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Like in English, verbs are action words. Also, as
in English, they usually follow the subject (often a
person), which is doing the action. There are 6
subjects:
• je
• tu
• il/elle
• nous
• vous
• ils/elles
I
you
he/she
we
you (pl.)
they (m/f)
Les Verbes en “ER”
When a subject and verb are placed together in a
sentence, the form of the verb changes, depending on the
subject used. This is called a conjugation .
Ex: I walk.
Je marche.
You walk.
He walks.
Tu marches.
Il marche
As you can see from the example, the ending of the verb
changes when a different subject is used. In French, there is a
large group of verbs which follow the same pattern. This
group is commonly referred to as “ER” Verbs, because in all
of these verbs, the infinitive (original form of the verb) ends
in ER.
•To conjugate an “ER” verb, remove the “ER” and add
the endings:
Jouer is an “ER” verb,
SUBJECT
ENDING
je
tu
il/elle
nous
vous
ils/elles
… e
… es
… e
… ons
… ez
… ent
EXAMPLE
Je joue.
TRANSLATION
I play.
Tu joues.
You play.
Il joue.
He plays.
Nous jouons.
We play.
Vous jouez.
You play.
Elles jouent.
They play.
While many verbs follow a conjugation pattern (like
ER verbs), those which do not follow a pattern are
referred to as “irregular verbs”. Avoir and Faire
are“irregular verbs” :
faire
To make/to do
avoir
To have
Verbe je / j’
avoir
• to have
tu
il/elle
nous
J’ai
Tu as
Il /elle a
(I have)
(you have)
(he/she has)
(we have)
Je fais
Tu fais
Il /elle fait
Nous faisons
Nous avons
vous
Vous avez
(you have)
ils/elles
Ils ont
(they have)
faire
• to do
• to make
Vous faîtes
NOTES:
•Unlike the English subject “I”, in French, the subject “je” is not always
capitalized. The only time it is capitalized is when it is found at the beginning of a
sentence.
•Remember that je becomes j’ when it is followed by a vowel.
Ils font
•To conjugate the verb faire:
SUBJECT
ENDING
je
tu
il/elle/on
nous
vous
ils/elles
…fais
…fais
… fait
…faisons
…faites
… font
EXAMPLE
Je fais
TRANSLATION
I do.
Tu fais
You do.
Il fait
He does.
Nous faisons.
We do.
Vous faites.
You do.
Elles font.
They do.