Le Présent: Les Trois Groupes de Verbes Français

The Present Tense in French: The Three Verb Groups

In French, verbs are divided into three groups based on their endings and conjugation patterns in the present tense.

1. First Group: -ER Verbs

• Most common group.
• Infinitive ends in -er (except “aller”).
• Endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
• Example: parler (to speak)
  • je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent

2. Second Group: -IR Verbs (Regular)

• Infinitive ends in -ir and present participle ends in -issant.
• Endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
• Example: finir (to finish)
  • je finis, tu finis, il/elle finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent

3. Third Group: Irregular Verbs

• Includes verbs ending in -re, -oir, -dre, -tre, and some irregular -ir verbs.
• Conjugation patterns vary.
• Examples:
  • prendre (to take): je prends, tu prends, il/elle prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils/elles prennent
  • voir (to see): je vois, tu vois, il/elle voit, nous voyons, vous voyez, ils/elles voient
  • venir (to come): je viens, tu viens, il/elle vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils/elles viennent

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Exercises

1. Match the Verb to Its Meaning

Match each French verb to its English meaning.

1. finir
   –Choose– to speak to finish to take

2. parler
   –Choose– to finish to speak to sell

3. prendre
   –Choose– to come to take to see

4. choisir
   –Choose– to choose to answer to love

5. vendre
   –Choose– to sell to finish to see

6. aller
   –Choose– to go to answer to love

7. voir
   –Choose– to see to finish to take

8. aimer
   –Choose– to love to choose to go

9. venir
   –Choose– to come to answer to sell

10. répondre
    –Choose– to answer to go to speak

2. Conjugate in Present Tense

Fill in the blank with the correct present tense form.

1. Je ________ (parler) français.
2. Nous ________ (finir) nos devoirs.
3. Tu ________ (prendre) le bus.
4. Ils ________ (choisir) un livre.
5. Vous ________ (voir) la tour Eiffel.
6. Elle ________ (vendre) des fleurs.
7. Nous ________ (aimer) le chocolat.
8. Je ________ (venir) de Paris.
9. Tu ________ (répondre) à la question.
10. Elles ________ (finir) tôt.

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Summary Table

Group	Ending(s)	Example (je)	Example (nous)	Example (ils/elles)
1st (-er)	-e, -es, -e, …	parle	parlons	parlent
2nd (-ir)	-is, -is, -it…	finis	finissons	finissent
3rd (irreg.)	-re, -oir, …	prends/vois	prenons/voyons	prennent/voient

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Practice

Write 3 sentences using a verb from each group in the present tense.

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Notes:

• First group: Regular -er verbs, most common and easiest to conjugate.
• Second group: Regular -ir verbs with -issons in “nous” form.
• Third group: Irregular verbs, memorize their patterns.