French conjugation

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French conjugation is the variation in the endings of French verbs (inflections) depending on the person (I, you, we, etc), tense (present, future, etc.) and mood (indicative, imperative, subjunctive, etc.). Most verbs are regular and can be entirely determined by their infinitive form (ex. parler), however irregular verbs require the knowledge of more than just the infinitive form, known as the principal parts, of which there are seven in French. With the knowledge of these seven principal parts of a verb, one can conjugate almost all French verbs. However, a handful of verbs, including être, are highly irregular and the seven principal parts are not sufficient to conjugate the verb fully.

French verbs are conventionally divided into three conjugations (conjugaisons) with the following grouping:

• 1st group: verbs ending in -er (except aller and its derivates)
• 2nd group: verbs ending in -ir, with the present participle ending in -issant
• 3rd group: verbs ending in -re (with the exception of irregular verbs)
  • 1st section: verbs ending in -ir, with the present participle ending in -ant
  • 2nd section: verbs ending in -oir
  • 3rd section: verbs ending in -re
  • aller and its derivates

The first two groups follow a regular conjugation, whereas the third group is more complex. The third group is considered a closed-class conjugation form,^[1] meaning that most new verbs introduced to the French language are of the first group (téléviser, atomiser, radiographier), with the remaining ones being of the second group (alunir).

The verb aller and its derivates are the only verbs ending in -er belonging to the third group.

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.

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

• Transitive verbs (direct or indirect) in the active voice are conjugated with the verb avoir.
• Intransitive verbs are conjugated with either avoir or être (see French verbs#Temporal auxiliary verbs).
• Reflexive verbs (or "pronominal verbs") are conjugated with être.
• être is used to form the passive voice. Être is itself conjugated according to the tense and mood, and this may require the use of avoir as an additional auxiliary verb, e.g. Il a été mangé (It was eaten).

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.

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.

Infinitive: parl-er "to speak"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple past	Simple 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)

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!"

Exceptional verbs:

• The verb aller, though it ends in -er is completely irregular and belongs to the third group.
• 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.

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 : parler "to speak"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Simple Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	chois-is		chois-iss-ais	choisir-ai	chois-iss-e		chois-irais
tu				choisir-as	chois-iss-es			chois-is
il/elle	chois-it		chois-iss-ait	choisir-a	chois-isse	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
Auxiliary verb: avoir (partir uses être)

Most verbs of the third group end in -re. A few end in -ir and three end in -er. Most can be described with seven principal parts. No verbs has separate stems for all seven parts; instead, they tend to "inherit" the same stem as another part. Note that the endings for these verbs are basically the same as for regular -ir verbs; in fact, regular -ir verbs can be fit into this scheme by treating the -iss- variants as different principal parts.

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	1S
First plural present indicative	Remove ending -ons	Infinitive stem	1P
Third plural present indicative	Remove ending -ent	First plural present stem	3P
(First singular) future	Remove ending -ai	Full infinitive (minus any -e)	FUT
(Masculine singular) past participle	Full word	Infinitive stem, plus -i (plus -u if ends -re)	PP
(First singular) simple past	Remove ending -s, -ai	Past participle (minus any -s or -t)	PAST

The following table shows how the conjugation of an irregular verb is constructed from its principal parts. Note that a few verbs construct the present indicative (especially the singular) differently.

Paradigm for most irregular verbs (7 principal parts)

	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 The -t is regularly dropped when directly following a d or t (e.g. il vend "he sells", not *il vendt).
² +t if ends with vowel, else +s.
Present participle: 1P-ant
Past participle: PP

The following table gives principal parts for a number of irregular verbs. There are a number of fair-sized groups of verbs that are conjugated alike; these are listed first. There are some additional irregularities in the present indicative, which are listed below. Nearly all irregularities affect the singular, and are purely issues of spelling. (Stems that are irregular in the sense of being unpredictable by the above rules are given in boldface.)

Table of principal parts of irregular (and -ir) French verbs (7 principal parts)

INF	Meaning	FUT	Present Indicative			PP	PAST
			1S	1P	3P
chois-ir 4	to choose	choisir-ai	choisi-s	choisiss-ons	choisiss-ent	choisi	choisi-s	5
haïr	to hate	haïr-ai	hai-s / haï-s1	haïss-ons	haïss-ent	haï	haï-s	5
part-ir 4	to leave	partir-ai	par-s	part-ons	part-ent	parti	parti-s	5
vêt-ir 4	to dress	vêtir-ai	vêt-s, vêt2	vêt-ons	vêt-ent	vêtu	vêti-s	5
requér-ir	to require, demand	requerr-ai	requier-s	requér-ons	requièr-ent	requis	requi-s
ven-ir 4	to come	viendr-ai	vien-s	ven-ons	vienn-ent	venu	vin-s	5
mour-ir	to die	mourr-ai	meur-s	mour-ons	meur-ent	mort	mouru-s
cour-ir	to run	courr-ai	cour-s	cour-ons	cour-ent	couru	couru-s
ouvr-ir 4	to open	ouvrir-ai	ouvr-e, ouvr-es, ouvr-e	ouvr-ons	ouvr-ent	ouvert	ouvri-s	5
cueill-ir	to gather	cueiller-ai	cueill-e, cueill-es, cueill-e	cueill-ons	cueill-ent	cueilli	cueilli-s	5
asse-oir	to sit	assiér-ai; assoir-ai	assied-s, assied;2 assoi-s	assey-ons; assoy-ons	assey-ent; assoi-ent	assis	assi-s	5
envoy-er 4	to send	enverr-ai	envoi-e3	envoy-ons3	envoi-ent3	envoyé	envoy-ai	5
voir 4	to see	verr-ai	voi-s	voy-ons	voi-ent3	vu	vi-s
recev-oir 4	to receive	recevr-ai	reçoi-s	recev-ons	reçoiv-ent	reçu	reçu-s
dev-oir	to owe, must	devr-ai	doi-s	dev-ons	doiv-ent	dû	du-s
mouv-oir	to move	mouvr-ai	meu-s	mouv-ons	meuv-ent	mû	mu-s
émouv-oir 4	to move, affect	émouvr-ai	émeu-s	émouv-ons	émeuv-ent	ému	ému-s
choir 4	to fall	choir-ai; cherr-ai	choi-s	choy-ons	choi-ent3	chu	chu-s
pleuv-oir	to rain	pleuvr-a	pleu-t	(stem) pleuv-	(stem) pleuv-	plu	plu-t	5
vend-re 4	to sell	vendr-ai	vend-s, vend2	vend-ons	vend-ent	vendu	vendi-s	5
batt-re	to beat	battr-ai	bat-s, bat2	batt-ons	batt-ent	battu	batti-s	5
romp-re	to break	rompr-ai	romp-s	romp-ons	romp-ent	rompu	rompi-s	5
vainc-re 4	to conquer	vaincr-ai	vainc-s, vainc	vainqu-ons	vainqu-ent	vaincu	vainqui-s	5
craind-re 4	to fear	craindr-ai	crain-s	craign-ons	craign-ent	craint	craign-is
condui-re 4	to lead	conduir-ai	condui-s	conduis-ons	conduis-ent	conduit	conduisi-s
trai-re 4	to milk	trair-ai	trai-s	tray-ons3	trai-ent3	trai-t	tray-ai	5
prend-re 4	to take	prendr-ai	prend-s, prend2	pren-ons	prenn-ent	pris	pri-s
mett-re 4	to put	mettr-ai	met-s, met2	mett-ons	mett-ent	mis	mi-s
écri-re 4	to write	écrir-ai	écri-s	écriv-ons	écriv-ent	écrit	écrivi-s
boi-re	to drink	boir-ai	boi-s	buv-ons	boiv-ent	bu	bu-s
di-re 4	to say, tell	dir-ai	di-s	dis-ons, dites	dis-ent	dit	di-s
li-re	to read	lir-ai	li-s	lis-ons	lis-ent	lu	lu-s
suffi-re 4	to suffice	suffir-ai	suffi-s	suffis-ons	suffis-ent	suffi	suffi-s
plai-re 4	to please	plair-ai	plai-s, plaît	plais-ons	plais-ent	plu	plu-s	5
croi-re	to believe	croir-ai	croi-s	croy-ons3	croi-ent3	cru	cru-s
brui-re	to make a low noise	bruir-ai	brui-t	(stem) bruiss-	bruiss-ent	brui	brui-t
maudi-re	to curse	maudir-ai	maudi-t	maudiss-ons	maudiss-ent	maudit	maudi-t	5
ri-re 4	to laugh	rir-ai	ri-s	ri-ons	ri-ent	ri	ri-s
conclu-re 4	to conclude	conclur-ai	conclu-s	conclu-ons	conclu-ent	conclu	conclu-s
viv-re 4	to live	vivr-ai	vi-s	viv-ons	viv-ent	vécu	vécu-s
suiv-re 4	to follow	suivr-ai	sui-s	suiv-ons	suiv-ent	suivi	suivi-s
connaît-re 4	to know	connaîtr-ai	connai-s, connaît	connaiss-ons	connaiss-ent	connu	connu-s	5
naît-re	to be born	naîtr-ai	nai-s, naît	naiss-ons	naiss-ent	né	naqui-s	5
coud-re	to sew	coudr-ai	coud-s, coud2	cous-ons	cous-ent	cousu	cousi-s
moud-re	to grind, mill	moudr-ai	moud-s, moud2	moul-ons	moul-ent	moulu	moulu-s
résoud-re	to solve, resolve	résoudr-ai	résou-s	résolv-ons	résolv-ent	résolu	résolu-s
absoud-re	to solve, absolve	absoudr-ai	absou-s	absolv-ons	absolv-ent	absous, absoute	absolu-s	5
clo-re	to close	clor-ai	clo-s, clôt	clos-ons	clos-ent	clos	–	5

¹ Only in Quebec French.
² The ending -t is regularly dropped when directly following a d or t (e.g. il vend "he sells", not *il vendt).
³ Alternation of "-ai-" and -oi- before consonant or unstressed e, "-ay-" and -oy- before other vowels is automatic in all verbs.
⁴ See following table for similar verbs.
⁵ See following table for notes.

choisir	Note: How a regular -ir verb would be represented by its principal parts There are about 300 verbs in -ir
haïr	Note: The same as a regular -ir verb but 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 /ʒ(ə) paʁ, dɔʁ, mɑ̃, sɔʁ, sɑ̃, sɛʁ/ 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	Note simple past plural vînmes, vîntes, vinrent /vɛ̃m, vɛ̃t, vɛ̃ʁ/ 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	Notice that there are two sets of conjugations.
envoyer	Note: 1st group verb Similar: renvoyer "resend"
voir	Similar: revoir "see again"
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 to distinguish it from the partitive article du - due, dus and dues remain unchanged
mouvoir	Adds a circumflex to mu to distinguish it from the Greek letter mu (μ) - mue, mus and mues remain unchanged
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	Note the 3rd sg. plaît 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	note the 3rd sg. connaît 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 tens. Note the 3rd sg. clôt

Infinitive: Recevoir "to receive"

	Indicative				Subjunctive		Conditional	Imperative
	Present	Simple Past	Imperfect	Future	Present	Imperfect	Present	Present
je	reçois	reçus	recevais	recevrai	reçoive	reçusse	recevrais
tu				recevras	reçoives	reçusses		reçois
il/elle	reçoit	reçut	recevait	recevra	reçoive	reçût	recevrait
nous	recevons	reçûmes	recevions	recevrons	recevions	reçussions	recevrions	recevons
vous	recevez	reçûtes	receviez	recevrez	receviez	reçussiez	recevriez	recevez
ils/elles	reçoivent	reçurent	recevaient	recevront	reçoivent	reçussent	recevraient

Present participle: recevant
Past participle: reçu

	1st group	2nd group	3rd group			1st group	2nd group	3rd group
	Indicatif (Présent)					Subjonctif (Présent)
je	e1	is	s (x)2	e3		e	isse	e
tu	es			es3		es	isses	es
il	e	it	t (d)	e3		e	isse	e
nous	ons	issons	ons			ions	issions	ions
vous	ez	issez	ez			iez	issiez	iez
ils	ent	issent	ent			ent	issent	ent
	Indicatif (Imparfait)					Subjonctif (Imparfait)
je	ais	issais	ais			asse	isse	isse4	usse
tu						asses	isses	isses4	usses
il	ait	issait	ait			ât	ît	ît4	ût
nous	ions	issions	ions			assions	issions	issions4	ussions
vous	iez	issiez	iez			assiez	issiez	issiez4	ussiez
ils	aient	issaient	aient			assent	issent	issent4	ussent
	Indicatif (Passé simple)					Impératif (Présent)
je	ai	is	is4	us
tu	as					e	is	s	e3
il	a	it	it4	ut
nous	âmes	îmes	îmes4	ûmes		ons	issons	ons	ons
vous	âtes	îtes	îtes4	ûtes		ez	issez	ez	ez
ils	èrent	irent	irent4	urent
	Indicatif (Futur simple)					Conditionnel (Présent)
je	erai	irai	rai			erais	irais	rais
tu	eras	iras	ras
il	era	ira	ra			erait	irait	rait
nous	erons	irons	rons			erions	irions	rions
vous	erez	irez	rez			eriez	iriez	riez
ils	eront	iront	ront			eraient	iraient	raient

1. In an interrogative sentence, the final e is written é (traditional spelling) or è (rectified spelling), and is pronounced as an open è [ɛ]. Additionally, the e in je becomes silent. For example: je marche /ʒə.maʁʃ/ (I walk), marchè-je? /maʁʃɛʒ/ (do I walk?)

2. Only in je/tu peux (I/you can), je/tu veux (I/you want), and je/tu vaux (I am/you are 'worth').

. Verbs in -dre have a final d for the 3rd singular person, except for those ending in -indre and -soudre which take a final t. The verbs vaincre (defeat) and convaincre (convince) are conjugated as vainc and convainc, respectively, in 3rd singular person.

3. The only verbs having this ending are: assaillir (assail), couvrir (cover), cueillir (pluck), défaillir (default), offrir (offer), ouvrir (open), souffrir (suffer), tressaillir (shiver), and in the imperative only, avoir (have), savoir (know), and vouloir (want).

4. Except for je vins (I came), je tins (I held), etc..., que je vinsse (that I come), que je tinsse (that I hold), etc...

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are imperfect av- /av/; present subjunctive ai- /ɛ/; future and conditional aur- /oʁ/; simple past and past subjunctive e- (not pronounced: eus, eusse are pronounced as bare inflections /y, ys/). 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 /e/	eus /y/	avais /avɛ/	aurai /oʁe/	aie /ɛ/	eusse /ys/	aurais /oʁɛ/
tu	as /ɑ/			auras /oʁɑ/	aies /ɛ/	eusses /ys/		aie* /ɛ/
il/elle/on	a /a/	eut /y/	avait /avɛ/	aura /oʁa/	ait /ɛ/	eût /y/	aurait /oʁɛ/
nous	avons /avɔ̃/	eûmes /ym/	avions /avjɔ̃/	aurons /oʁɔ̃/	ayons /ɛjɔ̃/	eussions /ysjɔ̃/	aurions /oʁjɔ̃/	ayons* /ɛjɔ̃/
vous	avez /ave/	eûtes /yt/	aviez /avje/	aurez /oʁe/	ayez /ɛje/	eussiez /ysje/	auriez /oʁje/	ayez* /ɛje/
ils/elles	ont /ɔ̃/	eurent /yʁ/	avaient /avɛ/	auront /oʁɔ̃/	aient /ɛ/	eussent /ys/	auraient /oʁɛ/

* Notice that the imperative form uses the subjunctive conjugation.

Non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: avoir /avwaʁ/
• Present participle: ayant /ejɑ̃/
• Gerundive: en ayant /ɑ̃n‿ejɑ̃/
• Verbal adjective: ayant(s) /ejɑ̃/, ayante(s) /ejɑ̃t/
• Past participle: eu(e)(s) /y/

Auxiliary verb: avoir

This verb has different stems for different tenses. These are all pronounced differently: imperfect ét- /et/; present subjunctive soi- /swa/; future and conditional ser- /səʁ/; simple past and past subjunctive in f- /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 (/swajɔ̃, swaje/) 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 /sɥi/	fus /fy/	étais /etɛ/	serai /səʁe/	sois /swɑ/	fusse /fys/	serais /səʁɛ/
tu	es /ɛ/			seras /səʁɑ/		fusses /fys/		sois* /swɑ/
il/elle/on	est /ɛ/	fut /fy/	était /etɛ/	sera /səʁa/	soit /swa/	fût /fy/	serait /səʁɛ/
nous	sommes /sɔm/	fûmes /fym/	étions /etjɔ̃/	serons /səʁɔ̃/	soyons /swajɔ̃/	fussions /fysjɔ̃/	serions /səʁjɔ̃/	soyons* /swajɔ̃/
vous	êtes /ɛt/	fûtes /fyt/	étiez /etje/	serez /səʁe/	soyez /swaje/	fussiez /fysje/	seriez /səʁje/	soyez* /swaje/
ils/elles	sont /sɔ̃/	furent /fyʁ/	étaient /etɛ/	seront /səʁɔ̃/	soient /swa/	fussent /fys/	seraient /səʁɛ/

* 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
• Gerundive: en étant
• Verbal adjective: étant(e)(s)
• Past participle: été

Auxiliary verb: avoir

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- /aj/; conditional and future ir- /iʁ/. 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 /vɛ/, /vɑ/1	allai /ale/	allais /alɛ/	irai /iʁe/	aille /aj/	allasse /alɑs/	irais /iʁɛ/
tu	vas /vɑ/	allas /alɑ/		iras /iʁɑ/	ailles /aj/	allasses /alɑs/		va /va/
il/elle/on	va /va/	alla /ala/	allait /alɛ/	ira /iʁa/	aille /aj/	allât /alɑ/	irait /iʁɛ/
nous	allons /alɔ̃/	allâmes /alam/	allions /aljɔ̃/	irons /iʁɔ̃/	allions /aljɔ̃/	allassions /alɑsjɔ̃/	irions /iʁjɔ̃/	allons /alɔ̃/
vous	allez /ale/	allâtes /alat/	alliez /alje/	irez /iʁe/	alliez /alje/	allassiez /alɑsje/	iriez /iʁje/	allez /ale/
ils/elles	vont /vɔ̃/	allèrent /alɛʁ/	allaient /alɛ/	iront /iʁɔ̃/	aillent /aj/	allassent /alɑs/	iraient /iʁɛ/

The non-finite forms are all based on all- /al/:

• Infinitive: aller
• Present participle: allant
• Gerundive: en allant
• Verbal adjective: allant(e)(s)
• Past participle: allé(e)(s)

Auxiliary verb: être

¹ In Classical French and even in certain dialects (like in Cajun and some Quebec dialects) je vas is used.

• Bescherelle, a reference book for (usually French) verb conjugation

• Larousse de la conjugaison, 1980.

• Verb2Verbe - French/English verb conjugation with translations
• Language Atlas - overview of all the different types of conjugations
• Le Conjugueur - online conjugation for all French verbs
• Bescherelle - conjugation & conjugation books.
• WordReference - French conjugation (Beta)
• Conjugation-FR - French conjugation
• Open source XML database of French verb conjugation rules.
• French Verbs Aloud - conjugations by speaking and listening
• French verb practice at UT Austin Archived 2021-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
• schoLINGUA - Conjugation trainer - over 12,000 French verbs
• Comment-conjuguer.fr - online conjugation for all French verbs and conjugation rules