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French conjugation

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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

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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

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

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)

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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)

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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

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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
  1. 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
  1. 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

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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

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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+t1 or SUBJ+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 or 1P+ions PAST+ssions FUT+ions 1P+ons or SUBJ+ons
vous 1P+ez PAST+ˆtes 1P+iez FUT+ez SUBJ+iez or 1P+iez PAST+ssiez FUT+iez 1P+ez or SUBJ+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 or SUBJ-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

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Avoir

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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

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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

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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

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

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.academie-francaise.fr/le-dictionnaire/la-9e-edition
  2. ^ a b c 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
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