)

The regular -er verbs: parler, aimer, donner. By far the largest family, and almost every newly coined French verb joins it. The stem is the infinitive minus -er (parler → parl-). This row holds only the -er verbs whose forms all follow the rule. An -er verb with a spelling or stem change, such as acheter or préférer, is found in its own group below. Aller looks like an -er verb, but it is irregular and belongs to the 3rd group.

2nd group (-ir / -iss-)

The regular -ir verbs that insert -iss- between stem and ending in the plural of the present, throughout the imparfait, in the present subjonctif and in the present participle: finir → nous finissons, je finissais, que je finisse, finissant. Other examples: choisir, réussir, grandir.

3rd group (-re / -ir / -oir)

Everything that fits neither of the first two groups: the -re verbs (prendre, vendre, mettre), the -oir verbs (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, voir) and the -ir verbs without -iss- (venir, partir, dormir). Aller, avoir and faire are here too. There is no single present-tense pattern: each verb has its own present forms. What the 3rd group shares with the other two is the endings of the imparfait, the futur simple and the conditionnel présent.

Pronominal

Verbs used with a reflexive pronoun: se laver, se lever, s'asseoir. Pronominal is not a fourth group. The verb keeps its own group and conjugates as it would without the pronoun: se laver → je me lave (1st group), se réjouir → je me réjouis (2nd group), se battre → je me bats (3rd group). All pronominal verbs take être in the compound tenses.

Spelling

1st-group verbs whose spelling changes in some forms, while the sound stays the same.

Spelling -ger (mangeons)

-ger verbs keep an e before an ending that begins with a or o, so that the g stays soft: nous mangeons, je mangeais, il mangea, en mangeant. Other examples: voyager, changer, nager.

Spelling -cer (commençons)

-cer verbs write ç before a or o, so that the c stays soft: nous commençons, je commençais, il commença. Before e and i nothing changes: nous commencions. Other examples: lancer, placer, avancer.

Spelling -yer (essaie)

-yer verbs change y to i before a silent e: j'essaie, tu essaies, il essaie, ils essaient, but nous essayons, vous essayez. The i runs through the futur and the conditionnel (j'essaierai). -ayer verbs allow both spellings (je paie and je paye); -oyer and -uyer verbs always take the i (j'emploie, j'appuie).

Stem Changes

1st-group verbs whose stem changes in the forms with a silent ending: je, tu, il, ils in the present, and the same persons of the present subjonctif. Nous and vous keep the stem of the infinitive.

Stem e → è (achète)

An e in the last syllable of the stem becomes è: lever → je lève, nous levons. Other examples: mener, peser, se promener. The è also appears throughout the futur and the conditionnel: je lèverai.

Stem é → è (préfère)

An é in the last syllable of the stem becomes è: préférer → je préfère, nous préférons. Other examples: espérer, répéter, céder.

Doubled consonant (appelle, jette)

The -eler and -eter verbs. Most double the l or t instead of writing an accent: appeler → j'appelle, nous appelons; jeter → je jette, nous jetons. This group holds every -eler and -eter verb, so it also includes the few that take è instead: acheter → j'achète, geler → je gèle, congeler, dégeler. The conjugation tables show each verb's actual forms.

Auxiliary

Which auxiliary the verb takes in the compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, conditionnel passé, …).

Auxiliary avoir

Most verbs form their compound tenses with avoir: j'ai parlé, j'avais parlé, j'aurai parlé. The past participle does not agree with the subject (elle a parlé). It agrees only with a direct object that comes before the verb: je l'ai vue, les lettres que j'ai écrites.

Auxiliary être

A closed set of verbs of movement and change of state take être: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, rester, tomber, naître, mourir, devenir and compounds such as revenir. So do all pronominal verbs. With être, the past participle agrees with the subject: il est parti, elle est partie, ils sont partis. With a pronominal verb, the participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun when that pronoun is the direct object: elle s'est lavée, but elle s'est lavé les mains.

Six verbs take either auxiliary, depending on the sentence: monter, descendre, sortir, ressortir, passer, retourner. Without a direct object they take être (elle est sortie); with one they take avoir (elle a sorti la voiture). These six appear in both auxiliary groups. The conjugation tables show the être forms, and the verb's details carry the note with a direct object → avoir.

Irregular

Fully irregular

The verbs whose present and imparfait are both stored as whole forms, because no rule produces them. In the current catalogue that is être (je suis, j'étais), the impersonal falloir (il faut, il fallait) and pleuvoir (il pleut, il pleuvait), and se souvenir de. The other everyday irregular verbs, such as avoir, aller and faire, are in 3rd group (-re / -ir / -oir): their imparfait follows the rule.

Subjonctif irrégulier

For almost every French verb, the present subjonctif is built from the ils form of the present: ils finissent → que je finisse. The verbs in this group have a subjonctif stem of their own, which you have to learn: être (que je sois), avoir (que j'aie), aller (que j'aille), faire (que je fasse), pouvoir (que je puisse), savoir (que je sache), vouloir (que je veuille), valoir (que je vaille), falloir (qu'il faille). The group also includes compounds such as refaire and a few impersonal weather verbs.

B. French verb tenses

LinguaMorpha offers sixteen tenses, grouped by mood in Self Study → Verbs → Select tenses. You can switch each one on or off, and the Tenses page under Theory explains when each is used and how it is built.

Indicatif – Temps Simples

Présent

Current or general actions: je parle, tu parles, il parle.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past, descriptions and background: je parlais. Built on the stem of the nous form of the present, plus -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient (nous finissons → je finissais). The only exception is être: j'étais.

Futur Simple

Future actions, predictions and promises: je parlerai. The endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont go on the infinitive (the -re verbs drop their final e: prendre → je prendrai). Some 3rd-group verbs have an irregular future stem: aller → j'irai, venir → je viendrai, être → je serai, avoir → j'aurai, faire → je ferai.

Indicatif – Passé Simple

Passé Simple

The literary simple past: il parla, il finit, il vint. It is found in novels, formal essays and historical texts, but hardly ever in spoken French, where the passé composé takes its place. You need it for reading.

Indicatif – Temps Composés

Passé Composé

The everyday spoken past, for completed actions: avoir or être in the present + past participle (j'ai parlé, elle est allée).

Plus-que-parfait

The past before the past: auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle (j'avais parlé, elle était partie).

Futur Antérieur

An action that will be completed before another future event: auxiliary in the futur simple + past participle (j'aurai parlé).

Passé Antérieur

Auxiliary in the passé simple + past participle (j'eus parlé, il fut parti). A literary tense that goes with the passé simple: it appears after quand, lorsque, dès que or après que in a narrative whose main verb is in the passé simple. You will mostly meet it in reading.

Conditionnel

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical actions, polite requests, and the consequence in an if-sentence: je parlerais. The future stem + the imparfait endings. Si j'avais le temps, je voyagerais.

Conditionnel Passé

What would have happened: auxiliary in the conditionnel présent + past participle (j'aurais parlé). Si j'avais su, je l'aurais dit.

Impératif

Impératif Présent

Commands, instructions and invitations: parle ! parlons ! parlez ! There are only three forms (tu, nous, vous), and no subject pronoun. The forms come from the present, but 1st-group verbs drop the final -s of the tu form (parle, not parles). Être (sois, soyons, soyez), avoir (aie, ayons, ayez) and aller (va, allons, allez) have their own forms.

Impératif Passé

Auxiliary in the impératif + past participle (aie parlé, sois parti). It orders something to be finished by a given moment: Aie fini avant midi (have it done before noon). Rare, and like the impératif présent it has only the tu, nous and vous forms.

Subjonctif

The subjonctif expresses what is wished, feared, needed or uncertain, and nearly always follows que.

Subjonctif Présent

Il faut que tu parles, bien qu'elle soit fatiguée.

Subjonctif Passé

Auxiliary in the subjonctif présent + past participle, when the action in the que clause is completed: je doute qu'elle soit arrivée, bien qu'il ait travaillé.

Subjonctif Imparfait

The literary counterpart of the subjonctif présent, found in formal writing and classic literature: il voulait qu'elle parlât, que je parlasse.

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait

Auxiliary in the subjonctif imparfait + past participle: que j'eusse parlé. Rarer still, and literary. In formal style it can also replace the conditionnel passé: j'eusse préféré for j'aurais préféré.