There are three groups of verbs in French:The first group: The verbs end in “er” and follow the same conjugation except for “aller” which is a verb of the 3rd group.The second group: This group comprises all verbs that end in “ir” and which their present participle ends in “issant” For example: finir is a verb of the second group because it ends in “ir” and its present participle ends in “issant” : finissant The third group: comprises all the other verbs. We also call them “irregular verbs” because they don’t follow any specific conjugation. For example: prendre, tenir, voir, etc. |
The verbs of the third group don’t follow any specific rule. That’s why we call them “verbes irréguliers” . Their conjugation varies depending on the verb. We will try to classify them according to their terminaisons or their racines.
Lesson 1: The verbs with the roots: battre, tenir, courir et cueillir
Verbs with the root battre conjugate like “ battre”For example: abattre, combattre, débattre, se rabattre, etc...
| Je | bats |
| Tu | bats |
| Il /elle/ on | bat |
| Nous | battons |
| Vous | battez |
| Ils/elles | battent |
Verbs with the root tenir conjugate like “ tenir”.
Note: se souvenir conjugates like “tenir”
For example: s’abstenir, appartenir, détenir, entretenir, maintenir, retenir, soutenir, obtenir, etc...
| Je | tiens |
| Tu | tiens |
| Il /elle/ on | tient |
| Nous | tenons |
| Vous | tenez |
| Ils/elles | tiennent |
Verbs with the root courir conjugate like “courir”
For example: accourir, concourir, encourir, parcourir, recourir.
| Je | cours |
| Tu | cours |
| Il /elle/ on | court |
| Nous | courons |
| Vous | courez |
| Ils/elles | courent |
Verbs which have cueillir as a root conjugate like “cueillir”
For example: accueillir et se recueillir
| Je | cueille |
| Tu | cueilles |
| Il /elle/ on | cueille |
| Nous | cueillons |
| Vous | cueillez |
| Ils/elles | cueillent |