Chapter 4: Wrestling with Some Irregular Conjugations

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Chapter 4
Wrestling with Some
Irregular Conjugations
In This Chapter
Breaking down irregular verbs
Putting different irregular verbs together
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n Chapter 2, I introduce the regular verbs whose infinitives end in -er, -ir, and -re. Some
verbs with these endings, however, have an irregular conjugation. They’re harder to
conjugate because they don’t have a consistent stem throughout their conjugation, but
most have similar endings, making them a little easier to figure out.
In this chapter, I start with the most common and most frequently used irregular verbs. I
then focus on different groupings of irregular verbs and show you how to conjugate them
all. (If you want to work on other not-quite-so-common irregular verbs, you can find more
in Appendix C.)
Conjugating Irregular Verbs
From your experiences, you probably realize that nothing is run-of-the-mill. Just like in life
where you may know a few eccentric people, French is similar with its own unique verbs.
They’re not at all like the regular verbs you find in Chapter 2 (or even Chapter 3). These
verbs are irregular and in a world of their own.
This section first covers the four most commonly used irregular verbs in the French language
and then delves into other frequently used irregular verbs.
Focusing on the four most common irregular verbs
The following are the most common irregular verbs in the French language. I wish I had a
clear-cut, easy way for you to master these irregular beasts. The only suggestion I can make
is that you study each one and practice using it; I’m sure each will be become second nature
to you in no time. A good way to make these verbs your own is to practice saying them out
loud to try to build up a certain rhythm. You may even try making a song out of the conjugations, using your favorite melody.
Even with the following irregular conjugations, you may notice some consistencies; for
example, the nous form in French always ends in -ons, and the vous form almost always
ends in -ez (exceptions include être, dire, and faire, whose vous forms end in -es instead).
Because the verbs in this section are irregular, I bold the entire conjugation and not just the
ending in the following tables. From these four verbs, avoir and être are the two auxiliary
verbs. That means that you always use them when forming the compound past tenses,
which I discuss in Part III.
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avoir (to have)
j’ai
nous avons
tu as
vous avez
il/elle/on a
ils/elles ont
J’ai trois enfants. (I have three children.)
être (to be)
je suis
nous sommes
tu es
vous êtes
il/elle/on est
ils/elles sont
Ils sont gentils. (They are nice.)
aller (to go)
je vais
nous allons
tu vas
vous allez
il/elle/on va
ils/elles vont
Nous allons au cinéma. (We are going to the movies.)
faire (to do, to make)
je fais
nous faisons
tu fais
vous faites
il/elle/on fait
ils/elles font
Tu fais du bruit. (You are making noise.)
Other verbs conjugated like faire are refaire (to redo), défaire (to dismantle), and satisfaire (to satisfy).
The four verbs in this section are the most common irregular verbs in French. Try the
following practice problems to double-check how well you know them. I’ve conjugated the verbs in the following sentences, but I may not have conjugated them correctly. Check to see whether they’re right, and correct the ones that are wrong by
writing the correct conjugation in the provided blank. If you come across any that are
already correct, simply write “yes” in the blank.
Q. Tu va à l’université.
A. No. Tu vas à l’université. (You are going to the university.)
1. Tu fait ton lit.
__________________________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 4: Wrestling with Some Irregular Conjugations
2. Ils vont à la plage.
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Claudine es canadienne.
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. J’ai de la chance.
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5. Vous faitez du ski.
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6. Les touristes disont au revoir.
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7. Tu vas bien.
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. Vous sommes formidable.
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9. Philippe as un sac de couchage.
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10. Nous faisons une quiche.
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Working through other “helpful” irregular verbs
This next section of verbs focuses on important helping verbs. Vouloir (to want to),
pouvoir (to be able to), and devoir (to have to) help the main verb, which is in the
infinitive form. For example, Je veux voyager means I want to travel; Je peux voyager
means I am able to travel; and Je dois voyager means I have to travel. The verbs
vouloir and devoir can also be followed by nouns. For example, Je veux du café
means I want some coffee. Usually the verb vouloir is in the conditional form when
followed by a noun. (See Chapter 17 for the lowdown on the conditional tense.) When
the verb devoir is followed by a noun, it means to owe, as in the example Il me doit
de l’argent, which means He owes me money.
Look at the following conjugations to see how you handle these three common helping verbs. You may notice a lot of similarities between pouvoir and vouloir, such as
their endings and their vowel sequence (eu in all the singular — je, tu, il/elle/on —
and the third person plural — ils/elles; and ou in the nous and vous forms within the
conjugation).
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pouvoir (to be able to)
je peux
nous pouvons
tu peux
vous pouvez
il/elle/on peut
ils/elles peuvent
Je peux parler français. (I can [am able to] speak French.)
vouloir (to want to)
je veux
nous voulons
tu veux
vous voulez
il/elle/on veut
ils/elles veulent
Nous voulons apprendre le français. (We want to learn French.)
devoir (to have to)
je dois
nous devons
tu dois
vous devez
il/elle/on doit
ils/elles doivent
Ils doivent lire. (They have to read.)
Now it’s your turn to conjugate these verbs and add the infinitives to make complete
sentences. Work through the following practice questions and compare your answers
to those in the key at the end of the chapter. Translate the sentences after you conjugate the verbs.
Q. Tu _________________ (pouvoir) conduire.
A. Tu peux conduire. You can drive.
11. Nous _________________ (vouloir) dormir.
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12. Ils _________________ (pouvoir) lire.
__________________________________________________________________________________
13. Je _________________ (pouvoir) venir.
__________________________________________________________________________________
14. Isabelle _________________ (vouloir) sortir.
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15. Tu _________________ (devoir) travailler.
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16. Vous _________________ (pouvoir) parler français.
__________________________________________________________________________________
17. Tout le monde _________________ (vouloir) avoir de l’argent.
__________________________________________________________________________________
18. Les filles _________________ (vouloir) voyager.
__________________________________________________________________________________
19. Je _________________ (devoir) manger.
__________________________________________________________________________________
20. Tu _________________ (pouvoir) chanter.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Grouping Irregular Verbs
Although many verbs have an irregular conjugation, you may be able to group them
according to the ending of their infinitive or the similarity of their conjugation. For
instance, many -ir verbs are irregular, but you can put them into three groups. If you
remember the conjugation of one verb in a group, then you know the conjugation of
all the verbs in that group. The following sections show each of the three groups and
give you tips on how to remember each.
Looking at the “pseudo” -ir verbs
The following are irregular verbs that end in -ir. To conjugate these verbs, you need
to keep the singular conjugation (the je, tu, and il/elle/on) separate from the plural
conjugation (the nous, vous, and ils/elles). For the singular conjugation, get rid of
not only the -ir of the infinitive, but also the consonant before the -ir. For example,
for the verb partir, get rid of the -tir for the singular and add -s, -s, -t. Now for the
plural, bring back the t from the infinitive and add -ons, -ez, -ent. For the verb servir,
drop the -vir from the infinitive, add the ending -s, -s, -t; bring the v back for the plural
and add -ons, -ez, -ent. Do this with all the verbs in this group.
“Pseudo” -ir Verb Endings
je -s
nous -ons
tu -s
vous -ez
il/elle/on -t
ils/elles -ent
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I use the verb partir (to leave) as an example. Check out the following conjugation.
partir (to leave)
je pars
nous partons
tu pars
vous partez
il/elle/on part
ils/elles partent
Ils partent de l’école. (They are leaving [from] school.)
Check out Table 4-1 for more examples of these types of verbs.
Table 4-1
Common “Pseudo” -ir Verbs
Verb
Translation
Where to Break the Infinitive
dormir
to sleep
dor/mir
mentir
to lie
men/tir
ressentir
to feel
ressen/tir
se sentir
to feel (well/unwell)
se sen/tir
sentir
to smell, to feel
sen/tir
servir
to serve
ser/vir
sortir
to go out
sor/tir
Use the following practice exercises to double-check that you have a good grasp of
these types of verbs. In each blank, write the correctly conjugated form of the verb in
parentheses. I provide the translations in the Answer Key.
Q. Nous _________________ (partir) demain matin.
A. Nous partons demain matin. (We are leaving tomorrow morning.)
21. Tu _________________ (servir) les hors-d’oeuvre.
22. Nous _________________ (dormir) tard le weekend.
23. Je _________________ (sortir) le vendredi soir.
24. Elle _________________ (mentir) quelquefois.
25. Ils _________________ (servir) de la glace.
26. Vous _________________ (sentir) bon.
27. Il _________________ (partir) demain.
28. Tu _________________ (dormir) trop.
29. Marie _________________ (sortir) souvent.
30. Elles _________________ (partir) pour l’Australie.
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The “wannabes”: -ir verbs acting like -er verbs
You conjugate this set of irregular -ir verbs like -er verbs, such as the verb parler
(to speak). Drop the -ir of the infinitive and add the endings in the following table.
(Don’t the endings look familiar?)
The “Wannabe” Endings: -ir Verbs Acting Like -er Verbs
je -e
nous -ons
tu -es
vous -ez
il/elle/on -e
ils/elles -ent
Check out the following example of the verb ouvrir (to open), conjugated.
ouvrir (to open)
j’ouvre
nous ouvrons
tu ouvres
vous ouvrez
il/elle/on ouvre
ils/elles ouvrent
Nous ouvrons la porte. (We open the door.)
Table 4-2 has some examples of this type of verb.
Table 4-2
Common “Wannabe” -ir Verbs
Verb
Translation
accueillir
to welcome
couvrir
to cover
cueillir
to pick, to gather (flowers, vegetables, and so on)
découvrir
to discover
offrir
to offer
souffrir
to suffer
Work through these practice problems for a quick review of the “wannabe” verbs.
Conjugate the verb in parentheses and write your answer in the blank. (I provide the
translation in the answers.)
Q. Tu _________________ (souffrir) de la chaleur.
A. Tu souffres de la chaleur. (You suffer/are suffering from the heat.)
31. Nous _________________ (cueillir) des fleurs.
32. Ils _________________ (accueillir) leurs invités.
33. Je _________________ (couvrir) mon livre.
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