the infinitive with the ending removed
(-er, -ir, -re, -oir)
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
A verb lacking some tenses, moods, or subjects
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Mood
Moods in French express a speaker's attitude about a verb, whether they consider it an objective fact, a hypothetical possibility, a command, or a subjective opinion.
The indicatif (indicative) mood expresses facts, certainty, and reality. It can describe states or actions in the past, present, or future.
The conditionnel (conditional) mood expresses statements that are hypothetical or contrary-to-fact. It can be used to describe possibilities - something that could, would, or should happen - both in the present and the past.
The impératif (imperative) mood is used to give orders, requests, or suggestions. It can only be applied to other people (tu or vous forms) or to a group that includes yourself (nous form).
The subjonctif (subjunctive) mood expresses opinions, feelings, needs, desires, preferences, advice, and orders. It indicates subjectivity or uncertainty, as opposed to the indicatif which is used for objective statements of facts or certainty.
Tense
The présent (present) tense describes actions and states that are currently happening, are about to occur, or are habitually or generally true. In English it corresponds to the phrases 'do' or 'am doing'. It is formed by adding these endings to the :
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -er | -e | -es | -e | -ons | -ez | -ent |
| -ir | -is | -is | -it | -issons | -issez | -issent |
| -re | -s | -s | - | -ons | -ez | -ent |
Note that most irregular present-tense verbs ending with -ir, -re or -oir use the endings -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent. The irregularity usually lies in the stem, which varies depending on the subject.
The conditionnel (conditional) tense is formed by adding these endings to the conditional stem of the verb:
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ais | -ais | -ait | -ions | -iez | -aient |
The stem is usually the infinitive form of the verb (with the final 'e' removed for -re verbs), although there are about 20 core verbs with irregular conditional stems. Note that the conditional and future stems of a verb are the same.
The impératif (imperative) mood is used in the present tense for commands or orders. It is generally formed using the tu, nous and vous forms of the present indicative. The final 's' is dropped from the tu form for verbs ending in -er, or for those that conjugate like -er verbs. However, the 's' is retained if followed by the pronouns y or en.
For reflexive verbs, a stressed pronoun -toi, -nous, or -vous is added after the verb.
There are only four verbs with irregular imperative forms: être, avoir, vouloir, and savoir. These forms are all based on the present subjunctive.
The présent du subjonctif (present subjunctive) tense is usually triggered after 'que', corresponding to the English word 'that'. Examples include il faut que, il est impossible que, préférer que, vouloir que, suggérer que, and douter que.
It is formed by adding the following endings to the ils/elles form of the present tense from which the -ent ending has been dropped.
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -e | -es | -e | -ions | -iez | -ent |
The imparfait (imperfect) tense describes ongoing or habitual actions or states in the past. In English it corresponds to the phrases 'was doing', 'used to do', 'would', or 'did'. This contrasts with the passé composé, which describes completed actions.
It is formed by adding the following endings to the nous form of the present tense from which the -ons ending has been dropped.
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ais | -ais | -ait | -ions | -iez | -aient |
Note that être is the only French verb which does not use the nous stem, although there are stem-changing verbs which have minor spelling changes.
The imparfait du subjonctif (imperfect subjunctive) is a formal, literary tense that is replaced in modern French by the present or past subjunctive. It is formed by adding the endings below to the il/elle form of the passé simple from which the final 't' has been dropped (if present).
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -sse | -sses | -ˆt | -ssions | -ssiez | -ssent |
Almost all French verbs follow this conjugation rule. Note that -ˆt means that a circumflex is added to the preceding vowel i.e -a → -ât, -it → -ît, and -ut → -ût.
Formal, literary writing uses the passé simple tense just like the passé composé - to represent completed actions that took place in the past. All regular and most irregular verbs use the with the endings below. Irregular verbs with a past participle ending in -u or -û usually use the past participle stem with the -u/û endings.
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -er | -ai | -as | -a | -âmes | -âtes | -èrent |
| -ir/-re | -is | -is | -it | -îmes | -îtes | -irent |
| -u/û | -us | -us | -ut | -ûmes | -ûtes | -urent |
Note that stem-changing verbs with a verb stem ending in c or g undergo the same spelling changes in the passé simple as in the présent tense.
The futur (future) tense expresses something that will happen at some point in the future. In English it corresponds to the phrase 'will do'. The tense is formed by adding these endings to the future stem of the verb:
| je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ai | -as | -a | -ons | -ez | -ont |
The future stem is usually the infinitive form of the verb (with the final 'e' removed for -re verbs), although there are about 20 core verbs with irregular future stems. Note that the future and conditional stems of a verb are the same.
The futur antérior (future anterior) describes actions that will have been completed by a specific time in the future. In English it corresponds to the phrase 'will have done'.
It is a compound tense formed with:
The passé composé (past) tense describes completed actions in the past. In English it corresponds to the phrase 'did' or 'have done'.
It is a compound tense formed by using the present conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être, followed by the past participle. For regular verbs and those in the regular -re group this is constructed by adding the ending below to the .
| -er verbs | -ir verbs | -re verbs |
|---|---|---|
| -é | -i | -u |
Irregular past participles mostly follow common patterns for verbs with similar endings. Most verbs ending with -oir have past participles ending in -u with an irregular stem.
The conditionnel passé (past conditional) tense describes something that could, would, or should have happened in the past. In English it corresponds to the phrase 'would have done'.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The conditional conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
The impératif passé (past imperative) is a rare tense used for an order that something be done or completed before something else or by a certain time. In English it corresponds to the command 'Have done...' or 'Be done...'.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The imperative conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
The passé du subjonctif (past subjunctive) indicates subjectivity or uncertainty about something that happened in the past. An example would be Je suis heureux que tu sois venu(e) = I'm happy that you came.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The present subjunctive conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
The plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) describes actions that had happened before other actions in the past. In English it corresponds to the phrase 'had done'.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The imperfect conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
The plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (subjunctive pluperfect) is a rare literary tense. It describes actions in the past where the subjunctive mood is required that take place before other actions in the past.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The imperfect subjunctive conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
The passé antérieur (past anterior) is the formal, literary equivalent of the plus-que-parfait, in the same way that the passé simple is a formal, literary version of the passé composé. Both express actions that had happened before other actions in the past.
It is a compound tense formed with:
- The passé simple conjugation of an auxiliary verb, either avoir or être.
- The past participle of the verb. If the auxiliary verb is être then the past participle will have different endings to agree with the the subject. An 'e' will be added if the subject is female, and an 's' if the subject is plural.
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Present participle:
Past participle:
| Expression | Meaning |
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Verbs
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