How to Conjugate French Verbs

Ever feel like French verbs change shape just to confuse you? You’re not alone. Whether you’re trying to say “I eat,” “she is,” or “they went,” getting verb conjugation right is key to speaking French naturally. In this guide, we’ll break down what conjugation actually means, why it matters, and how to do it—with clear examples to help you feel more confident in every tense.

What is a Verb?

A verb is a type of word that shows an action, a state, or a change over time (like past, present, or future).

Verbs usually start in their infinitive form (like to eat, to be, to go). But when we use them with personal pronouns (like I, you, he/she), they get conjugated and then they become the main part of the sentence’s action.

What Is Verb Conjugation?

Verb conjugation means changing the verb to match the subject (the person doing the action). Let’s take this simple example from the English language:

• I love traveling by train.

but

• She loves traveling alone.

You can see that when the personal pronoun changes, you need to modify the conjugation of the verb, in this case, by adding a final -s. The same happens in French but in a slightly more complex way.

Personal Pronouns in French

First, what do personal pronouns look like in French? Let’s look at this table, which shows French personal pronouns. It will show you the English translations of the French pronouns and explain how the pronoun is used (i.e., in formal or informal contexts).

The next table shows you a simpler version of the first one which may be easier to use for studying and memorization.

The Three groups and Their Conjugation Rules

French verbs are classified into three big groups.

First-Group Verbs

First-group verbs are the ones ending in -ER, and it is the group that contains most verbs that you’ll need in your daily life and basic conversations.

Exception to remember: ALLER, which is a verb from the 3rd group.

Second-Group Verbs

Second-group verbs are the ones ending in -IR, and they have a gerund form ending in -issant.

All the other verbs are in the 3rd group, which is a vast melting pot, a sort of anarchy; call it as you wish. It includes all the other possible verb endings and irregular verbs. Some of them are key verbs that you must imperatively learn by heart in present simple to start with, and then in passé composé and so on, such as:

To sum it up, we could say that the first and second groups follow some regular conjugation patterns, with some logics and rules you can apply safely while the third group is a big mix full of problematic ones!

Moods

French verbs are used in different moods to express a speaker’s attitude toward the action. The four moods are the indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative.

• The indicative mood is the mood of reality, which means concrete actions. You will use it to express that an action is done, is being done, or will be done. Example: Elle va à l’école tous les jours. (She goes to school every day.) The indicative mood has the most tenses, both simple and compound:
  • Simple: présent, imparfait, futur, passé simple (literary)
  • Compound: passé composé, plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, passé antérieur (literary)
• The subjunctive is the one used to express uncertainty. Example: Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs. (You must do your homework. – with uncertainty whether it will be done.) The subjunctive mood has two main tenses:
  • Présent du subjonctif (present subjunctive)
  • Passé du subjonctif (past subjunctive — compound with avoir/être)
• The third mood is the conditional, which, as its name suggests, expresses a condition or a hypothetical situation, depending on some other factors, but also a wish that has more or less (or zero) probability to become reality. It is also used in the present or past tense. Example: Je voyagerais plus si j’avais le temps. (I would travel more if I had the time.) The conditional mood has two main tenses:
  • Présent du conditionnel
  • Passé du conditionnel (compound tense with avoir/être)
• The last mood is imperative, which is used to command someone or “firmly” invite someone to do something, advise, or just give an order. Personal pronouns are needed in imperative, and it is only conjugated with “tu, nous, et vous. Example: Ferme la porte ! (Close the door!) The imperative mood has only one tense: the present imperative.

Tenses

You will need to distinguish the following tenses.

Simple Tenses

They are the present, imperfect, past simple (literary, not used in speech), and future / présent, imparfait, passé simple, and future.

Compound Tenses

Compound tenses are the past compound, plus-que-parfait / passé composé, plus-que-parfait. In compound tenses, we’ll see that the verb needs an auxiliary in its structure. In French, the two auxiliary verbs are “être” and “avoir,” depending on the type of verb.

The subjunctive is the one used to express uncertainty, a wish, a hope, or an emotion. You can use it in present and past form (less common in spoken language).

The third mood is the conditional which, as its names suggests, express a condition or a hypothetical situation, depending on some other factors, but also a wish that has more or less (or zero) probability to become reality. It is also used in the present or past tense.

The last mood is imperative, which is used to command someone or “firmly” invite someone to do something, advise, or just give an order. Personal pronouns are needed in imperative, and it is only conjugated with “tu, nous, et vous.”

Basic Conjugation Rules in the Present Simple

We said earlier that the first and second groups will follow some regular conjugations structures, so let’s take a look at that in present simple to start with.

First Group Verbs: -ER (Example: Parler – to speak)

Pronunciation Note:

• The endings -e, -es, and -ent are not pronounced at all.
• For je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles, ‘parle/parles/parlent’ are all pronounced [parl], despite different spellings.
• The ending -ez (as in vous parlez) is pronounced like [é].

This applies to all regular -ER verbs — except for the irregular verb aller. 

Second Group Verbs: -IR (Example: Finir – to finish)

Note:

• It is crucial to remember the -ss in the plural forms: nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent.
• Pronunciation: You say [fini] for je, tu, il, elle, on and [finis] for ils/elles.
• The final -ent in ils/elles finissent is not pronounced.

Third group TRIO Verbs

ALLER (to go)

ÊTRE (to be)

AVOIR (to have)

Français	English
J’ai	I have
Tu as	You have (informal)
Il, elle, on a	He, she, one has
Nous avons	We have
Vous avez	You have (formal/plural)
Ils ont	They have (masculine or mixed)

More French Tenses

Now that we know how to conjugate verbs in the present simple, let’s move on to the other tenses in French.

Le futur simple

The future simple is used to talk about what will happen in the future or to express a wish.

Structure

To form the simple future tense, you need to take the infinitive of the verb, without making any change for the -er and -ir, and add the following endings.

Français	English
Je parlerai	I will speak
Tu aimeras	You will love (informal)
Il partira	He will leave
Elle finira	She will finish
On mangera	We/One will eat
Nous étudierons	We will study
Vous marcherez	You will walk (formal/plural)
Ils danseront	They will dance (masculine/mixed)
Elles chanteront	They will sing (feminine)

For verbs in -re, you will have to remove the final e.

French (Infinitive)	French (Future Tense)	English
Prendre	Je prendrai	I will take
Boire	Tu boiras	You will drink
Croire	Il croira	He will believe
Dire	Nous dirons	We will say / We will tell

Some Irregular verbs you should know:

French (Infinitive)	French (Future Tense)	English
Être	Je serai	I will be
Avoir	Tu auras	You will have
Aller	On ira	We will go
Faire	Nous ferons	We will do / make
Voir	Vous verrez	You will see
Vouloir	Elles voudront	They will want
Pouvoir	Il pourra	He will be able to

L’imparfait

The imparfait is used to describe habits in the past or a lasting action that takes place in the past.

To form the imperfect, you’ll need the stem of the 1st person plural, nous, in the present + the following endings:

-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Good news! There is only one irregular verb, which will therefore not follow this logic, that you must remember! This is the verb être.

French	English
j’étais	I was
tu étais	You were
était	He / She / One was
nous étions	We were
vous étiez	You (formal/plural) were
étaient	They were

The following table shows some examples of verbs in the imparfait in French.

French (Imparfait)	English Translation
Je parlais	I was speaking / I used to speak
Tu aimais	You were loving / You used to love
Il partait	He was leaving / He used to leave
Elle finissait	She was finishing / She used to finish
On mangeait	We/Someone was eating
Nous étudiions	We were studying
Vous marchiez	You were walking
Ils dansaient	They (masc.) were dancing
Elles chantaient	They (fem.) were singing

Le conditionnel présent

The conditionnel présent is used to express a wish, to make an invitation, to make a suggestion, or to express a condition. To form the present conditional, take the Infinitive of the verb, as for the future previously mentioned, and then add the endings of the imperfect.:

Here are some examples:

French	English
Je parlerais	I would speak
Tu aimerais	You would love
Il partirait	He would leave
Elle finirait	She would finish
On mangerait	We/Someone would eat
Nous étudierions	We would study
Vous marcheriez	You would walk (formal/plural)
Ils danseraient	They (m.) would dance
Elles chanteraient	They (f.) would sing
Je prendrais	I would take
Tu boirais	You would drink
Il croirait	He would believe
Elle dirait	She would say / tell
On aurait	We/Someone would have
Nous serions	We would be
Vous verriez	You would see

Compound tenses

We’re now going to look at how to form the passé composé, the plus-que-parfait, the conditionnel passé and the futur antérieur in French, all of which are compound tenses.

They are all formed with the auxiliary “avoir”, or “être” conjugated in a simple tense (seen above) + the past participle of the verb.

The Past Participle

Before we go more in-depth regarding these tenses, here are some rules that should help you with past participles in French.

• The verbs in -ER have their past participle in -é
• The verbs from the second group ending in -IR have their past participles in -i
• The verbs from the third group are, by definition, more irregular and won’t really follow consistent rules, and it’s better to progressively learn them by heart.

Many examples will be given next.

Passé composé

The passé composé is the equivalent of past simple or present perfect in English. It is a very common and useful tense that you must have under control by the end of the A2 level. It is formed mainly with the auxiliary avoir and, in some cases, with être in the present simple + participe passé (past participle).

French	English
J’ai mangé ma glace.	I ate my ice cream.
Tu as fini tes devoirs.	You finished your homework.
Il a vu ton ami.	He saw your friend.
Elle a compris son erreur.	She understood her mistake.
Vous avez perdu vos clés.	You lost your keys.
Ils ont fait le ménage.	They did the cleaning.
J’ai acheté un vélo.	I bought a bike.

And here are some examples with être. About 20 verbs (movement and state) and all the pronominal verbs use the verb être as an auxiliary verb in passé composé.

French	English
Je suis allée au cinéma.	I went to the cinema.
Tu es partie tôt.	You left early.
Il est devenu médecin.	He became a doctor.
Elle est venue chez moi.	She came to my house.
Il est arrivé à Paris.	He arrived in Paris.
Nous sommes montés dans le train.	We got on the train.
Vous êtes descendus à pied.	You walked down.
Ils sont nés en Afrique.	They were born in Africa.
Je me suis levé tard ce matin.	I got up late this morning.
Il s’est douché hier soir.	He took a shower last night.
Nous nous sommes lavé les mains.	We washed our hands.
Elles se sont embrassées.	They kissed each other.
Tu ne t’es pas rendu compte.	You didn’t realize.

Plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait is the equivalent of the past perfect in English. The structure of this tense is:

• the auxiliary avoir or être in imparfait + past participle.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Français	English
J’avais mangé ma glace.	I had eaten my ice cream.
Tu avais fini tes devoirs.	You had finished your homework.
Il avait vu ton ami.	He had seen your friend.
Elle avait compris son erreur.	She had understood her mistake.
Vous aviez perdu vos clés.	You had lost your keys.
Ils avaient fait le ménage.	They had done the cleaning.
J’avais acheté un vélo.	I had bought a bike.
J’étais allée au cinéma.	I had gone to the cinema.
Tu étais partie tôt.	You had left early.
Il était devenu médecin.	He had become a doctor.
Elle était venue chez moi.	She had come to my place.
Il était arrivé à Paris.	He had arrived in Paris.
Nous étions montés dans le train.	We had gotten on the train.
Vous étiez descendus à pied.	You had walked down.
Ils étaient nés en Afrique.	They had been born in Africa.
Je m’étais levé tard ce matin.	I had gotten up late this morning.
Il s’était douché hier soir.	He had taken a shower last night.
Nous nous étions lavé les mains.	We had washed our hands.
Elles s’étaient embrassées.	They had kissed each other.
Tu ne t’étais pas rendu compte.	You hadn’t realized.

Conditionnel passé

The past conditional is formed with the auxiliary avoir or être in conditionnel présent + past participle of the verb.

Français	English
J’aurais mangé ma glace.	I would have eaten my ice cream.
Tu aurais fini tes devoirs.	You would have finished your homework.
Il aurait vu ton ami.	He would have seen your friend.
Elle aurait compris son erreur.	She would have understood her mistake.
Vous auriez perdu vos clés.	You would have lost your keys.
Ils auraient fait le ménage.	They would have done the cleaning.
J’aurais acheté un vélo.	I would have bought a bike.
Je serais allée au cinéma.	I would have gone to the cinema.
Tu serais partie tôt.	You would have left early.
Il serait devenu médecin.	He would have become a doctor.
Elle serait venue chez moi.	She would have come to my place.
Il serait arrivé à Paris.	He would have arrived in Paris.
Nous serions montés dans le train.	We would have gotten on the train.
Vous seriez descendus à pied.	You would have walked down.
Ils seraient nés en Afrique.	They would have been born in Africa.
Je me serais levé tard ce matin.	I would have gotten up late this morning.
Il se serait douché hier soir.	He would have taken a shower last night.
Nous nous serions lavé les mains.	We would have washed our hands.
Elles se seraient embrassées.	They would have kissed each other.
Tu ne te serais pas rendu compte.	You wouldn’t have realized.

Futur antérieur

In order to form this tense, you’ll need the auxiliary avoir or être in the future simple + past participle of the verb.

Français	English
J’aurai mangé ma glace.	I will have eaten my ice cream.
Tu auras fini tes devoirs.	You will have finished your homework.
Il aura vu ton ami.	He will have seen your friend.
Elle aura compris son erreur.	She will have understood her mistake.
Vous aurez perdu vos clés.	You will have lost your keys.
Ils auront fait le ménage.	They will have done the cleaning.
J’aurai acheté un vélo.	I will have bought a bike.
Je serai allée au cinéma.	I will have gone to the cinema.
Tu seras partie tôt.	You will have left early.
Il sera devenu médecin.	He will have become a doctor.
Elle sera venue chez moi.	She will have come to my place.
Il sera arrivé à Paris.	He will have arrived in Paris.
Nous serons montés dans le train.	We will have gotten on the train.
Vous serez descendus à pied.	You will have walked down.
Ils seront nés en Afrique.	They will have been born in Africa.
Je me serai levé tard ce matin.	I will have gotten up late this morning.
Il se sera douché hier soir.	He will have taken a shower last night.
Nous nous serons lavé les mains.	We will have washed our hands.
Elles se seront embrassées.	They will have kissed each other.
Tu ne te seras pas rendu compte.	You will not have realized.

RECAP OF THE COMPOUND TENSES

Temps	Auxiliaire Avoir/Être	Exemple
Passé composé	au présent + participe passé	J’ai mangé / Il est parti
Plus-que-parfait	à l’imparfait + participe passé	J’avais compris / Tu étais né
Conditionnel passé	au conditionnel + participe passé	J’aurais fait / On serait venus
Futur antérieur	au futur + participe passé	J’aurai dit / Vous serez arrivés

Key Takeaways

• Verbs describe actions, states, or changes and start in the infinitive form (like manger, être, aller).
• Conjugation means changing the verb form to match the subject and tense.
• French verbs are classified into 3 main groups. 2 of them are following a regular pattern (1st group in -ER and 2nd group in -IR) while the 3rd one includes all the other possible verb endings and a lot of irregular and useful verbs.
• Subject pronouns (je, tu, il/elle/on, etc.) are essential for conjugation.
• Verb endings change based on the tense (present, past, future, etc.) and mood (indicative, imperative, etc.), and their group too.
• Learning patterns helps with regular verbs, but irregular verbs must be memorized.

Tips for Learning French Verb Conjugation

• Always start with 5 to 10 verbs from the first group to gain confidence with some easy, straightforward conjugation: étudier, parler, aimer, marcher, acheter, regarder, travailler, for example. And then do not forget to study the few verbs that will allow you to go everywhere and express basic daily life things, such as être, avoir, aller, faire, or pouvoir.
• Practice one tense at a time — don’t try to learn everything at once.
• Use flashcards or apps to drill conjugations daily.
• Speak out loud when practicing — it helps train your memory and pronunciation.
• Look for patterns in regular verbs before tackling irregular ones.
• Watch French shows or listen to podcasts to hear verbs used in real contexts.
• Make mistakes! They’re part of the learning process — don’t be afraid to try.

You’re All Set!

And that’s a wrap on the basics of French verbs and conjugation! It might seem like a lot at first, but don’t worry—practice really does make perfect. Start with the regular verbs, get comfortable with the patterns, and slowly add in the trickier ones. Keep listening, reading, and speaking French, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Bonne chance !